The Westminster Larger Catechism (1648) explains our duties under the Fourth Commandment.
First, you must agree that the Catechism has correctly explained the implications of the Commandment. Assuming it has, you must agree with God that you are obligated to carry out those principles in your life. This page is a checklist for you to discern your agreement.
Second you must ask yourself if you have violated each aspect of the command.
Third, you must take steps to develop the Character of Christ, and eliminate "character defects" from your life.
If you do not understand the Scripture proof-text after reading the pages above, write to me.
2. If you understand the Scripture text, but do not agree that the duty spelled out is in fact commanded to God, explain to me why not. I'm open-minded. In fact, you will find several places where I have already indicated my disagreement with the Catechism. On the whole, however, I think the Catechism is amazing in its accuracy.
3. If you can think of other duties which might be meaningful in the lives of others, please send them to me so I can include them here as well.
Question 115: Which is the fourth commandment?
Answer: The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord
thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy
manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Question 116: What is required in the fourth commandment?
Answer: The fourth commandment requires of all men the sanctifying or keeping
holy to God such set times as he has appointed in his Word, expressly one whole day in
seven; which was the seventh from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of
Christ, and the first day of the week ever since, and so to continue to the end of the
world; which is the Christian sabbath, and in the New Testament called the Lord's day.
Question 117: How is the sabbath or the Lord's day to be sanctified?
Answer: The sabbath or Lord's day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the
day, not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly
employments and recreations as are on other days lawful; and making it our delight to
spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to betaken up in works of necessity and
mercy) in the public and private exercises of God's worship: and, to that end, we are to
prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose and
seasonably dispatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the
duties of that day.
Question 118: Why is the charge of keeping the sabbath more specially directed
to governors of families, and other superiors?
Answer: The charge of keeping the sabbath is more specially directed to governors
of families, and other superiors, because they are bound not only to keep it themselves,
but to see that it be observed by all those that are under their charge; and because they
are prone ofttimes to hinder them by employments of their own.
Question 119: What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?
Answer: The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are, all omissions of the
duties required, all careless, negligent, and unprofitable performing of them, and being
weary of them; all profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself
sinful; and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments and
recreations.
Question 120: What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more
to enforce it?
Answer: The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are taken
from the equity of it, God allowing us six days of seven for our own affairs, and
reserving but one for himself, in these words, Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy
work: from God's challenging a special propriety in that day, The seventh day is the
sabbath of the Lord thy God: from the example of God, who in six days made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: and from that
blessing which God put upon that day, not only in sanctifying it to be a day for his
service, but in ordaining it to be a means of blessing to us in our sanctifying
it;Wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Question 121: Why is the word Remember set in the beginning of the fourth
commandment?
Answer: The word Remember is set in the beginning of the fourth commandment,
partly, because of the great benefit of remembering it, we being thereby helped in our
preparation to keep it, and, in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the
commandments, and to continue a thankful remembrance of the two great benefits of creation
and redemption, which contain a short abridgment of religion; and partly, because we are
very ready to forget it, for that there is less light of nature for it, and yet it
restrains our natural liberty in things at other times lawful; that it comes but once in
seven days, and many worldly businesses come between, and too often take off our minds
from thinking of it, either to prepare for it, or to sanctify it;and that Satan with his
instruments much labor to blot out the glory, and even the memory of it, to bring in all
irreligion and impiety.
Q. 115. Which is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt
thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God:
in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant,
nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in
six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested in
the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath-day and hallowed it. Exod.
20:8-11
Q. 116. What is required in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment requireth of all men the sanctifying or keeping holy to
God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word, expressly one whole day in
seven; which was the seventh from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of
Christ, and the first day of the week ever since, and so to continue to the end of the
world; which is the Christian sabbath, Deut. 5:12-14; Gen. 2:2-3; 1 Cor.
16:1-2; Matt. 5:17-18; Isa. 56:2, 4, 6-7
| Deuteronomy 5:12-14 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. {13} Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: {14} But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. | |
| Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. {3} And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. | |
| 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. {2} Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. | |
| Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {18} For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. | |
| Isaiah 56:24,6-7 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. {4} For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; {6}Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; {7} Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. |
and in the New Testament called The Lord's day. Rev. 1:10
| Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, |
Q. 117. How is the sabbath or the Lord's day to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath or Lord's day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day, Exod.
20:8, 10
| Exodus 20:8,10 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. {10} But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: |
not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful; Exod. 16:25-28; Neh. 13:15-22; Jer. 17:21-22
| Exodus 16:25-28 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. {26} Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. {27} And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. {28} And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? | |
| Nehemiah 13:15-22 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. {16} There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. {17} Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? {18} Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. {19} And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. {20} So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. {21} Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. {22} And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. | |
| Jeremiah 17:21-22 Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; {22} Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. |
and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy Matt. 11:1-13)
| Matthew 11:1-13 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. {2} Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, {3} And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? {4} Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: {5} The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. {6} And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. {7} And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? {8} But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. {9} But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. {10} For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. {11} Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. {12} And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. {13} For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. |
in the public and private exercises of God's worship: Isa. 58:13; Luke 4:16; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Ps. 92 (title, A psalm or song for the sabbath-day); Isa. 66:23; Lev. 23:3
| Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: | |
| Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. | |
| Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. | |
| 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. {2} Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. | |
| Psalm 92 A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. | |
| Isaiah 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. | |
| Leviticus 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. |
and, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose and seasonably dispatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day. Exod. 20:8, Luke 23:54,56; Exod. 16:22, 25-26, 29; Neh. 13:19.(See number 12.)
| Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. | |
| Luke 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. {56} And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. | |
| Exodus 16:22,25-26,29 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. {25} And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. {26} Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. {29} See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. | |
| Nehemiah 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. |
Q. 118. Why is the charge of keeping the sabbath more specially directed to
governors of families, and other superiors?
A. The charge of keeping the sabbath is more specially directed to governors of families,
and other superiors, because they are bound not only to keep it themselves, but to
see that it be observed by all those that are under their charge; and because they are
prone ofttimes to hinder them by employments of their own. Exod. 20:10; Josh.
24:15; Neh. 13:15, 17; (See above in 65.); Jer. 17:20-22; Exod. 23:12
| Exodus 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: | |
| Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. | |
| Nehemiah 13:15,17 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. {17} Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? | |
| Jeremiah 17:20-22 And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates: {21} Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; {22} Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. | |
| Exodus 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. |
Q. 119. What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are, all omissions of the duties required,
Ezek. 22:26
| Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. |
all careless, negligent, and unprofitable performing of them, and being weary of them; Acts 20:7, 9; Ezek. 33:30-32; Amos 8:5; Mal. 1:13
| Acts 20:7,9 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. {9} And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. | |
| Ezekiel 33:30-32 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. {31} And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. {32} And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. | |
| Amos 8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? | |
| Malachi 1:13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD. |
all profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself sinful; Ezek. 23:38
| Ezekiel 23:38 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. |
and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments and recreations. Jer. 17:24, 27; Isa. 58:13
| Jeremiah 17:24,27 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; {27} But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. | |
| Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: |
Q. 120. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce
it?
A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are taken from the
equity of it, God allowing us six days of seven for our own affairs, and
reserving but one for himself in these words, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all
thy work: Exod. 20:9
from God's challenging a special propriety in that day, The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: Exod. 20:10
from the example of God, who in six days made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: and from that blessing which God put upon that day, not only in sanctifying it to be a day for his service, but in ordaining it to be a means of blessing to us in our sanctifying it; Wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exod. 20:11
Q. 121. Why is the Word Remember set in the beginning of the fourth
commandment?
A. The word Remember is set in the beginning of the fourth commandment, Exod. 20:8
partly, because of the great benefit of remembering it, we being thereby helped in our preparation to keep it, Exod. 16:23; Luke 23:54, 56; Mark 15:42; Neh. 13:19
| Exodus 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. | |
| Nehemiah 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. | |
| Luke 23:54,56 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. {56} And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. | |
| Mark 15:42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, |
and, in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the commandments, Ps. 92:13-14.; Ezek. 20:12, 19-20
| Psalm 92:13-14 (title, A psalm or song for the sabbath-day.) Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. {14} They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; |
|
| Ezekiel 20:12,19-20 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. {19} I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; {20} And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. |
and to continue a thankful remembrance of the two great benefits of creation and redemption, which contain a short abridgment of religion; Gen. 2:2-3; Ps. 118:22, 24; Acts 4:10-11; Rev. 1:10
| Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. {3} And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. | |
| Psalms 118:22,24 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. {24} This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. | |
| Acts 4:10-11 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. {11} This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. | |
| Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, |
and partly, because we are very ready to forget it, Ezek. 22:26
| Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. |
for that there is less light of nature for it, Neh. 9:14
| Nehemiah 9:14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: |
and yet it restraineth our natural liberty in things at other times lawful; Exod. 34:21
| Exodus 34:21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. |
that it cometh but once in seven days, and many worldly businesses come between, and too often take off our minds from thinking of it, either to prepare for it, or to sanctify it; Deut. 5:14-15; Amos 8:5
| Deuteronomy 5:14-15 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. {15} And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. | |
| Amos 8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? |
and that Satan with his instruments labours much to blot out the glory, and even the memory of it, to bring in all irreligion and impiety. Lam. 1:7; Jer. 17:21-23; Neh. 13:15-23 [See in number 12, Q. 117.]
| Lamentations 1:7 Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths. | |
| Jeremiah 17:21-23 Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; {22} Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. {23} But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. | |
| Nehemiah 13:15-23 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. {16} There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. {17} Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? {18} Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. {19} And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. {20} So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. {21} Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. {22} And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. {23} In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: |