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The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

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- Chapter 25 -

(Exodus 35:4–9)
1
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2
“Speak to the sons of Israel, so that they may take the first-fruits to me. You shall accept these from every man who offers of his own accord.(a)
3
Now these are the things that you must accept: Gold, and silver, and brass,
4
hyacinth and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine linen, the hair of goats,
5
and the skins of rams, dyed red, and skins of violet, and setim wood,(b)
6
oil to prepare lights, aromatics as ointments and sweet-smelling incense,
7
onyx stones and gems to adorn the ephod as well as the breastplate.(c)
8
And they shall make a sanctuary for me, and I will live in their midst.
9
According to exact likeness of the tabernacle, and all of the vessels for its rituals, that I will reveal to you, so shall you make it.

The Ark of the Covenant

(Exodus 37:1–5)
10
Join together an ark of setim wood, whose length shall hold two and one half cubits; the width, one and one half cubits; the height, likewise, one and one half cubits.
11
And you shall overlay it with the finest gold, inside and out. And over it, you shall fashion a gold crown all around,
12
and four gold rings, which you shall set into the four corners of the ark. Let two rings be on one side and two on the other.
13
Likewise, you shall make bars of setim wood and cover them with gold.
14
And you shall put them through the rings that are in the sides of the ark, so that it may be carried on them.
15
These must always be in the rings, neither shall they ever be drawn out of them.
16
And you shall place the testimony, which I will give to you, in the ark.

The Mercy Seat

(Exodus 37:6–9)
17
You shall also make a propitiatory of the finest gold. Its length shall hold two and one half cubits, and the width, one and one half cubits.(d)
18
Likewise, you shall make two Cherubim of formed gold, on both sides of the oracle.
19
Let one Cherub be on the one side, and the other be on the other.
20
And let them cover both sides of the propitiatory, spreading their wings and covering the oracle, and let them look out toward one another, their faces being turned toward the propitiatory, with which the ark is to be covered,
21
in which you will place the testimony that I will give to you.
22
From there, I will warn you and speak to you, above the propitiatory and from the middle of the two Cherubim, which will be over the ark of the testimony, about everything that I will command of the sons of Israel through you.

The Table of Showbread

(Exodus 37:10–16; Leviticus 24:5–9)
23
You shall also make a table of setim wood, having two cubits of length, and one cubit in width, and one cubit and one half cubits in height.(e)
24
And you shall overlay it with the purest gold. And you shall make it with a gold lip all around,
25
and for the lip itself an engraved crown, four fingers high, and above it another little gold crown.
26
Likewise, you shall prepare four gold rings and set them in the four corners of the same table, over each foot.
27
Under the crown, there shall be gold rings, so that the bars may be put through them and the table may be carried.
28
Likewise, the bars themselves you shall make of setim wood, and surround them with gold, to lift up the table.
29
You shall also prepare small cups, as well as bowls, censers, and measuring cups, with which the libations shall be offered, out of the purest gold.(f)
30
And you shall place upon the table the bread of the presence, in my sight always.

The Lampstand

(Exodus 37:17–24; Numbers 8:1–4)
31
You shall also make a lampstand, formed from the finest gold, along with its stem and arms, its bowl and little spheres, as well as the lilies proceeding from it.(g)
32
Six branches shall go out from the sides: three out of one side and three out of the other.
33
Three bowls, the size of nuts, shall be on each branch, and a little sphere with it, and a lily. And three similar bowls, in the likeness of nuts, shall be on the other branch, and a little sphere with it, and a lily. This shall be the form of the six branches, which are to proceed from the stem.
34
Then, in the lampstand itself, there shall be four bowls, the size of nuts, and each with little spheres and lilies.
35
Little spheres under two branches in three places, which together make six, shall proceed from one of the stems.
36
Thus both the little spheres and the branches shall be made out of the same thing: entirely formed from the purest gold.
37
You shall also make seven lamps, and you shall place them upon the lampstand, so that they may give light in every direction.
38
Likewise, the candle snuffers, and the place where the candles will be extinguished, shall be made from the purest gold.
39
The entire weight of the candlestick, with all its parts, shall hold one talent of the purest gold.(h)
40
Observe, and then make it according to the example that was shown to you on the mountain.”(i)

Footnotes

(a)25:2 Firstfruits:Offerings of some of the best and choicest of their goods.(Challoner)
(b)25:5 Setim wood:The wood of a tree that grows in the wilderness, which is said to be incorruptible.(Challoner)
(c)25:7 The ephod and the rational:The ephod was the high priest’s upper vestment; and the rational his breastplate, in which were twelve gems, etc.(Challoner)
(d)25:17 A propitiatory:a covering for the ark: called a propitiatory, or mercy seat, because the Lord, who was supposed to sit there upon the wings of the cherubims, with the ark for his footstool, from thence showed mercy. It is also called the oracle, ver. 18 and 20; because from thence God gave his orders and his answers.(Challoner)
(e)25:23 A table:On which were to be placed the twelve loaves of proposition: or, as they are called in the Hebrew, the face bread, because they were always to stand before the face of the Lord in his temple: as a figure of the eucharistic sacrifice and sacrament, in the church of Christ.(Challoner)
(f)25:29 Libations:That is, drink offerings.(Challoner)
(g)25:31 A candlestick:This candlestick, with its seven lamps, which was always to give light in the house of God, was a figure of the light of the Holy Ghost, and his sevenfold grace, in the sanctuary of the church of Christ.(Challoner)
(h)25:39 A talent is about 30 kilograms or about 66 pounds.(Conte)
(i)25:40 The instructions for making the candelabra might seem complex and open to varying interpretation, but so, too, is the rest of Scripture.(Conte)
(Exodus 35:4–9)
1
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
“Speak to the children of Israel, that they take an offering for me. From everyone whose heart makes him willing you shall take my offering.
3
This is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, bronze,
4
blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair,
5
rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides,(a) acacia wood,
6
oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,
7
onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.
8
Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
9
According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all of its furniture, even so you shall make it.

The Ark of the Covenant

(Exodus 37:1–5)
10
“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits,(b) its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.
11
You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it.
12
You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.
13
You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
14
You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
15
The poles shall be in the rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it.
16
You shall put the covenant which I shall give you into the ark.

The Mercy Seat

(Exodus 37:6–9)
17
You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its width.
18
You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
19
Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy seat.
20
The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
21
You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I will give you.
22
There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the covenant, all that I command you for the children of Israel.

The Table of Showbread

(Exodus 37:10–16; Leviticus 24:5–9)
23
“You shall make a table of acacia wood. Its length shall be two cubits, and its width a cubit, and its height one and a half cubits.
24
You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.
25
You shall make a rim of a hand width around it. You shall make a golden molding on its rim around it.
26
You shall make four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that are on its four feet.
27
The rings shall be close to the rim, for places for the poles to carry the table.
28
You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them.
29
You shall make its dishes, its spoons, its ladles, and its bowls with which to pour out offerings. You shall make them of pure gold.
30
You shall set bread of the presence on the table before me always.

The Lampstand

(Exodus 37:17–24; Numbers 8:1–4)
31
“You shall make a lamp stand of pure gold. The lamp stand shall be made of hammered work. Its base, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.
32
There shall be six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lamp stand out of its one side, and three branches of the lamp stand out of its other side;
33
three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a bud and a flower; and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bud and a flower, so for the six branches going out of the lamp stand;
34
and in the lamp stand four cups made like almond blossoms, its buds and its flowers;
35
and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the lamp stand.
36
Their buds and their branches shall be of one piece with it, all of it one beaten work of pure gold.
37
You shall make its lamps seven, and they shall light its lamps to give light to the space in front of it.
38
Its snuffers and its snuff dishes shall be of pure gold.
39
It shall be made of a talent (c) of pure gold, with all these accessories.
40
See that you make them after their pattern, which has been shown to you on the mountain.

Footnotes

(a)25:5 or, fine leather
(b)25:10 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.
(c)25:39 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces
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