The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

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- Chapter 40 -

(Acts 7:44–47; Hebrews 9:1–10)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall raise the tabernacle of the testimony,(a)

and you shall place the ark in it, and you shall release the veil before it.

And having brought in the table, you shall place the things which were solemnly commanded upon it. The lampstand shall stand with its lamps,

and the altar of gold, in which the incense is burned, shall stand before the ark of the testimony. You shall place the tent at the entrance of the tabernacle,

and before it, the altar of holocaust.

The washtub shall stand between the altar and the tabernacle, and you shall fill it with water.

And you shall encompass the atrium and its entrance with hangings.

And, having taken up the oil of unction, you shall anoint the tabernacle along with its articles, so that they may be sanctified.

The altar of holocaust and all its vessels,

the washtub with its base, and all things, you shall consecrate with the oil of unction, so that they may be the Holy of holies.

And you shall bring forward Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tabernacle of the testimony, and, having washed them with water,

you shall clothe them in the holy vestments, so that they may minister to me, and so that their unction may accomplish an everlasting priesthood.”

And Moses did all that the Lord had instructed.

Therefore, in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was put in place.

And Moses raised it up, and he positioned the panels as well as the bases and the bars, and he set up the columns,

and he stretched out the roof over the tabernacle, imposing a cover above it, just as the Lord had decreed.

And he placed the testimony in the ark, applying the bars beneath, and the oracle above.

And when he had brought the ark into the tabernacle, he drew the veil before it, in order to fulfill the commandment of the Lord.

And he placed the table in the tabernacle of the testimony, at the north side, beyond the veil,

arranging before it the bread of the presence, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

And he placed the lampstand in the tabernacle of the testimony, away from the table, on the south side,

setting the lamps in order, according to the precept of the Lord.

He also positioned the altar of gold under the roof of the testimony, opposite the veil,

and he heaped upon it the incense of aromatics, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

And he positioned the tent at the entrance of the tabernacle of the testimony,

and the altar of holocaust in the vestibule of the testimony, offering the holocaust and the sacrifices upon it, just as the Lord had decreed.

Likewise, he stationed the washtub between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar, filling it with water.

And Moses and Aaron, along with his sons, washed their hands and feet,

whenever they would enter the covering of the covenant, and when they approached to the altar, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

And he raised up the atrium around the tabernacle and the altar, drawing the hanging at its entrance. After all these things were perfected,

the cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord filled it.

Neither could Moses enter the covering of the covenant: the cloud was covering all things, and the majesty of the Lord was flashing. For the cloud had covered everything.

The Cloud and the Glory

(Numbers 9:15–23)

Whenever the cloud departed from the tabernacle, the sons of Israel set out by their companies.

But if it remained hanging over it, they remained in the same place.

Certainly, the cloud of the Lord lay over the tabernacle by day, and the fire by night, being seen by all the people of Israel throughout all their resting places.(b)

Footnotes

(a)40:2 The Israelites would have had to partially assemble the Tabernacle of the Testimony in advance of this date, as they were building its components, in order to assure that it was made to the correct size and shape.(Conte)

(b)40:36 The implication of the word ‘mansiones’ is that the Israelites were on the move, so that the word ‘mansiones’ refers to whatever place at which they were temporarily residing.(Conte)

(Acts 7:44–47; Hebrews 9:1–10)

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

You shall put the ark of the covenant in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lamp stand, and light its lamps.

You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

“You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein.

You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.

“You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture, and it will be holy.

You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar, and the altar will be most holy.

You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.

“You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.

You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them.

You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.”

Moses did so. According to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did.

In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was raised up.

Moses raised up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and put in its bars, and raised up its pillars.

He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tabernacle above on it, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He took and put the covenant into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark.

He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the covenant, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside of the veil.

He set the bread in order on it before the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He put the lamp stand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle.

He lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil;

and he burned incense of sweet spices on it, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash.

Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there.

When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He raised up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

The Cloud and the Glory

(Numbers 9:15–23)

Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle.

Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle.

When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys;

but if the cloud wasn’t taken up, then they didn’t travel until the day that it was taken up.

For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.