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The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic

- Chapter 30 -

(Exodus 37:25–29)
1
“Tell the skilled workers to make an altar from acacia wood for burning incense.
2
It is to be square, one-half meter on each side. It is to be one meter high. Tell them to make a projection that looks like a horn on each of the top corners. The projections must be carved from the same block of wood from which the altar is made.
3
They must cover the top and the four sides, including the projections, with pure gold. Put a gold border around the altar near the top.
4
They must make two gold rings for carrying the altar. They must attach them to the altar below the border, one on each side of the altar. These rings are for the poles for carrying the altar.
5
Tell them to make these two poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold.
6
They must put this incense altar outside the curtain that hangs in front of the sacred chest and its lid. That is the place where I will talk with you.
7
Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on this altar. He must burn some every morning when he takes care of the lamps,
8
and he must burn some in the evening when he lights the lamps. The incense must always be burning throughout all future generations.
9
The priests must not burn on the altar any incense that I have not told you to burn, or burn any animal on it, nor any flour offering for me, nor pour any wine on it as an offering.
10
One time every year Aaron must perform the ritual for making this altar pure. He must do it by putting on its four projections some of the blood from the animal that was sacrificed to cover people’s sins. Aaron and his descendants must do this ritual throughout all future generations. This altar must be dedicated to me, Yahweh.”

The Census Offering

(2 Samuel 24:1–9; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)
11
Yahweh said to Moses,
12
“When your leaders take a census of the Israelite people, each man who is counted must pay to me a price to save his life. They must do this in order that no disaster will happen to them while the people are being counted.
13
Every man who is counted must pay to me six grams of silver. They must use the official standard of the tabernacle when they weigh the silver. This silver is to be an offering to Yahweh.
14
All the men who are at least twenty years old must pay this amount to me when the people are counted.
15
Rich men must not pay more than this amount, and poor men must not pay less than this amount when they pay this money to save their lives.
16
Your leaders must collect this money from the Israelite people and give it to those who will take care of the sacred tent. You Israelites will see the leaders collect this money and remember that you need to make payment to me so you can live.”

The Bronze Basin

(Exodus 38:8)
17
Yahweh said to Moses,
18
“Tell the skilled workers to make a bronze washbasin and a bronze base for it. They must put it between the sacred tent and the altar and must fill it with water.
19
Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet with this water
20
before they enter the sacred tent and before they come to the altar to burn offerings as sacrifices. If they wash, they will obey my instructions and will not die.
21
They must wash their hands and their feet in order that they will not die. They and the males descended from them must obey this ritual throughout all generations.”

The Anointing Oil

22
Yahweh said to Moses,
23
“Tell the people to collect some of the finest spices, six kilograms of liquid myrrh, three kilograms of sweet-smelling cinnamon, three kilograms of a sweet-smelling cane,
24
and six kilograms of cassia. Be sure that they use the official standard when they weigh these things.
25
Tell an expert perfumer to mix these with four liters of olive oil to make sacred oil for anointing.
26
Use this oil for anointing the sacred tent, the sacred chest,
27
the table and all the things that are used with it, the lampstand and all the things that are used to take care of it, the altar for burning incense,
28
and the altar for offering sacrifices that the priests will burn, along with all the things that are used with it, and the basin and its stand.
29
Dedicate them by anointing them in order that they will be reserved for me. If any person or thing that is not allowed to do so touches the altar, no one will be allowed to touch that person or thing.
30
Anoint Aaron and his sons. By doing that, you will dedicate them to serve me by being priests.
31
Tell the Israelite people, ’This oil will be my special oil that must be used throughout all future generations.
32
You must not pour it on the bodies of people who are not priests, and you must not make other oil to be like it by mixing those same things. This oil is reserved for me, and you must consider it to be such.
33
Yahweh will view anyone who makes ointment like this for any other purpose, or anyone who puts any of this ointment on someone who is not a priest, as no longer belonging to his people.’”

The Incense

34
Yahweh also said to Moses, “Have an expert perfumer take equal parts of several sweet spices: Stacte, a resin from certain gum plants, onycha, from certain shellfish or mollusks, galbanum, another kind of gum resin, and pure frankincense, yet another sort of gum resin.
35
Have him mix them together to make some perfume and add some salt to keep it pure and special for me.
36
Have him beat some of it into a fine powder. Then I want you to take some of it into the sacred tent and sprinkle it in front of the sacred chest. You all must consider this incense to be completely reserved for me.
37
The people must not mix the same spices to make incense for themselves. This incense must be dedicated to me, Yahweh.
38
I will view anyone who makes incense like this to use it for perfume as no longer belonging to my people.”
(Exodus 37:25–29)
1
You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.
2
Its length shall be a cubit,(a) and its width a cubit. It shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.
3
You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding around it.
4
You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it.
5
You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
6
You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the covenant, before the mercy seat that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you.
7
Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it.
8
When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
9
You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it.
10
Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”

The Census Offering

(2 Samuel 24:1–9; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)
11
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12
When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are counted among them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to the LORD when you count them, that there be no plague among them when you count them.
13
They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel (b) of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs (c)); half a shekel for an offering to the LORD.
14
Everyone who passes over to those who are counted, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering to the LORD.
15
The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel,(d) when they give the offering of the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.
16
You shall take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.”

The Bronze Basin

(Exodus 38:8)
17
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
18
You shall also make a basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, in which to wash. You shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
19
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it.
20
When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD.
21
So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. This shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”

The Anointing Oil

22
Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
23
“Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels;(e) and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty;
24
and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin (f) of olive oil.
25
You shall make it into a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.
26
You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant,
27
the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense,
28
the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base.
29
You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30
You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.
31
You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.
32
It shall not be poured on man’s flesh, and do not make any like it, according to its composition. It is holy. It shall be holy to you.
33
Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

34
The LORD said to Moses, “Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, onycha, and galbanum: sweet spices with pure frankincense. There shall be an equal weight of each.
35
You shall make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36
You shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the covenant in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy.
37
You shall not make this incense, according to its composition, for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for the LORD.
38
Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

Footnotes

(a)30:2 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.
(b)30:13 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.
(c)30:13 a gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains
(d)30:15 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.
(e)30:23 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 500 shekels is about 5 kilograms or about 11 pounds.
(f)30:24 A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons.