Consecration of the Priests

29 “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. (A)Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish, (B)and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and (C)wash them with water. Then (D)you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the (E)skillfully woven band of the ephod. (F)And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. You shall take (G)the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. Then you (H)shall bring his sons and put coats on them, and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with (I)sashes and bind caps on them. And (J)the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall (K)ordain Aaron and his sons.

10 “Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. (L)Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 12 and (M)shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the (N)horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of[a] the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar. 13 And you shall take all (O)the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire (P)outside the camp; (Q)it is a sin offering.

15 “Then (R)you shall take one of the rams, and (S)Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 16 and you shall kill the ram and shall take its blood and throw it against the sides of the altar. 17 Then you shall (T)cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, 18 and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a (U)pleasing aroma, a food offering[b] to the Lord.

19 (V)“You shall take the other ram, (W)and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 20 and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar. 21 Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the (X)anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons' garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons' garments with him.

22 “You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the (Y)fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of (Z)ordination), 23 and (AA)one loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord. 24 You shall put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and (AB)wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 25 Then (AC)you shall take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a (AD)pleasing aroma before the Lord. It is a food offering to the Lord.

26 “You shall take the (AE)breast of the ram of Aaron's (AF)ordination and (AG)wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion. 27 And you shall consecrate the (AH)breast of the wave offering that is waved and the (AI)thigh of the priests' portion that is contributed from the ram of (AJ)ordination, from what was Aaron's and his sons'. 28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a (AK)perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a (AL)contribution. It shall be a (AM)contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

29 “The holy garments of Aaron (AN)shall be for his sons after him; they shall (AO)be anointed in them and ordained in them. 30 The son who succeeds him as priest, who comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, shall wear them (AP)seven days.

31 “You shall take the ram of ordination and (AQ)boil its flesh in a holy place. 32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the (AR)bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 33 (AS)They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an (AT)outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy. 34 And if any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remain until the morning, then you shall (AU)burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

35 “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through (AV)seven days shall you ordain them, 36 and every day you shall offer a (AW)bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall (AX)anoint it to consecrate it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the (AY)altar shall be most holy. (AZ)Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.

38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: (BA)two lambs a year old (BB)day by day regularly. 39 One lamb you shall offer (BC)in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer (BD)at twilight. 40 And with the first lamb a tenth measure[c] of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin[d] of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 The other lamb you shall offer (BE)at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as (BF)in the morning, for a (BG)pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. 42 It shall be a (BH)regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, (BI)where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 43 There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be (BJ)sanctified by my glory. 44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. (BK)Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. 45 (BL)I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that (BM)I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar of Incense

30 (BN)“You shall make (BO)an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit[e] shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. (BP)Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall (BQ)overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be (BR)holders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the (BS)mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. And Aaron shall (BT)burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he (BU)dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall not offer (BV)unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 (BW)Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the (BX)sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

The Census Tax

11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 (BY)“When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give (BZ)a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel[f] according to the (CA)shekel of the sanctuary (the (CB)shekel is twenty gerahs),[g] (CC)half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than (CD)the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall (CE)give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to (CF)remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”

The Bronze Basin

17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a (CG)basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. (CH)You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons (CI)shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering[h] to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall (CJ)be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”

The Anointing Oil and Incense

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the (CK)finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of (CL)aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a (CM)hin[i] of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the (CN)perfumer; it shall be a (CO)holy anointing oil. 26 (CP)With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the (CQ)basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. (CR)Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 (CS)You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. (CT)It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 (CU)Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

34 The Lord said to Moses, (CV)“Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), 35 and make an (CW)incense blended as by the (CX)perfumer, (CY)seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting (CZ)where I shall meet with you. (DA)It shall be most holy for you. 37 And the incense that you shall make (DB)according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. 38 (DC)Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 29:12 Hebrew all
  2. Exodus 29:18 Or an offering by fire; also verses 25, 41
  3. Exodus 29:40 Possibly an ephah (about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters)
  4. Exodus 29:40 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters
  5. Exodus 30:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  6. Exodus 30:13 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  7. Exodus 30:13 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram
  8. Exodus 30:20 Or an offering by fire
  9. Exodus 30:24 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters

Consecration of the Priests(A)

29 “This is what you are to do to consecrate(B) them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect.(C) And from the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil.(D) Put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams.(E) Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water.(F) Take the garments(G) and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband.(H) Put the turban(I) on his head and attach the sacred emblem(J) to the turban. Take the anointing oil(K) and anoint him by pouring it on his head. Bring his sons and dress them in tunics(L) and fasten caps on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons.[a](M) The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance.(N)

“Then you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

10 “Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.(O) 11 Slaughter it in the Lord’s presence(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12 Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns(Q) of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar.(R) 13 Then take all the fat(S) on the internal organs,(T) the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But burn the bull’s flesh and its hide and its intestines(U) outside the camp.(V) It is a sin offering.[b]

15 “Take one of the rams,(W) and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.(X) 16 Slaughter it and take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces and wash(Y) the internal organs and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. 18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma,(Z) a food offering presented to the Lord.

19 “Take the other ram,(AA) and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.(AB) 20 Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet.(AC) Then splash blood against the sides of the altar.(AD) 21 And take some blood(AE) from the altar and some of the anointing oil(AF) and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.(AG)

22 “Take from this ram the fat,(AH) the fat tail, the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This is the ram for the ordination.) 23 From the basket of bread made without yeast, which is before the Lord, take one round loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf. 24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.(AI) 25 Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a food offering presented to the Lord.(AJ) 26 After you take the breast of the ram for Aaron’s ordination, wave it before the Lord as a wave offering, and it will be your share.(AK)

27 “Consecrate those parts of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons:(AL) the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. 28 This is always to be the perpetual share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. It is the contribution the Israelites are to make to the Lord from their fellowship offerings.(AM)

29 “Aaron’s sacred garments(AN) will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them.(AO) 30 The son(AP) who succeeds him as priest and comes to the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days.

31 “Take the ram(AQ) for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place.(AR) 32 At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread(AS) that is in the basket. 33 They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no one else may eat(AT) them, because they are sacred. 34 And if any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning,(AU) burn it up. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.

35 “Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. 36 Sacrifice a bull each day(AV) as a sin offering to make atonement(AW). Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate(AX) it. 37 For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.(AY)

38 “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day:(AZ) two lambs a year old. 39 Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight.(BA) 40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah[c] of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin[d] of oil(BB) from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.(BC) 41 Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight(BD) with the same grain offering(BE) and its drink offering as in the morning—a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.

42 “For the generations to come(BF) this burnt offering is to be made regularly(BG) at the entrance to the tent of meeting,(BH) before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you;(BI) 43 there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.(BJ)

44 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests.(BK) 45 Then I will dwell(BL) among the Israelites and be their God.(BM) 46 They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt(BN) so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.(BO)

The Altar of Incense(BP)

30 “Make an altar(BQ) of acacia wood for burning incense.(BR) It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high[e]—its horns(BS) of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.(BT) Make two gold rings(BU) for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.(BV) Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover(BW) that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you.

“Aaron must burn fragrant incense(BX) on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.(BY) Do not offer on this altar any other incense(BZ) or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year(CA) Aaron shall make atonement(CB) on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering[f](CC) for the generations to come.(CD) It is most holy to the Lord.”

Atonement Money

11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census(CE) of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom(CF) for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague(CG) will come on them when you number them. 13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel,[g] according to the sanctuary shekel,(CH) which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more,(CI) are to give an offering to the Lord. 15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less(CJ) when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives. 16 Receive the atonement(CK) money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting.(CL) It will be a memorial(CM) for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives.”

Basin for Washing

17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin,(CN) with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet(CO) with water(CP) from it. 20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die.(CQ) Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance(CR) for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”(CS)

Anointing Oil

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the following fine spices:(CT) 500 shekels[h] of liquid myrrh,(CU) half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon,(CV) 250 shekels[i] of fragrant calamus,(CW) 24 500 shekels(CX) of cassia(CY)—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin[j] of olive oil. 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer.(CZ) It will be the sacred anointing oil.(DA) 26 Then use it to anoint(DB) the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them(DC) so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.(DD)

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate(DE) them so they may serve me as priests.(DF) 31 Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil(DG) for the generations to come.(DH) 32 Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.(DI) 33 Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off(DJ) from their people.’”

Incense

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices(DK)—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense,(DL) the work of a perfumer.(DM) It is to be salted and pure and sacred. 36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet(DN) with you. It shall be most holy(DO) to you. 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy(DP) to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off(DQ) from their people.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 29:9 Hebrew; Septuagint on them
  2. Exodus 29:14 Or purification offering; also in verse 36
  3. Exodus 29:40 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
  4. Exodus 29:40 That is, probably about 1 quart or about 1 liter
  5. Exodus 30:2 That is, about 1 1/2 feet long and wide and 3 feet high or about 45 centimeters long and wide and 90 centimeters high
  6. Exodus 30:10 Or purification offering
  7. Exodus 30:13 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.8 grams; also in verse 15
  8. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 12 1/2 pounds or about 5.8 kilograms; also in verse 24
  9. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 6 1/4 pounds or about 2.9 kilograms
  10. Exodus 30:24 That is, probably about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters