Making the Ark of the Testimony(A)

37 Then (B)Bezalel made (C)the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold all around it. And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set in its four corners: two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side of it. He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. And he put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. He also made the (D)mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width. He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the mercy seat: one cherub at one end on this side, and the other cherub at the other end on that side. He made the cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the mercy seat. The cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the (E)mercy seat with their wings. They faced one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

Making the Table for the Showbread(F)

10 He made (G)the table of acacia wood; two cubits was its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold all around it. 12 Also he made a frame of a handbreadth all around it, and made a molding of gold for the frame all around it. 13 And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that were at its four legs. 14 The rings were close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 15 And he made the poles of acacia wood to bear the table, and overlaid them with gold. 16 He made of pure gold the utensils which were on the table: its (H)dishes, its cups, its bowls, and its pitchers for pouring.

Making the Gold Lampstand(I)

17 He also made the (J)lampstand of pure gold; of hammered work he made the lampstand. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and its flowers were of the same piece. 18 And six branches came out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 19 There were three bowls made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand itself were four bowls made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 21 There was a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches extending from it. 22 Their knobs and their branches were of one piece; all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 23 And he made its seven lamps, its (K)wick-trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 24 Of a talent of pure gold he made it, with all its utensils.

Making the Altar of Incense(L)

25 (M)He made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit and its width a cubit—it was square—and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 And he overlaid it with pure gold: its top, its sides all around, and its horns. He also made for it a molding of gold all around it. 27 He made two rings of gold for it under its molding, by its two corners on both sides, as holders for the poles with which to bear it. 28 And he (N)made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.

Making the Anointing Oil and the Incense(O)

29 He also made (P)the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the perfumer.

The Chest

37 1-5 Bezalel made the Chest using acacia wood: He made it three and three-quarters feet long and two and a quarter feet wide and deep. He covered it inside and out with a veneer of pure gold and made a molding of gold all around it. He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. He made poles from acacia wood, covered them with a veneer of gold, and inserted the poles for carrying the Chest into the rings on the sides.

Next he made a lid of pure gold for the Chest, an Atonement-Cover, three and three-quarters feet long and two and a quarter feet wide.

7-9 He sculpted two winged angel-cherubim out of hammered gold for the ends of the Atonement-Cover, one angel at one end, one angel at the other. He made them of one piece with the Atonement-Cover. The angels had outstretched wings and appeared to hover over the Atonement-Cover, facing one another but looking down on the Atonement-Cover.

The Table

10-15 He made the Table from acacia wood. He made it three feet long, one and a half feet wide and two and a quarter feet high. He covered it with a veneer of pure gold and made a molding of gold all around it. He made a border a handbreadth wide all around it and a rim of gold for the border. He cast four rings of gold for it and attached the rings to the four legs parallel to the tabletop. They will serve as holders for the poles used to carry the Table. He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with a veneer of gold. They will be used to carry the Table.

16 Out of pure gold he made the utensils for the Table: its plates, bowls, jars, and jugs used for pouring.

The Lampstand

17-23 He made a Lampstand of pure hammered gold, making its stem and branches, cups, calyxes, and petals all of one piece. It had six branches, three from one side and three from the other; three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and petals on one branch, three on the next, and so on—the same for all six branches. On the main stem of the Lampstand, there were four cups shaped like almonds, with calyxes and petals, a calyx extending from under each pair of the six branches. The entire Lampstand with its calyxes and stems was fashioned from one piece of hammered pure gold. He made seven of these lamps with their candle snuffers, all out of pure gold.

24 He used a seventy-five-pound brick of pure gold to make the Lampstand and its accessories.

The Altar of Incense

25-28 He made an Altar for burning incense from acacia wood. He made it a foot and a half square and three feet high, with its horns of one piece with it. He covered it with a veneer of pure gold, its top, sides, and horns, and made a gold molding around it with two rings of gold beneath the molding. He placed the rings on the two opposing sides to serve as holders for poles by which it will be carried. He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with a veneer of gold.

29 He also prepared with the art of a perfumer the holy anointing oil and the pure aromatic incense.

Construction Continues

37 (A)Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was [a]two and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around. He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the [b]other side of it. And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry [c]it. He also made [d]an atoning cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits [e]long and one and a half cubits [f]wide. And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work [g]at the two ends of the atoning cover: one cherub [h]at the one end and one cherub [i]at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the atoning cover [j]at the two ends. And the cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the atoning cover.

10 (B)Then he made the table of acacia wood, [k]two cubits [l]long, a cubit [m]wide, and one and a half cubits [n]high. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding for it all around. 12 And he made a rim for it of a [o]hand width all around, and made a gold molding for its rim all around. 13 He also cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four legs. 14 Close by the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 He also made the utensils which were on the table, its dishes, its pans, its libation bowls, and its jars, with which to pour out drink offerings, of pure gold.

17 (C)Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its [p]bulbs, and its flowers were of one piece with it. 18 There were six branches going out of its sides; three branches of the lampstand from the one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the [q]other side of it; 19 three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a [r]bulb and a flower on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a [s]bulb and a flower on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its [t]bulbs and its flowers; 21 and a [u]bulb was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a [v]bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a [w]bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 22 Their [x]bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold. 23 And he made its seven lamps with its tongs and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils from a [y]talent of pure gold.

25 (D)Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit [z]long and a cubit [aa]wide, square, and two cubits [ab]high; its horns were of one piece with it. 26 And he overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its [ac]sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around. 27 He also made two golden rings for it under its molding, on its two sides—on opposite sides—as holders for poles with which to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 29 (E)Then he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 37:1 About 3.7 ft. long and 2.2 ft. wide and high or about 1.1 m and 68 cm
  2. Exodus 37:3 Lit second
  3. Exodus 37:5 Lit the ark
  4. Exodus 37:6 Also called a mercy seat, and so throughout the ch; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
  5. Exodus 37:6 Lit its length
  6. Exodus 37:6 Lit its width
  7. Exodus 37:7 Lit from
  8. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  9. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  10. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  11. Exodus 37:10 About 3 ft. long, 1.5 ft. wide, and 2.2 ft. high or about 90 cm, 45 cm, and 68 cm
  12. Exodus 37:10 Lit its length
  13. Exodus 37:10 Lit its width
  14. Exodus 37:10 Lit its height
  15. Exodus 37:12 About 3 in. or 7.5 cm
  16. Exodus 37:17 Or calyxes
  17. Exodus 37:18 Lit second
  18. Exodus 37:19 Or calyx
  19. Exodus 37:19 Or calyx
  20. Exodus 37:20 Or calyxes
  21. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  22. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  23. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  24. Exodus 37:22 Or calyxes
  25. Exodus 37:24 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
  26. Exodus 37:25 Lit its length
  27. Exodus 37:25 Lit its width
  28. Exodus 37:25 Lit its height
  29. Exodus 37:26 Lit walls

Making the Ark

37 Bezalel(A) made the ark of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.[a] He overlaid it with pure gold inside and out and made a gold molding all around it. He cast four gold rings for it, for its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark for carrying the ark.

He made a mercy seat of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.[b] He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat, one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At each end, he made a cherub of one piece with the mercy seat. They had wings spread out. They faced each other and covered the mercy seat with their wings. The faces of the cherubim were looking toward the mercy seat.

Making the Table

10 He(B) constructed the table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.[c] 11 He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding all around it. 12 He made a three-inch[d] frame all around it and made a gold molding all around its frame. 13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 14 The rings were next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles for carrying the table from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 16 He also made the utensils that would be on the table out of pure gold: its plates and cups, as well as its bowls and pitchers for pouring drink offerings.

Making the Lampstand

17 Then(C) he made the lampstand out of pure hammered gold. He made it all of one piece: its base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its calyxes[e] and petals. 18 Six branches extended from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from the other side. 19 There were three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the next branch. It was this way for the six branches that extended from the lampstand. 20 On the lampstand shaft there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms with its calyxes and petals. 21 For the six branches that extended from it, a calyx was under the first pair of branches from it, a calyx under the second pair of branches from it, and a calyx under the third pair of branches from it. 22 Their calyxes and branches were of one piece.[f] All of it was a single hammered piece of pure gold. 23 He also made its seven lamps, snuffers, and firepans of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils of 75 pounds[g] of pure gold.

Making the Altar of Incense

25 He(D) made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, 18 inches long and 18 inches wide; it was 36 inches high.[h] Its horns were of one piece.[i] 26 He overlaid it, its top, all around its sides, and its horns with pure gold. Then he made a gold molding all around it. 27 He made two gold rings for it under the molding on two of its sides; he put these on opposite sides of it to be holders for the poles to carry it with. 28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant, and expertly blended incense.(E)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 37:1 Lit two and a half cubits its length, one and a half cubits its width, and one and a half cubits its height
  2. Exodus 37:6 Lit two and a half cubits its length and one and a half cubits its width
  3. Exodus 37:10 Lit two cubits its length, one cubit its width, and one and a half cubits its height
  4. Exodus 37:12 Lit a handbreadth
  5. Exodus 37:17 = the outer covering of a flower
  6. Exodus 37:22 Lit piece with it
  7. Exodus 37:24 Lit a talent
  8. Exodus 37:25 Lit a cubit its length, a cubit its width, and two cubits its height
  9. Exodus 37:25 Lit piece with it