The Daily Audio Bible

Instructions for building the dwelling

26 Make the dwelling with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and deep red yarns. Work figures of winged heavenly creatures into their design. ² Each curtain should be forty-two feet long and each curtain six feet wide. All the curtains should be the same size. ³ Five curtains will be joined to each other as one set, while the other five curtains will be joined together as a second set. ⁴ Make loops of blue thread on the edge of the outer curtain in the first set. Do the same on the edge of the outer curtain in the second set. ⁵ Make fifty loops on the one curtain in the first set and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set. The loops should be opposite each other. ⁶ Then make fifty gold clasps. Join the curtains to each other with the clasps so that the dwelling becomes one whole structure.

⁷ You should also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the dwelling. Make eleven curtains. ⁸ Each curtain should be forty-five feet long and each curtain six feet wide. The eleven curtains should all be the same size. ⁹ Join five of the curtains together, and join the six other curtains together. Double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ Make fifty loops on the edge of the outer curtain in one set and fifty loops on the edge of the outer curtain in the second set.

¹¹ Make fifty copper clasps. Put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it becomes one whole structure. ¹² The extra cloth that is left over from the tent curtains, that is, the half curtain that remains, should hang over the back of the dwelling. ¹³ Eighteen inches on one side and eighteen inches on the other side of the leftover length of the tent’s curtains will hang over the two sides of the dwelling to cover it. ¹⁴ Then for the tent, make a covering of rams’ skins dyed red and an outer covering of beaded leather.^[a]

¹⁵ Make acacia-wood boards to stand upright as a frame for the dwelling. ¹⁶ Each board will be fifteen feet long and twenty-seven inches wide. ¹⁷ Put two pegs on each board for joining them to each other. Do this for all the dwelling’s boards. ¹⁸ Make twenty boards for the dwelling’s southern side. ¹⁹ Then make forty silver bases to go under the twenty boards. There will be two bases under the first board for its two pegs, two bases under the next board for its two pegs, and so on. ²⁰ For the dwelling’s other side on the north, make twenty boards ²¹ and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first board, two bases under the next board, and so on. ²² For the back of the dwelling on the west, make six boards. ²³ Make two additional boards for the dwelling’s rear corners. ²⁴ They should be spread out at the bottom but joined together at the top with one ring. In this way, these two boards will form the two corners. ²⁵ And so there will be eight boards with their sixteen silver bases, two bases under the first board, two bases under the next board, and so on.

²⁶ You should also make acacia-wood bars: five for the boards on one side of the dwelling, ²⁷ five bars for the boards on the other side of the dwelling, and five bars for the boards on the back wall of the dwelling on the west. ²⁸ The middle bar, halfway up the boards, should run from one end to the other. ²⁹ Cover the boards with gold. Make gold rings to house the bars. Cover the bars with gold. ³⁰ Then set up the dwelling according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.

³¹ Make a veil of blue, purple, and deep red yarns and of fine twisted linen. Work figures of winged heavenly creatures into its design. ³² Hang it on four acacia-wood posts covered in gold. They should have gold hooks and stand on four silver bases. ³³ Hang the veil under the clasps, and put the chest containing the covenant there behind the veil. The veil will separate for you the holy from the holiest space. ³⁴ Place the gold cover on the chest containing the covenant in the holiest space. ³⁵ Place the table outside the veil, and set the lampstand opposite the table by the south wall of the dwelling. Place the table by the north wall.

³⁶ Make a screen for the tent’s entrance of blue, purple, and deep red yarns and of fine twisted linen, decorated with needlework. ³⁷ Make five acacia-wood posts for the screen. Cover the posts with gold. Their hooks should be gold. Cast five copper bases for the posts.

Instructions for the altar

27 Make an acacia-wood altar. The altar should be square, seven and a half feet long and seven and a half feet wide. It should be four and a half feet high. ² Make horns for the altar and attach them to it, one horn on each of its four corners. Cover it with copper. ³ Make pails for removing its ashes and its shovels, bowls, meat forks, and trays. Make all its equipment out of copper. ⁴ Make for the altar a grate made of copper mesh. Make four copper rings for each of the four corners of the mesh. ⁵ Slide the mesh underneath the bottom edge of the altar and then extend the mesh halfway up to the middle of the altar. ⁶ Make acacia-wood poles for the altar and cover them with copper. ⁷ Put the poles through the rings so that the poles will be on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. ⁸ Make the altar with planks but hollow inside. All these should be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

Instructions for the dwelling’s courtyard

⁹ You should also set up the dwelling’s courtyard. The courtyard’s south side should have drapes of fine twisted linen stretching one hundred fifty feet on that side, ¹⁰ with twenty posts, twenty copper bases, and silver hooks and bands for the posts. ¹¹ Likewise along the north side the drapes should stretch one hundred fifty feet, with twenty posts, twenty copper bases, and silver hooks and bands for the posts. ¹² The courtyard’s width on the west side should consist of seventy-five feet of drapes with their ten posts and their ten bases. ¹³ The courtyard’s width on the front, facing east, should be seventy-five feet. ¹⁴ There should be twenty-two and a half feet of drapes on one side with three posts and three bases for them. ¹⁵ There should be twenty-two and a half feet of drapes on the other side with three posts and three bases for them. ¹⁶ For the gate into the courtyard there will be a screen thirty feet long, made of blue, purple, and deep red yarns and of fine twisted linen, decorated with needlework. It will have four posts with their four bases. ¹⁷ All the posts around the courtyard will have silver bands, silver hooks, and copper bases. ¹⁸ The courtyard will be one hundred fifty feet long and seventy-five feet wide. Its walls’ height will be seven and a half feet of fine twisted linen and its copper bases. ¹⁹ All the dwelling’s equipment for any use and all its tent pegs and all the courtyard’s tent pegs will be made of copper.

Olive oil for the lampstand

²⁰ You must require the Israelites to bring you pure oil of crushed olives for the light so that the lamp may be set up to burn continually. ²¹ In the meeting tent, outside the veil that hangs in front of the covenant document, Aaron and his sons will tend the lamp from evening to morning in the Lord’s presence. It will be a permanent regulation for the Israelites in every generation.

Parable of the ten young bridesmaids

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten young bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ² Now five of them were wise, and the other five were foolish. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t bring oil for them. ⁴ But the wise ones took their lamps and also brought containers of oil.

⁵ “When the groom was late in coming, they all became drowsy and went to sleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Look, the groom! Come out to meet him.’

⁷ “Then all those bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. ⁸ But the foolish bridesmaids said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps have gone out.’

⁹ “But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘No, because if we share with you, there won’t be enough for our lamps and yours. We have a better idea. You go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ But while they were gone to buy oil, the groom came. Those who were ready went with him into the wedding. Then the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the other bridesmaids came and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us.’

¹² “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

¹³ “Therefore, keep alert, because you don’t know the day or the hour.

Parable of the valuable coins

¹⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five valuable coins,^[a] and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. Then he left on his journey.

¹⁶ “After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. ¹⁷ In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. ¹⁸ But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.

¹⁹ “Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The one who had received five valuable coins came forward with five additional coins. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained five more.’

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’

²² “The second servant also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained two more.’

²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’

²⁴ “Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what’s yours.’

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You evil and lazy servant! You knew that I harvest grain where I haven’t sown and that I gather crops where I haven’t spread seed? ²⁷ In that case, you should have turned my money over to the bankers so that when I returned, you could give me what belonged to me with interest. ²⁸ Therefore, take from him the valuable coin and give it to the one who has ten coins. ²⁹ Those who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as for those who don’t have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away from them. ³⁰ Now take the worthless servant and throw him out into the farthest darkness.’

“People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.

Psalm 31

For the music leader. A psalm of David.

Wisdom’s autobiography