Exodus 25-28

New American Standard Bible

Offerings for the Sanctuary

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(A)Tell the sons of Israel to take a ^[a]contribution for Me; ^(B)from everyone whose heart moves him you shall take My ^[b]contribution. ³ This is the ^[c]contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze, ^4 [d](C)violet, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, ^[e]fine leather, acacia wood, ^6 (D)oil for lighting, ^(E)balsam oil for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones and setting stones for the ^(F)ephod and for the ^[f](G)breastpiece. ⁸ Have them ^(H)construct a sanctuary for Me, ^(I)so that I may dwell among them. ^9 (J)According to all that I am going to show you as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, so you shall construct it.

Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰ “Now ^(K)they shall construct an ^[g]ark of acacia wood ^[h]two and a half cubits ^[i]long, one and a half cubits ^[j]wide, and one and a half cubits ^[k]high. ¹¹ You shall ^(L)overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding ^[l]around it. ¹² You shall also cast four gold rings for it and ^[m]fasten them on its four feet; two rings shall be on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³ And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ The ^(M)poles shall ^[n]remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. ¹⁶ You shall ^(N)put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.

¹⁷ “And you shall ^(O)make ^[o]an atoning cover of pure gold, ^[p]two and a half cubits ^[q]long and one and a half cubits ^[r]wide. ¹⁸ You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work ^[s]at the two ends of the atoning cover. ¹⁹ Make one cherub ^[t]at one end and one cherub ^[u]at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece ^[v]with the atoning cover at its two ends. ²⁰ And ^(P)the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and ^[w]facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover. ²¹ Then ^(Q)you shall put the atoning cover ^[x]on top of the ark, and ^(R)in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. ^22 (S)There I will meet with you; and from above the atoning cover, from ^(T)between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about ^[y]every commandment that I will give you for the sons of Israel.

Bread of the Presence

²³ “^(U)You shall also make a table of acacia wood, ^[z]two cubits ^[aa]long and one cubit ^[ab]wide, and one and a half cubits ^[ac]high. ²⁴ You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold ^(V)border around it. ²⁵ And you shall make for it a rim of a ^[ad]hand width around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. ²⁶ You shall also make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four legs. ²⁷ The rings shall be close to the rim, as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. ²⁹ You shall also make its ^(W)dishes, its pans, its jars, and its libation bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ And you shall set ^(X)the bread of the ^[ae]Presence on the table before Me continually.

The Golden Lampstand

³¹ “^(Y)Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand, its base and its shaft, are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its ^[af]bulbs, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. ^32 (Z)Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its ^[ag]other side. ^33 (AA)Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms on the one branch, a ^[ah]bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the ^[ai]other branch, a ^[aj]bulb and a flower—the same for six branches going out from the lampstand; ³⁴ and ^(AB)on the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its ^[ak]bulbs and its flowers. ^35 (AC)A ^[al]bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a ^[am]bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a ^[an]bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. ^36 (AD)Their ^[ao]bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. ³⁷ Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and ^(AE)they shall ^[ap]mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. ³⁸ Its tongs and its trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ It shall be made from a ^[aq]talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. ^40 (AF)See that you make them ^(AG)by the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

Curtains of Linen

26 “^(AH)Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and ^[ar]violet, purple, and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer. ² The length of each curtain shall be ^[as]twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have ^[at]the same measurements. ³ Five curtains shall be ^[au]joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be ^[av]joined to one another. ⁴ You shall make loops of violet on the edge of the ^[aw]outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second ^[ax]set. ⁵ You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the ^[ay]edge of the curtain that is in the second ^[az]set; the loops shall be opposite each other. ⁶ You shall also make fifty clasps of gold, and ^[ba]join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the ^[bb]tabernacle will be a unit.

Curtains of Goats’ Hair

⁷ “Then ^(AI)you shall make curtains of goats’ hair as a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. ⁸ The length of each curtain shall be ^[bc]thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have ^[bd]the same measurements. ⁹ You shall ^[be]join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain ^[bf]at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the ^[bg]curtain that is outermost in the first ^[bh]set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second ^[bi]set.

¹¹ “You shall also make fifty clasps of ^[bj]bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and ^[bk]join the tent together so that it will be ^[bl]a unit. ¹² The ^[bm]overhanging part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ The ^[bn]cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it. ¹⁴ And ^(AJ)you shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins ^[bo]dyed red and a covering of ^[bp]fine leather above.

Boards and Bases

¹⁵ “Then you shall make ^(AK)the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. ^16 [bq]Ten cubits shall be the length of ^[br]each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. ¹⁷ There shall be two tenons for each board, ^[bs]fitted to one another; that is what you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards ^[bt]for the south side. ¹⁹ You shall make forty ^(AL)bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two tenons and two bases under another board for its two tenons; ²⁰ and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, ²¹ and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board. ²² For the ^[bu]back of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. ²³ You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the ^[bv]back. ²⁴ They shall be double beneath, and together they shall be complete ^[bw]to its top ^[bx]to the first ring; this is how it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. ²⁵ And there shall be eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.

²⁶ “Then you shall make ^(AM)bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the boards of the ^[by]other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the ^[bz]back side to the west. ²⁸ The middle bar in the ^[ca]center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. ²⁹ And you shall overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ Then you shall erect the tabernacle ^(AN)according to its plan which you have been shown on the mountain.

The Veil and Curtain

³¹ “You shall also make ^(AO)a veil of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer. ³² Then you shall ^[cb]hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also of gold, on four bases of silver. ³³ You shall ^[cc]hang up the veil under the clasps, and bring in ^(AP)the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall ^[cd]serve as a partition for you ^(AQ)between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. ^34 (AR)You shall put the ^[ce]atoning cover on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. ³⁵ And ^(AS)you shall set the table outside the veil, and the ^(AT)lampstand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

³⁶ “^(AU)You shall also make a curtain for the doorway of the tent of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a ^[cf]weaver. ³⁷ And ^(AV)you shall make five pillars of acacia for the curtain and overlay them with gold, their hooks also of gold; and you shall cast five bases of ^[cg]bronze for them.

The Bronze Altar

27 “Now you shall make ^(AW)the altar of acacia wood, ^[ch]five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be ^[ci]three cubits. ² You shall make ^(AX)its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with ^[cj]bronze. ³ And you shall make its pails for removing its ashes, and its shovels, its basins, its forks, and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. ⁴ You shall also make for it a grating, a netting of bronze, and on the netting you shall make four bronze rings ^[ck]at its four corners. ⁵ And you shall put it under the ledge of the altar, so that the netting will reach halfway up the altar. ⁶ You shall also make carrying poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ Its poles shall be inserted into the rings, so that the poles will be on the two sides of the altar ^(AY)when it is carried. ⁸ You shall make it hollow with planks; ^(AZ)as it was shown to you on the mountain, so they shall make it.

Courtyard of the Tabernacle

⁹ “Now you shall make ^(BA)the courtyard of the ^[cl]tabernacle. ^[cm]On the south side there shall be hangings for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, a ^[cn]hundred cubits long for one side; ¹⁰ and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their ^[co]bands shall be of silver. ¹¹ Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings a ^[cp]hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver. ¹² For the width of the courtyard on the west side shall be hangings of ^[cq]fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten bases. ¹³ The width of the courtyard on the ^[cr]east side shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ The hangings for the one ^[cs]side of the gate shall be ^[ct]fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁵ And for the ^[cu]other ^[cv]side there shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁶ And for the gate of the courtyard there shall be a curtain of ^[cw]twenty cubits, of ^[cx]violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a ^[cy]weaver, with their four pillars and their four bases. ¹⁷ All the pillars around the courtyard shall be joined together with silver, with their hooks of silver and their bases of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard shall be a ^[cz]hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their bases of bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the courtyard, shall be of bronze.

²⁰ “And you shall command the sons of Israel that they bring you ^(BB)clear oil of beaten olives for the ^[da]light, to make a lamp ^[db]burn continually. ²¹ In the ^(BC)tent of meeting, outside ^(BD)the veil which is before the testimony, ^(BE)Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the Lord; it shall be a permanent ^(BF)statute throughout their generations ^[dc]for the sons of Israel.

Garments of the Priests

28 “Then ^(BG)bring forward to yourself your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to serve as priest to Me—Aaron, ^(BH)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. ² And you shall make ^(BI)holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ³ You shall speak to all the ^[dd](BJ)skillful people ^(BK)whom I have endowed with ^[de]the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may serve as priest to Me. ⁴ And these are the garments which they shall make: a ^[df](BL)breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a tunic of checkered work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that he may serve as priest to Me. ⁵ They shall take ^(BM)the gold, the ^[dg]violet, the purple, the scarlet material, and the fine linen.

⁶ “They shall also make ^(BN)the ephod of gold, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, the work of the skilled embroiderer. ⁷ It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, so that it may be joined. ⁸ The skillfully woven band of its overlay, which is on it, shall be like its workmanship, ^[dh]of the same material: of gold, of violet and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. ⁹ And you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the ^[di]other stone, according to their birth. ^11 [dj]As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall ^[dk]set them in filigree settings of gold. ¹² And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall ^(BO)carry their names before the Lord on his two shoulders ^(BP)as a memorial. ¹³ And ^(BQ)you shall make filigree settings of gold, ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them of twisted cord work, and you shall put the corded chains on the filigree settings.

¹⁵ “^(BR)You shall make a ^[dl]breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled embroiderer; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen you shall make it. ¹⁶ It shall be square and folded double, a ^[dm]span ^[dn]in length and a ^[do]span ^[dp]in width. ¹⁷ And you shall ^[dq]mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; ¹⁸ and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹⁹ and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. ²¹ The stones shall be engraved according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a signet, each ^(BS)according to his name for the twelve tribes. ²² You shall also make on the ^[dr]breastpiece twisted chains of cord work in pure gold. ²³ And you shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. ²⁴ And you shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. ²⁵ You shall put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front of it. ²⁶ And you shall make two rings of gold and place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod. ²⁷ And you shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. ²⁸ And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod. ²⁹ So Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy Place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. ³⁰ And ^(BT)you shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the ^[ds](BU)Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.

³¹ “^(BV)You shall make the robe of the ephod all of violet. ³² There shall be an opening ^[dt]at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn. ³³ You shall make on its hem pomegranates of violet, purple, and scarlet material all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: ³⁴ a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. ³⁵ It shall be on Aaron ^[du]when he ministers; and its sound shall be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place before the Lord, so that he will not die.

³⁶ “You shall also make ^(BW)a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘^(BX)Holy to the Lord.’ ³⁷ You shall ^[dv]fasten it on a violet cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. ³⁸ It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall ^[dw](BY)take away the guilt of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, regarding all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, so that ^(BZ)they may be accepted before the Lord.

³⁹ “And you shall weave ^(CA)the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a ^[dx]weaver.

⁴⁰ “For Aaron’s sons you shall also make ^(CB)tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make ^[dy](CC)caps for them, for glory and for beauty. ⁴¹ Then you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall ^(CD)anoint them and ^[dz]ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve Me as priests. ⁴² You shall make for them ^(CE)linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh; they shall ^[ea]reach from the waist even to the thighs. ⁴³ And they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or ^(CF)when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not incur ^[eb]guilt and die. ^(CG)It shall be a statute forever to him and to his ^[ec]descendants after him.