The Incense Altar

30 ‘You are to make an altar for the burning of incense; make it of acacia wood.^{(A) 2} It must be square, forty-five centimetres long and forty-five centimetres wide;^[a] it must be ninety centimetres high.^[b] Its horns must be of one piece with it. ³ Overlay its top, all round its sides, and its horns with pure gold; make a gold moulding all round it. ⁴ Make two gold rings for it under the moulding on two of its sides; put these on opposite sides of it to be holders for the poles to carry it with. ⁵ Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

⁶ ‘You are to place the altar in front of the curtain by the ark of the testimony – in front of the mercy seat that is over the testimony – where I will meet with you. ⁷ Aaron must burn fragrant incense on it; he must burn it every morning when he tends the lamps.^{(B) 8} When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn incense. There is to be an incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹ You must not offer unauthorised incense on it,^(C) or a burnt or grain offering; you are not to pour a drink offering on it.

¹⁰ ‘Once a year Aaron is to perform the atonement ceremony for the altar. Throughout your generations he is to perform the atonement ceremony for^[c] it once a year, with the blood of the sin offering for atonement on the horns.^(D) The altar is especially holy to the Lord.’

The Atonement Money

¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹² ‘When you take a census^(E) of the Israelites to register them, each of the men must pay a ransom^(F) for his life to the Lord as they are registered. Then no plague^(G) will come on them as they are registered. ¹³ Everyone who is registered must pay half a shekel^[d] according to the sanctuary shekel (twenty gerahs to the shekel). This half shekel is a contribution to the Lord.^{(H) 14} Each man who is registered, twenty years old or more, must give this contribution to the Lord. ¹⁵ The wealthy may not give more and the poor may not give less^(I) than half a shekel when giving the contribution to the Lord to atone for^[e] your lives. ¹⁶ Take the atonement price^[f] from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will serve as a reminder for the Israelites before the Lord to atone for your lives.’^(J)

The Bronze Basin

¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁸ ‘Make a bronze basin^(K) for washing and a bronze stand for it. Set it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet from the basin. ²⁰ Whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister by burning a food offering to the Lord, they must wash with water so that they will not die. ²¹ They must wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this is to be a permanent statute^(L) for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.’

The Anointing Oil

²² The Lord spoke to Moses: ²³ ‘Take for yourself the finest spices:^(M) six kilograms^[g] of liquid myrrh, half as much (three kilograms^[h]) of fragrant cinnamon, three kilograms of fragrant cane, ²⁴ six kilograms of cassia (by the sanctuary shekel), and four litres^[i] of olive oil.^{(N) 25} Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a scented blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be holy anointing oil.^(O)

²⁶ ‘With it you are to anoint^(P) the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, ²⁷ the table with all its utensils, the lampstand with its utensils, the altar of incense, ²⁸ the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. ²⁹ Consecrate them and they will be especially holy. Whatever touches them will be consecrated. ³⁰ Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate^(Q) them to serve me as priests.

³¹ ‘Tell the Israelites: This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. ³² It must not be used for ordinary anointing on a person’s body, and you must not make anything like it using its formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. ³³ Anyone who blends something like it or puts some of it on an unauthorised person must be cut off^(R) from his people.’

The Sacred Incense

³⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take fragrant spices: stacte, onycha, and galbanum; the spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures. ³⁵ Prepare expertly blended incense from these; it is to be seasoned with salt, pure and holy. ³⁶ Grind some of it into a fine powder and put some in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It must be especially holy^(S) to you. ³⁷ As for the incense you are making, you must not make any for yourselves using its formula. It is to be regarded by you as holy – belonging to the Lord. ³⁸ Anyone who makes something like it to smell its fragrance must be cut off from his people.’