Anweisungen für die Errichtung des Heiligtums

40 Der Herr sprach zu Mose: »Am 1. Tag des 1. Monats sollst du das heilige Zelt errichten. Stell die Bundeslade mit den Gesetzestafeln hinein und häng den Vorhang davor, um sie abzuschirmen! Dann bring den Tisch für die geweihten Brote hinein und stell die Gefäße darauf, die zu ihm gehören. Auch den Leuchter sollst du hineintragen und die Lampen daraufsetzen. Stell den goldenen Räucheropferaltar vor die Bundeslade und häng den Vorhang vor den Zelteingang! Der Brandopferaltar muss draußen vor dem Eingang zum heiligen Zelt stehen. Das Wasserbecken sollst du zwischen dem heiligen Zelt und dem Altar aufstellen und mit Wasser füllen. Lass die Abgrenzung des Vorhofs errichten und häng den Vorhang am Eingang des Vorhofs auf!

Dann sollst du mit dem Salböl das heilige Zelt und alle Gegenstände darin besprengen. So werden sie mir geweiht und sind heilig. 10 Besprenge außerdem den Brandopferaltar und alles, was dazugehört! Dann wird er besonders heilig sein. 11 Auch das Wasserbecken und sein Untergestell soll auf diese Weise mir geweiht werden.

12 Nun führe Aaron und seine Söhne an den Eingang des Heiligtums und wasche sie dort mit Wasser! 13 Leg Aaron die heiligen Priestergewänder an und salbe ihn, damit er mir geweiht wird und als Priester dienen kann. 14 Dann lass seine Söhne herantreten und kleide sie in ihre Leinengewänder. 15 Auch sie müssen wie Aaron von dir gesalbt werden, um ihr Priesteramt ausüben zu können. Durch die Salbung werden sie und später auch alle ihre Nachkommen für immer zu Priestern geweiht!«

Das Heiligtum wird errichtet

16 Mose führte alles so aus, wie der Herr es ihm befohlen hatte. 17 Am 1. Tag des 1. Monats, ein Jahr nachdem die Israeliten Ägypten verlassen hatten, wurde das heilige Zelt errichtet. 18 Mose ließ die Sockel aufstellen und die Platten daraufsetzen. Dann brachte man die Querbalken an und stellte die Pfosten für die Vorhänge auf. 19 Die Zeltdecke wurde über die Wände gespannt und mit den anderen Decken überdacht, genau nach der Anweisung des Herrn.

20 Mose legte die Gesetzestafeln in die Bundeslade, steckte die Tragstangen durch die Ringe und legte die Deckplatte darauf. 21-22 Er ließ die Bundeslade ins Zelt bringen und hängte den Vorhang davor, wie der Herr es angeordnet hatte. An die Nordseite des Zeltes, vor den Vorhang, der die Bundeslade verdeckte, stellte man den Tisch. 23 Mose legte die geweihten Brote auf den Tisch, wie der Herr es ihm befohlen hatte. 24 Gegenüber, an der Südseite, stellte er den Leuchter auf 25 und setzte die Lampen darauf, ganz nach der Anweisung des Herrn. 26 Den goldenen Altar ließ er im Zelt vor dem Vorhang aufstellen 27 und verbrannte ein wohlriechendes Räucheropfer darauf. So hatte es der Herr angeordnet.

28 Dann hängte Mose den Vorhang am Zelteingang auf. 29 Draußen vor den Eingang stellte man den Brandopferaltar, und Mose brachte auf ihm ein Brand- und ein Speiseopfer dar, wie der Herr es ihm befohlen hatte.

30 Zwischen dem heiligen Zelt und dem Altar ließ Mose das Becken aufstellen und goss Wasser hinein, 31 damit er, Aaron und dessen Söhne sich darin die Hände und Füße waschen konnten. 32 Jedes Mal wenn sie das Zelt betreten oder auf dem Altar ein Opfer darbringen wollten, wuschen sie sich. Sie befolgten damit die Anweisung des Herrn.

33 Schließlich wurde auch noch die Abgrenzung des Vorhofs rings um das heilige Zelt und den Altar errichtet, und Mose hängte den Vorhang am Eingang zum Vorhof auf. So vollendete Mose den Bau des Heiligtums.

Gottes Herrlichkeit erfüllt das Heiligtum

34-35 Da kam die Wolke auf das heilige Zelt herab, und der Herr in seiner Herrlichkeit erfüllte das Heiligtum, so dass Mose nicht hineingehen konnte.

36 Immer wenn sich die Wolke von Gottes heiliger Wohnung erhob, brachen die Israeliten auf. 37 Erhob sie sich nicht, blieben die Israeliten, wo sie waren, bis die Wolke weiterzog. 38 Tagsüber stand die Wolke über dem heiligen Zelt, und nachts leuchtete sie vor den Augen aller Israeliten wie Feuer. So blieb es während der ganzen Zeit, in der das Volk Israel umherzog.

40 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.

And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.

And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.

And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.

And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.

And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.

12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.

17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.

19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses.

20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses.

22 And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.

23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses.

24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

25 And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.

26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:

27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses.

28 And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.

29 And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the Lord commanded Moses.

30 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:

32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses.

33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

38 For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

Setting Up the Tabernacle

40 Then the Lord said to Moses: “Set up(A) the tabernacle, the tent of meeting,(B) on the first day of the first month.(C) Place the ark(D) of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain. Bring in the table(E) and set out what belongs on it.(F) Then bring in the lampstand(G) and set up its lamps. Place the gold altar(H) of incense in front of the ark of the covenant law and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

“Place the altar(I) of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; place the basin(J) between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. Set up the courtyard(K) around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.

“Take the anointing oil and anoint(L) the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings,(M) and it will be holy. 10 Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate(N) the altar, and it will be most holy. 11 Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting(O) and wash them with water.(P) 13 Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments,(Q) anoint him and consecrate(R) him so he may serve me as priest. 14 Bring his sons and dress them in tunics.(S) 15 Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.(T) 16 Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded(U) him.

17 So the tabernacle(V) was set up on the first day of the first month(W) in the second year. 18 When Moses(X) set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames,(Y) inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. 19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering(Z) over the tent, as the Lord commanded(AA) him.

20 He took the tablets of the covenant law(AB) and placed them in the ark,(AC) attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover(AD) over it. 21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain(AE) and shielded the ark of the covenant law, as the Lord commanded(AF) him.

22 Moses placed the table(AG) in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain 23 and set out the bread(AH) on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded(AI) him.

24 He placed the lampstand(AJ) in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle 25 and set up the lamps(AK) before the Lord, as the Lord commanded(AL) him.

26 Moses placed the gold altar(AM) in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain 27 and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord commanded(AN) him.

28 Then he put up the curtain(AO) at the entrance to the tabernacle. 29 He set the altar(AP) of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings,(AQ) as the Lord commanded(AR) him.

30 He placed the basin(AS) between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, 31 and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash(AT) their hands and feet. 32 They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar,(AU) as the Lord commanded(AV) Moses.

33 Then Moses set up the courtyard(AW) around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain(AX) at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord

34 Then the cloud(AY) covered the tent of meeting, and the glory(AZ) of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory(BA) of the Lord filled the tabernacle.(BB)

36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out;(BC) 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud(BD) of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

The Tabernacle Erected

40 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On the (A)first day of the first month you shall (B)erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall (C)screen the ark with the veil. And (D)you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and (E)you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. (F)And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. (G)You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, (H)and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.

“Then you shall take the (I)anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. 10 You shall also anoint (J)the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, (K)so that the altar may become most holy. 11 You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. 12 (L)Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water 13 and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. 14 You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, 15 (M)and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a (N)perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

16 This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did. 17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, (O)the tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. 19 And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He (P)took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and (Q)set up the veil of the screen, and screened (R)the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 (S)He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, 23 and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 (T)He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, 25 (U)and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 (V)He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil, 27 and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 (W)He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 29 (X)And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the (Y)grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 (Z)He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and (AA)Aaron and his sons (AB)washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 (AC)And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So (AD)Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord

34 Then (AE)the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and (AF)the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, (AG)whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But (AH)if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.