⁶ Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant,^[a] in front of the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.^[b] I will meet with you there.

²¹ Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark. ²² I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant.^[a] From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.

³ Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room^[a] called the Most Holy Place. ⁴ In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. ⁵ Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.

¹⁶ So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,

¹¹ Then David gave Solomon the plans for the Temple and its surroundings, including the entry room, the storerooms, the upstairs rooms, the inner rooms, and the inner sanctuary—which was the place of atonement.

⁴ Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant,^[a] where I meet with you.

¹³ There in the Lord’s presence he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant.^[a] If he follows these instructions, he will not die.

²⁶ He also placed the gold incense altar in the Tabernacle, in the Holy Place in front of the inner curtain.

⁵ “Place the gold incense altar in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Then hang the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle.