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Exodus 23:14-25:40
New American Standard Bible

Three National Feasts

14 “(A)Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 15 You shall keep (B)the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the (C)month of Abib, for in [a]that month you came out of Egypt. And [b](D)no one is to appear before Me empty-handed. 16 Also you shall keep (E)the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year (F)when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 (G)Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord [c]God.

18 “(H)You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; (I)nor is the fat of My [d]feast to remain overnight until morning.

19 “You shall bring (J)the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.

“(K)You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.

Conquest of the Land

20 “Behold, I am going to send (L)an angel before you to guard you along the way and (M)to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and obey his voice; (N)do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your rebellion, since (O)My name is in him. 22 But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then (P)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 (Q)For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. 24 (R)You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; (S)but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their (T)memorial stones in pieces. 25 (U)And you shall serve the Lord your God, [e]and He will bless your bread and your water; and (V)I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 There will be no one miscarrying or (W)unable to have children in your land; (X)I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will (Y)send My terror ahead of you, and (Z)throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will (AA)make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send (AB)hornets ahead of you so that they will (AC)drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from you. 29 (AD)I will not drive them out from you in a single year, so that the land will not become desolate and the animals of the field become too numerous for you. 30 I will drive them out from you (AE)little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. 31 (AF)I will set your boundary from the [f]Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River; (AG)for I will hand over the inhabitants of the land to you, and you will (AH)drive them out from you. 32 (AI)You shall [g]make no covenant with them (AJ)or with their gods. 33 (AK)They shall not live in your land, otherwise they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, (AL)it is certain to be a snare to you.”

People Affirm Their Covenant with God

24 Then He said to Moses, “(AM)Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, (AN)Nadab and Abihu, and (AO)seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. 2 Moses alone, however, shall approach the Lord, but they shall not approach, nor shall the people come up with him.”

3 Then Moses came and reported to the people all the words of the Lord and all the [h]ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “(AP)All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” 4 And (AQ)Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he got up early in the morning, and built an (AR)altar [i]at the foot of the mountain with twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, (AS)and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 (AT)Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took (AU)the Book of the Covenant and read it [j]as the people listened; and they said, “(AV)All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” 8 So (AW)Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold (AX)the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has [k]made with you [l]in accordance with all these words.”

9 Then Moses went up [m]with Aaron, (AY)Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and (AZ)they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet [n](BA)there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, [o]as clear as the sky itself. 11 Yet He did not reach out with His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and (BB)they saw God, and they ate and drank.

12 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and [p]stay there, and (BC)I will give you the stone tablets [q]with the Law and the [r]commandments which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses got up [s]along with (BD)Joshua his [t]servant, and Moses went up to (BE)the mountain of God. 14 But to the elders he said, “(BF)Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, (BG)Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever [u]has a legal matter, have him approach them.” 15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and (BH)the cloud covered the mountain. 16 (BI)The glory of the Lord [v]settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He (BJ)called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17 (BK)And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a (BL)consuming fire on the mountain top. 18 Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud [w]as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain for (BM)forty days and forty nights.

Offerings for the Sanctuary

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “(BN)Tell the sons of Israel to take a [x]contribution for Me; (BO)from everyone whose heart moves him you shall take My [y]contribution. 3 This is the [z]contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 [aa](BP)violet, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5 rams’ skins dyed red, [ab]fine leather, acacia wood, 6 (BQ)oil for lighting, (BR)balsam oil for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones and setting stones for the (BS)ephod and for the [ac](BT)breastpiece. 8 Have them (BU)construct a sanctuary for Me, (BV)so that I may dwell among them. 9 (BW)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 (BX)they shall construct an [ad]ark of acacia wood [ae]two and a half cubits [af]long, one and a half cubits [ag]wide, and one and a half cubits [ah]high. 11 You shall (BY)overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding [ai]around it. 12 You shall also cast four gold rings for it and [aj]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 (BZ)poles shall [ak]remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16 You shall (CA)put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.

17 “And you shall (CB)make [al]an atoning cover of pure gold, [am]two and a half cubits [an]long and one and a half cubits [ao]wide. 18 You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work [ap]at the two ends of the atoning cover. 19 Make one cherub [aq]at one end and one cherub [ar]at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece [as]with the atoning cover at its two ends. 20 And (CC)the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and [at]facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover. 21 Then (CD)you shall put the atoning cover [au]on top of the ark, and (CE)in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22 (CF)There I will meet with you; and from above the atoning cover, from (CG)between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about [av]every commandment that I will give you for the sons of Israel.

Bread of the Presence

23 “(CH)You shall also make a table of acacia wood, [aw]two cubits [ax]long and one cubit [ay]wide, and one and a half cubits [az]high. 24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold (CI)border around it. 25 And you shall make for it a rim of a [ba]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 (CJ)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 (CK)the bread of the [bb]Presence on the table before Me continually.

The Golden Lampstand

31 “(CL)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 [bc]bulbs, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 (CM)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 [bd]other side. 33 (CN)Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms on the one branch, a [be]bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the [bf]other branch, a [bg]bulb and a flower—the same for six branches going out from the lampstand; 34 and (CO)on the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its [bh]bulbs and its flowers. 35 (CP)A [bi]bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a [bj]bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a [bk]bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 36 (CQ)Their [bl]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 (CR)they shall [bm]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 [bn]talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 (CS)See that you make them (CT)by the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:15 Lit it
  2. Exodus 23:15 Lit they shall not
  3. Exodus 23:17 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  4. Exodus 23:18 Or festival
  5. Exodus 23:25 Or that He may bless
  6. Exodus 23:31 Lit Sea of Reeds
  7. Exodus 23:32 Lit cut
  8. Exodus 24:3 Or judgments
  9. Exodus 24:4 Lit beneath
  10. Exodus 24:7 Lit in the ears of the people;
  11. Exodus 24:8 Lit cut
  12. Exodus 24:8 Lit on all
  13. Exodus 24:9 Lit and
  14. Exodus 24:10 Lit like a pavement
  15. Exodus 24:10 Lit and as
  16. Exodus 24:12 Lit be
  17. Exodus 24:12 Lit and
  18. Exodus 24:12 Lit commandment
  19. Exodus 24:13 Lit and
  20. Exodus 24:13 Or minister
  21. Exodus 24:14 Lit is a master of matters
  22. Exodus 24:16 Lit dwelt
  23. Exodus 24:18 Lit and
  24. Exodus 25:2 Or uplifted offering
  25. Exodus 25:2 Or uplifted offering
  26. Exodus 25:3 Or uplifted offering
  27. Exodus 25:4 Or bluish; LXX hyacinth in color
  28. Exodus 25:5 Meaning of the Heb uncertain
  29. Exodus 25:7 Or pouch
  30. Exodus 25:10 I.e., chest
  31. Exodus 25:10 About 3.7 ft. long and 2.2 ft. wide and high or 1.1 m and 68 cm
  32. Exodus 25:10 Lit its length
  33. Exodus 25:10 Lit its width
  34. Exodus 25:10 Lit its height
  35. Exodus 25:11 Lit on it round about
  36. Exodus 25:12 Or put
  37. Exodus 25:15 Lit be
  38. Exodus 25:17 Also called a mercy seat, and so throughout the ch; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
  39. Exodus 25:17 About 3.7 ft. long and 2.2 ft. wide or 1.1 m and 68 cm
  40. Exodus 25:17 Lit its length
  41. Exodus 25:17 Lit its width
  42. Exodus 25:18 Lit from
  43. Exodus 25:19 Lit from
  44. Exodus 25:19 Lit from
  45. Exodus 25:19 Lit from
  46. Exodus 25:20 Lit their faces to
  47. Exodus 25:21 Lit above, upon
  48. Exodus 25:22 Lit all that I will command
  49. Exodus 25:23 About 3 ft. long, 1.5 ft. wide, 2.25 ft. high or 90 cm, 45 cm, and 68 cm
  50. Exodus 25:23 Lit its length
  51. Exodus 25:23 Lit its width
  52. Exodus 25:23 Lit its height
  53. Exodus 25:25 About 3 in. or 7.5 cm
  54. Exodus 25:30 Lit Face
  55. Exodus 25:31 Or calyx
  56. Exodus 25:32 Lit second
  57. Exodus 25:33 Or calyx
  58. Exodus 25:33 Lit one branch
  59. Exodus 25:33 Or calyx
  60. Exodus 25:34 Or calyxes
  61. Exodus 25:35 Or calyx
  62. Exodus 25:35 Or calyx
  63. Exodus 25:35 Or calyx
  64. Exodus 25:36 Or calyxes
  65. Exodus 25:37 Lit raise up
  66. Exodus 25:39 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
Close NLT

Exodus 23:14-25:40
New Living Translation

Three Annual Festivals

14 “Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor. 15 First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib,[a] for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear before me without an offering.

16 “Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest,[b] when you bring me the first crops of your harvest.

“Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest[c] at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields. 17 At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord.

18 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And do not leave the fat from the festival offerings until the next morning.

19 “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

A Promise of the Lord’s Presence

20 “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. 21 Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. 22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely. 24 You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.

25 “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I[d] will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. 26 There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.

27 “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run. 28 I will send terror[e] ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. 30 I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land. 31 And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea,[f] and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River.[g] I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.

32 “Make no treaties with them or their gods. 33 They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”

Israel Accepts the Lord’s Covenant

24 Then the Lord instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance. 2 Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”

3 Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

4 Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.

7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.”

8 Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”

9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. 10 There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. 11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.” 13 So Moses and his assistant Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.

14 Moses told the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come back. Aaron and Hur are here with you. If anyone has a dispute while I am gone, consult with them.”

15 Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. 16 And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. 17 To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. 18 Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Offerings for the Tabernacle

25 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. 3 Here is a list of sacred offerings you may accept from them:

gold, silver, and bronze;
4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread;
fine linen and goat hair for cloth;
5 tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather;
acacia wood;
6 olive oil for the lamps;
spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense;
7 onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece.

8 “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. 9 You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

Plans for the Ark of the Covenant

10 “Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.[h] 11 Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, and run a molding of gold all around it. 12 Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. 13 Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. 15 These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them. 16 When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant,[i] which I will give to you.

17 “Then make the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.[j] 18 Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover. 19 Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. 20 The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it. 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.[k] From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.

Plans for the Table

23 “Then make a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.[l] 24 Overlay it with pure gold and run a gold molding around the edge. 25 Decorate it with a 3-inch border[m] all around, and run a gold molding along the border. 26 Make four gold rings for the table and attach them at the four corners next to the four legs. 27 Attach the rings near the border to hold the poles that are used to carry the table. 28 Make these poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 29 Make special containers of pure gold for the table—bowls, ladles, pitchers, and jars—to be used in pouring out liquid offerings. 30 Place the Bread of the Presence on the table to remain before me at all times.

Plans for the Lampstand

31 “Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece—the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals. 32 Make it with six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side. 33 Each of the six branches will have three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. 34 Craft the center stem of the lampstand with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. 35 There will also be an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extend from the center stem. 36 The almond buds and branches must all be of one piece with the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold. 37 Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward. 38 The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold. 39 You will need 75 pounds[n] of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.

40 “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.

Footnotes

  1. 23:15 Hebrew appointed time in the month of Abib. This first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of March and April.
  2. 23:16a Or Festival of Weeks. This was later called the Festival of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1). It is celebrated today as Shavuot (or Shabuoth).
  3. 23:16b Or Festival of Ingathering. This was later called the Festival of Shelters or Festival of Tabernacles (see Lev 23:33-36). It is celebrated today as Sukkot (or Succoth).
  4. 23:25 As in Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads he.
  5. 23:28 Often rendered the hornet. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  6. 23:31a Hebrew from the sea of reeds to the sea of the Philistines.
  7. 23:31b Hebrew from the wilderness to the river.
  8. 25:10 Hebrew 2.5 cubits [115 centimeters] long, 1.5 cubits [69 centimeters] wide, and 1.5 cubits high.
  9. 25:16 Hebrew Place inside the Ark the Testimony; similarly in 25:21. The Hebrew word for “testimony” refers to the terms of the Lord’s covenant with Israel as written on stone tablets, and also to the covenant itself.
  10. 25:17 Hebrew 2.5 cubits [115 centimeters] long and 1.5 cubits [69 centimeters] wide.
  11. 25:22 Or Ark of the Testimony.
  12. 25:23 Hebrew 2 cubits [92 centimeters] long, 1 cubit [46 centimeters] wide, and 1.5 cubits [69 centimeters] high.
  13. 25:25 Hebrew a border of a handbreadth [8 centimeters].
  14. 25:39 Hebrew 1 talent [34 kilograms].
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