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The Ordination of the Priests

29 “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two rams without blemish,(A) and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil. You shall make them of choice wheat flour.(B) You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket and bring the bull and the two rams. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.(C) Then you shall take the vestments and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece and gird him with the decorated band of the ephod,(D) and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy diadem on the turban.(E) You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.(F) Then you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them,(G) and you shall gird them, Aaron and his sons, with sashes and tie headdresses on them, and the priesthood shall be theirs by a perpetual ordinance. You shall then ordain Aaron and his sons.(H)

10 “You shall bring the bull in front of the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull,(I) 11 and you shall slaughter the bull before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 12 and shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and all the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar.(J) 13 You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the appendage of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them and turn them into smoke on the altar.(K) 14 But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a purification offering.(L)

15 “Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,(M) 16 and you shall slaughter the ram and shall take its blood and dash it against all sides of the altar. 17 Then you shall cut the ram into its parts and wash its entrails and its legs and put them with its parts and its head 18 and turn the rest of the ram into smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a pleasing odor, an offering by fire[a] to the Lord.(N)

19 “You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 20 and you shall slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of the right ears of his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet and dash the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. 21 Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his vestments and on his sons and his sons’ vestments with him; then he and his vestments shall be holy, as well as his sons and his sons’ vestments with him.(O)

22 “You shall also take the fat of the ram, the fatty tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the appendage of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), 23 and one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord,(P) 24 and you shall place all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons and raise them as an elevation offering before the Lord.(Q) 25 Then you shall take them from their hands and turn them into smoke on the altar on top of the burnt offering for a pleasing odor before the Lord. It is an offering by fire[b] to the Lord.(R)

26 “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and raise it as an elevation offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion.(S) 27 You shall consecrate the breast that was raised as an elevation offering and the thigh that was lifted up as an offering from the ram of ordination, from that which belonged to Aaron and his sons.(T) 28 These things shall be a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his sons from the Israelites, for this is an offering, and it shall be an offering by the Israelites from their sacrifice of offerings of well-being, their offering to the Lord.(U)

29 “The sacred vestments of Aaron shall be passed on to his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them.(V) 30 The son who is priest in his place shall wear them seven days when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.(W)

31 “You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place,(X) 32 and Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance of the tent of meeting.(Y) 33 They shall eat the food by which atonement is made, to ordain and consecrate them, but no one else shall eat of it, because it is holy.(Z) 34 If any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remains until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.(AA)

35 “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, just as I have commanded you; through seven days you shall ordain them.(AB) 36 Also every day you shall offer a bull as a purification offering for atonement. Also you shall offer a sin offering for the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it, to consecrate it.(AC) 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall become holy.(AD)

The Daily Offerings

38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old regularly each day.(AE) 39 One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, 40 and with the first lamb one-tenth of a measure of choice flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb you shall offer in the evening and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire[c] to the Lord. 42 It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.(AF) 43 I will meet with the Israelites there, and it shall be sanctified by my glory;(AG) 44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.(AH) 45 I will dwell among the Israelites, and I will be their God.(AI) 46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God.(AJ)

The Altar of Incense

30 “You shall make an altar on which to offer incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.(AK) It shall be one cubit long and one cubit wide; it shall be square and shall be two cubits high; its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around and its horns, and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around. And you shall make two golden rings for it; under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall hold the poles for carrying it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You shall place it in front of the curtain that is above the ark of the covenant, in front of the cover that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you.(AL) Aaron shall offer fragrant incense on it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall offer it,(AM) and when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall offer it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall not offer unholy incense on it or a burnt offering or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.(AN) 10 Once a year Aaron shall perform the rite of atonement on its horns. Throughout your generations he shall perform the atonement for it once a year with the blood of the atoning purification offering. It is most holy to the Lord.”(AO)

The Half Shekel for the Sanctuary

11 The Lord spoke to Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites to register them, at registration all of them shall give a ransom for their lives to the Lord, so that no plague may come upon them for being registered.(AP) 13 This is what each one who is registered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.(AQ) 14 Each one who is registered, from twenty years old and up, shall give the Lord’s offering. 15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than the half shekel, when you bring this offering to the Lord to make atonement for your lives.(AR) 16 You shall take the atonement money from the Israelites and shall designate it for the service of the tent of meeting; before the Lord it will be a reminder to the Israelites of the ransom given for your lives.”(AS)

The Bronze Basin

17 The Lord spoke to Moses, 18 “You shall make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it;(AT) 19 with the water[d] Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.(AU) 20 When they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister to make an offering by fire[e] to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die: it shall be a perpetual ordinance for them, for him and for his descendants throughout their generations.”(AV)

The Anointing Oil and Incense

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty of aromatic cane, 24 and five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil, 25 and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.(AW) 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant(AX) 27 and the table and all its utensils and the lampstand and its utensils and the altar of incense 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin with its stand; 29 you shall consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them will become holy.(AY) 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve me as priests.(AZ) 31 You shall say to the Israelites: This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be used in any ordinary anointing of the body, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.(BA) 33 Whoever blends any like it or whoever puts any of it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from the people.”(BB)

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (an equal part of each), 35 and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy,(BC) 36 and you shall beat some of it into powder and put part of it before the covenant in the tent of meeting, where I shall meet with you; it shall be most holy for you.(BD) 37 When you make incense according to this composition, you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be regarded by you as holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from the people.”

Bezalel and Oholiab

31 The Lord spoke to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,(BE) and I have filled him with a divine spirit,[f] with ability, intelligence, and knowledge, and every kind of skill, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every kind of craft. Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given skill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you:(BF) the tent of meeting, and the ark of the covenant, and the cover that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent,(BG) the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense,(BH) and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, 10 and the finely worked vestments, the holy vestments for the priest Aaron and the vestments of his sons, for their service as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the holy place. They shall do just as I have commanded you.”(BI)

The Sabbath Law

12 The Lord said to Moses, 13 “You yourself are to speak to the Israelites, ‘You shall surely keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, given in order that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.(BJ) 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; everyone who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among the people.(BK) 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.(BL) 16 Therefore the Israelites shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the Israelites that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”(BM)

The Two Tablets of the Covenant

18 When God[g] finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.(BN)

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”(BO) Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.”(BP) So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took these from them, formed them in a mold,[h] and cast an image of a calf, and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”(BQ) When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” They rose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being, and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel.(BR)

The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;(BS) they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ”(BT) The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are.(BU) 10 Now let me alone so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, and of you I will make a great nation.”(BV)

11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?(BW) 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.(BX) 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”(BY) 14 And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.(BZ)

15 Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back.(CA) 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets.(CB) 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” 18 But he said,

“It is not the sound made by victors
or the sound made by losers;
it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

19 As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’s anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.(CC) 20 He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.(CD)

21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”(CE) 22 And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are wicked.(CF) 23 They said to me, ‘Make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’(CG) 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off’; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”(CH)

25 When Moses saw that the people were out of control (for Aaron had lost control of them, prompting derision among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.”(CI) 28 The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand of the people fell on that day. 29 Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day.”

30 On the next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”(CJ) 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold.(CK) 32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of the book that you have written.”(CL) 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.(CM) 34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; see, my angel shall go in front of you. Nevertheless, when the day for punishment comes, I will punish them for their sin.”(CN)

35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron had made.(CO)

Footnotes

  1. 29.18 Or a gift
  2. 29.25 Or a gift
  3. 29.41 Or a gift
  4. 30.19 Heb it
  5. 30.20 Or a gift
  6. 31.3 Or with the spirit of God
  7. 31.18 Heb he
  8. 32.4 Or fashioned it with an engraving tool; meaning of Heb uncertain

Consecration of the Priests(A)

29 “This is what you are to do to consecrate(B) them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect.(C) And from the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil.(D) Put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams.(E) Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water.(F) Take the garments(G) and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband.(H) Put the turban(I) on his head and attach the sacred emblem(J) to the turban. Take the anointing oil(K) and anoint him by pouring it on his head. Bring his sons and dress them in tunics(L) and fasten caps on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons.[a](M) The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance.(N)

“Then you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

10 “Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.(O) 11 Slaughter it in the Lord’s presence(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12 Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns(Q) of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar.(R) 13 Then take all the fat(S) on the internal organs,(T) the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But burn the bull’s flesh and its hide and its intestines(U) outside the camp.(V) It is a sin offering.[b]

15 “Take one of the rams,(W) and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.(X) 16 Slaughter it and take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces and wash(Y) the internal organs and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. 18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma,(Z) a food offering presented to the Lord.

19 “Take the other ram,(AA) and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.(AB) 20 Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet.(AC) Then splash blood against the sides of the altar.(AD) 21 And take some blood(AE) from the altar and some of the anointing oil(AF) and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.(AG)

22 “Take from this ram the fat,(AH) the fat tail, the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This is the ram for the ordination.) 23 From the basket of bread made without yeast, which is before the Lord, take one round loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf. 24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.(AI) 25 Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a food offering presented to the Lord.(AJ) 26 After you take the breast of the ram for Aaron’s ordination, wave it before the Lord as a wave offering, and it will be your share.(AK)

27 “Consecrate those parts of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons:(AL) the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. 28 This is always to be the perpetual share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. It is the contribution the Israelites are to make to the Lord from their fellowship offerings.(AM)

29 “Aaron’s sacred garments(AN) will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them.(AO) 30 The son(AP) who succeeds him as priest and comes to the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days.

31 “Take the ram(AQ) for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place.(AR) 32 At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread(AS) that is in the basket. 33 They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no one else may eat(AT) them, because they are sacred. 34 And if any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning,(AU) burn it up. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.

35 “Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. 36 Sacrifice a bull each day(AV) as a sin offering to make atonement(AW). Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate(AX) it. 37 For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.(AY)

38 “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day:(AZ) two lambs a year old. 39 Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight.(BA) 40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah[c] of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin[d] of oil(BB) from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.(BC) 41 Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight(BD) with the same grain offering(BE) and its drink offering as in the morning—a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.

42 “For the generations to come(BF) this burnt offering is to be made regularly(BG) at the entrance to the tent of meeting,(BH) before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you;(BI) 43 there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.(BJ)

44 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests.(BK) 45 Then I will dwell(BL) among the Israelites and be their God.(BM) 46 They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt(BN) so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.(BO)

The Altar of Incense(BP)

30 “Make an altar(BQ) of acacia wood for burning incense.(BR) It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high[e]—its horns(BS) of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.(BT) Make two gold rings(BU) for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.(BV) Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover(BW) that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you.

“Aaron must burn fragrant incense(BX) on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.(BY) Do not offer on this altar any other incense(BZ) or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year(CA) Aaron shall make atonement(CB) on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering[f](CC) for the generations to come.(CD) It is most holy to the Lord.”

Atonement Money

11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census(CE) of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom(CF) for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague(CG) will come on them when you number them. 13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel,[g] according to the sanctuary shekel,(CH) which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more,(CI) are to give an offering to the Lord. 15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less(CJ) when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives. 16 Receive the atonement(CK) money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting.(CL) It will be a memorial(CM) for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives.”

Basin for Washing

17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin,(CN) with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet(CO) with water(CP) from it. 20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die.(CQ) Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance(CR) for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”(CS)

Anointing Oil

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the following fine spices:(CT) 500 shekels[h] of liquid myrrh,(CU) half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon,(CV) 250 shekels[i] of fragrant calamus,(CW) 24 500 shekels(CX) of cassia(CY)—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin[j] of olive oil. 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer.(CZ) It will be the sacred anointing oil.(DA) 26 Then use it to anoint(DB) the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them(DC) so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.(DD)

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate(DE) them so they may serve me as priests.(DF) 31 Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil(DG) for the generations to come.(DH) 32 Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.(DI) 33 Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off(DJ) from their people.’”

Incense

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices(DK)—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense,(DL) the work of a perfumer.(DM) It is to be salted and pure and sacred. 36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet(DN) with you. It shall be most holy(DO) to you. 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy(DP) to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off(DQ) from their people.”

Bezalel and Oholiab(DR)

31 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel(DS) son of Uri, the son of Hur,(DT) of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge(DU) and with all kinds of skills(DV) to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab(DW) son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan,(DX) to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers(DY) to make everything I have commanded you: the tent of meeting,(DZ) the ark of the covenant law(EA) with the atonement cover(EB) on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— the table(EC) and its articles, the pure gold lampstand(ED) and all its accessories, the altar of incense,(EE) the altar of burnt offering(EF) and all its utensils, the basin(EG) with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments(EH), both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil(EI) and fragrant incense(EJ) for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded(EK) you.”

The Sabbath

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths.(EL) This will be a sign(EM) between me and you for the generations to come,(EN) so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.(EO)

14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death;(EP) those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work(EQ) is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,(ER) holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath,(ES) celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign(ET) between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.(EU)’”(EV)

18 When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai,(EW) he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone(EX) inscribed by the finger of God.(EY)

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,(EZ) they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[k] who will go before(FA) us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”(FB)

Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings(FC) that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol(FD) cast in the shape of a calf,(FE) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[l](FF) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”(FG)

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival(FH) to the Lord.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.(FI) Afterward they sat down to eat and drink(FJ) and got up to indulge in revelry.(FK)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt,(FL) have become corrupt.(FM) They have been quick to turn away(FN) from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol(FO) cast in the shape of a calf.(FP) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed(FQ) to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’(FR)

“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked(FS) people. 10 Now leave me alone(FT) so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy(FU) them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”(FV)

11 But Moses sought the favor(FW) of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?(FX) 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?(FY) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster(FZ) on your people. 13 Remember(GA) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:(GB) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars(GC) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land(GD) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented(GE) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law(GF) in his hands.(GG) They were inscribed(GH) on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.(GI)

17 When Joshua(GJ) heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

18 Moses replied:

“It is not the sound of victory,
    it is not the sound of defeat;
    it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf(GK) and the dancing,(GL) his anger burned(GM) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces(GN) at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned(GO) it in the fire; then he ground it to powder,(GP) scattered it on the water(GQ) and made the Israelites drink it.

21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

22 “Do not be angry,(GR) my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil.(GS) 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’(GT) 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”(GU)

25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock(GV) to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”(GW) 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin.(GX) But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement(GY) for your sin.”

31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed!(GZ) They have made themselves gods of gold.(HA) 32 But now, please forgive their sin(HB)—but if not, then blot me(HC) out of the book(HD) you have written.”

33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out(HE) of my book. 34 Now go, lead(HF) the people to the place(HG) I spoke of, and my angel(HH) will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,(HI) I will punish them for their sin.”

35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf(HJ) Aaron had made.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 29:9 Hebrew; Septuagint on them
  2. Exodus 29:14 Or purification offering; also in verse 36
  3. Exodus 29:40 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
  4. Exodus 29:40 That is, probably about 1 quart or about 1 liter
  5. Exodus 30:2 That is, about 1 1/2 feet long and wide and 3 feet high or about 45 centimeters long and wide and 90 centimeters high
  6. Exodus 30:10 Or purification offering
  7. Exodus 30:13 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.8 grams; also in verse 15
  8. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 12 1/2 pounds or about 5.8 kilograms; also in verse 24
  9. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 6 1/4 pounds or about 2.9 kilograms
  10. Exodus 30:24 That is, probably about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters
  11. Exodus 32:1 Or a god; also in verses 23 and 31
  12. Exodus 32:4 Or This is your god; also in verse 8