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The Altar of Incense

30 “Moreover, you shall make (A)an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. Its length shall be a [a]cubit, and its width a cubit; it shall be square. And its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be [b]of the same piece. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its [c]sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on [d]opposite sides—and [e]they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You shall put [f]this altar in front of the veil that is [g]near the ark of the testimony, in front of the [h](B)mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. When Aaron [i]trims the lamps [j]at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be continual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations. You shall not offer any strange incense on [k]this altar or burnt offering or grain offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10 Aaron shall (C)make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to Yahweh.”

The Census and the Atonement Price

11 Yahweh also spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “When you take (D)a [l]census of the sons of Israel [m]to number them, then each one of them shall give (E)a price of atonement for [n]himself to Yahweh when you [o]number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you [p]number them. 13 This is what everyone who [q]is numbered shall give: half a [r]shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary ((F)the shekel is twenty [s]gerahs), half a shekel as a [t]contribution to Yahweh. 14 Everyone who [u]is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the [v]contribution to Yahweh. 15 The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel when you give the [w]contribution to Yahweh to make atonement for your souls. 16 And you shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a remembrance for the sons of Israel before Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls.”

The Laver for the Priestly Washing

17 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “You shall also make (G)a laver of [x]bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing; and you shall (H)put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19 And Aaron and his sons shall (I)wash their hands and their feet from it; 20 when they come into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to Yahweh. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and (J)it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for [y]Aaron and his seed throughout their generations.”

The Holy Anointing Oil

22 Moreover, Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “But as for you, take for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh 500 shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250, 24 and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a [z]hin. 25 And you shall make [aa]of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be (K)a holy anointing oil. 26 And with it (L)you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 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 and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. 29 You shall also set them apart as holy, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 (M)And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and you shall set them apart as holy, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31 And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on [ab]anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in [ac]the same specifications; (N)it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 (O)Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a [ad]layman [ae](P)shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

34 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Take for yourself fragrances, stacte and onycha and galbanum, fragrances with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35 With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 You shall beat some of it very fine, and you shall put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting (Q)where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37 The incense which you shall make, (R)you shall not make in [af]the same specifications for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for Yahweh. 38 (S)Whoever shall make any like it, to [ag]use as perfume, [ah]shall be cut off from his people.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:2 A cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
  2. Exodus 30:2 Lit from itself
  3. Exodus 30:3 Lit walls
  4. Exodus 30:4 Lit its two
  5. Exodus 30:4 Lit it
  6. Exodus 30:6 Lit it
  7. Exodus 30:6 Or over; lit upon
  8. Exodus 30:6 Or propitiatory seat, place of atonement
  9. Exodus 30:8 Lit causes to ascend
  10. Exodus 30:8 Lit between the two evenings
  11. Exodus 30:9 Lit it
  12. Exodus 30:12 Lit sum
  13. Exodus 30:12 Lit for their being mustered
  14. Exodus 30:12 Lit his soul
  15. Exodus 30:12 Lit muster
  16. Exodus 30:12 Lit muster
  17. Exodus 30:13 Lit passes over to those who are mustered
  18. Exodus 30:13 A shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
  19. Exodus 30:13 Approx. 0.5 oz. or 14 gm, a gerah was approx. 0.025 oz. or 0.7 gm
  20. Exodus 30:13 Lit heave offering
  21. Exodus 30:14 See v 13, note 1
  22. Exodus 30:14 Lit heave offering of Yahweh
  23. Exodus 30:15 Lit heave offering of Yahweh
  24. Exodus 30:18 Or copper
  25. Exodus 30:21 Lit him
  26. Exodus 30:24 A hin was approx. 1 gal. or 3.8 l
  27. Exodus 30:25 Lit it
  28. Exodus 30:32 Lit the flesh of man
  29. Exodus 30:32 Lit its proportion
  30. Exodus 30:33 Lit stranger
  31. Exodus 30:33 Lit even he shall
  32. Exodus 30:37 Lit its proportion
  33. Exodus 30:38 Lit smell of it
  34. Exodus 30:38 Lit even he shall

30 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shalt thou make it. A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the [a]top thereof, and the [b]sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a [c]crown of gold round about. And two golden rings shalt thou make for it under the crown thereof; upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for staves wherewith to bear it. And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it. And when Aaron [d]lighteth the lamps [e]at even, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations. Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor meal-offering; and ye shall pour no drink-offering thereon. 10 And Aaron shall make atonement [f]upon the horns of it once in the year; with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atonement [g]for it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto Jehovah.

11 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to those that are numbered of them, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto Jehovah, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13 This they shall give, every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered: half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel for an offering to Jehovah. 14 Every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of Jehovah. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls. 16 And thou shalt take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

17 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash. And thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: 20 when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

22 Moreover Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, 24 and of [h]cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin; 25 and thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: [i]whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. 32 Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. 33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.

34 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, [j]stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight; 35 and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, [k]seasoned with salt, pure and holy: 36 and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. 37 And the incense which thou shalt make, according to the composition thereof ye shall not make for yourselves: it shall be unto thee holy for Jehovah. 38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:3 Hebrew roof.
  2. Exodus 30:3 Hebrew walls.
  3. Exodus 30:3 Or, rim. Or, moulding
  4. Exodus 30:8 Or, setteth up. Hebrew causeth to ascend.
  5. Exodus 30:8 Hebrew between the two evenings.
  6. Exodus 30:10 Or, for
  7. Exodus 30:10 Or, upon
  8. Exodus 30:24 Or, costus
  9. Exodus 30:29 Or, whosoever
  10. Exodus 30:34 Or, opobalsamum
  11. Exodus 30:35 Or, tempered together