Exodus 30
Legacy Standard Bible
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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 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. 7 Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8 When Aaron [i]trims the lamps [j]at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be continual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations. 9 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
- Exodus 30:2 A cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
- Exodus 30:2 Lit from itself
- Exodus 30:3 Lit walls
- Exodus 30:4 Lit its two
- Exodus 30:4 Lit it
- Exodus 30:6 Lit it
- Exodus 30:6 Or over; lit upon
- Exodus 30:6 Or propitiatory seat, place of atonement
- Exodus 30:8 Lit causes to ascend
- Exodus 30:8 Lit between the two evenings
- Exodus 30:9 Lit it
- Exodus 30:12 Lit sum
- Exodus 30:12 Lit for their being mustered
- Exodus 30:12 Lit his soul
- Exodus 30:12 Lit muster
- Exodus 30:12 Lit muster
- Exodus 30:13 Lit passes over to those who are mustered
- Exodus 30:13 A shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
- Exodus 30:13 Approx. 0.5 oz. or 14 gm, a gerah was approx. 0.025 oz. or 0.7 gm
- Exodus 30:13 Lit heave offering
- Exodus 30:14 See v 13, note 1
- Exodus 30:14 Lit heave offering of Yahweh
- Exodus 30:15 Lit heave offering of Yahweh
- Exodus 30:18 Or copper
- Exodus 30:21 Lit him
- Exodus 30:24 A hin was approx. 1 gal. or 3.8 l
- Exodus 30:25 Lit it
- Exodus 30:32 Lit the flesh of man
- Exodus 30:32 Lit its proportion
- Exodus 30:33 Lit stranger
- Exodus 30:33 Lit even he shall
- Exodus 30:37 Lit its proportion
- Exodus 30:38 Lit smell of it
- Exodus 30:38 Lit even he shall
Exodus 30
Common English Bible
Instructions for the incense altar
30 Make an acacia-wood altar for burning incense. 2 The altar should be square, eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide. It should be three feet high. Its horns should be permanently attached. 3 Cover the altar with pure gold, including its top, all its sides, and its horns. You should also make a gold molding all around it. 4 Make two gold rings and attach them under the molding on two opposite sides of the altar. They will house the poles used to carry the altar. 5 Make acacia-wood poles and cover them with gold. 6 Place the incense altar in front of the veil that hangs before the chest containing the covenant, in front of the cover that is on top of the covenant document where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron will burn sweet-smelling incense on the incense altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps. 8 And again when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he will burn incense. It should be a regular incense offering in the Lord’s presence in every generation. 9 Don’t offer the wrong incense on the altar or an entirely burned offering or a grain offering. Don’t pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron should perform a ritual of reconciliation on its horns with the blood of the purification offering for reconciliation. Once a year in every generation he should perform a ritual of reconciliation at the altar. It is most holy to the Lord.
Census and compensation
11 The Lord spoke to Moses: 12 When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each of them should pay compensation for their life to the Lord when they are counted. Then no plague will descend on them when they are counted. 13 Every one who is counted should pay a half shekel according to the official shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs). The half shekel is a gift offering to the Lord. 14 Every one who is counted, from 20 years old and above, should present a gift offering to the Lord. 15 When you bring this gift offering to the Lord to pay compensation for your lives, the rich shouldn’t give more and the poor shouldn’t give less than the half shekel. 16 Take the compensation money from the Israelites and use it to support the service of the meeting tent. It will serve for the Israelites as a reminder in the Lord’s presence of the compensation paid for your lives.
Instructions for the washbasin
17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 18 Make a copper basin for washing along with its copper stand. Put it between the meeting tent and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons will use it to wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the meeting tent or approach the altar to minister and to offer a food gift to the Lord, they must wash with water so that they don’t die. 21 They must wash their hands and their feet so that they don’t die. This will be a permanent regulation for them, for Aaron and his descendants in every generation.
Instructions for oil and incense
22 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23 Now take for yourself high-quality spices: five hundred weight of solid myrrh; half as much of sweet-smelling cinnamon, that is, two hundred fifty; two hundred fifty weight of sweet-smelling cane; 24 five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary shekel—and a hin[a] of olive oil. 25 Prepare a holy anointing oil, blending them like a skilled perfume maker to produce the holy anointing oil. 26 Use it to anoint the meeting tent, the chest containing the covenant, 27 the table and all its equipment, the lampstand and its equipment, the incense altar, 28 the altar for entirely burned offerings and all its equipment, and the washbasin with its stand. 29 Make them holy so that they may be perfectly holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 Then anoint Aaron and his sons and make them holy to serve me as priests. 31 Say to the Israelites: This will be my holy anointing oil in every generation. 32 Don’t allow anyone else to use this oil. Don’t make another oil like it by using the same formula. This oil is holy, and you should regard it as holy. 33 Whoever blends an oil like it or whoever uses the oil on someone else will be cut off from the people.
34 The Lord said to Moses: Take an equal amount of each of these spices: gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense. 35 Like a skilled perfume maker, carefully blend them together and make incense, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 Beat some of it into a fine powder and put part of it in front of the covenant document in the meeting tent where I will meet with you. You should regard it as perfectly holy. 37 When you make incense according to this formula, you shouldn’t make any of it for your own use. You should regard it as holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense with this same formula to enjoy its fragrance will be cut off from the people.
Footnotes
- Exodus 30:24 One hin is approximately one gallon.
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