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Exodus 32-40
New American Standard Bible 1995

The Golden Calf

32 Now when the people saw that Moses (A)delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, (B)make us [a]a god who will go before us; as for (C)this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 Aaron said to them, “(D)Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a (E)molten calf; and they said, “[b]This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5 Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 So the next day they rose early and (F)offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and (G)the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up (H)to play.

7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go [c]down at once, for your people, whom (I)you brought up from the land of Egypt, have (J)corrupted themselves. 8 They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. (K)They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and (L)have sacrificed to it and said, ‘[d](M)This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9 (N)The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are [e](O)an obstinate people. 10 Now then (P)let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and (Q)I will make of you a great nation.”

Moses’ Entreaty

11 Then (R)Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should (S)the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You (T)swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will (U)multiply your [f]descendants as the stars of the heavens, and (V)all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your [g]descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 (W)So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

15 (X)Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, (Y)tablets which were written on both [h]sides; they were written on one side and the other. 16 The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing engraved on the tablets. 17 Now when Joshua heard the sound of the people [i]as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.” 18 But he said,

“It is not the sound of the cry of triumph,
Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat;
But the sound of singing I hear.”

Moses’ Anger

19 It came about, as soon as [j]Moses came near the camp, that (Z)he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and (AA)he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them [k]at the foot of the mountain. 20 (AB)He took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

21 Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?” 22 Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, (AC)that they are [l]prone to evil. 23 For (AD)they said to me, ‘Make [m]a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and (AE)I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 Now when Moses saw that the people were [n]out of control—for Aaron had (AF)let them [o]get out of control to be a derision among [p]their enemies— 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. 27 He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his [q]neighbor.’” 28 So (AG)the sons of Levi did [r]as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, “[s]Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

30 On the next day Moses said to the people, “(AH)You yourselves have [t]committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can (AI)make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Alas, this people has [u]committed a great sin, and they have made [v]a (AJ)god of gold for themselves. 32 But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your (AK)book which You have written!” 33 The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, (AL)I will blot him out of My book. 34 But go now, lead the people (AM)where I told you. Behold, (AN)My angel shall go before you; nevertheless (AO)in the day when I [w]punish, (AP)I will [x]punish them for their sin.” 35 (AQ)Then the Lord smote the people, because of (AR)what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

The Journey Resumed

33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which (AS)I swore to Abraham, (AT)Isaac, and (AU)Jacob, saying, ‘(AV)To your [y]descendants I will give it.’ 2 I will send (AW)an angel before you and (AX)I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land (AY)flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are [z](AZ)an obstinate people, and (BA)I might destroy you on the way.”

4 When the people heard this [aa]sad word, (BB)they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are [ab](BC)an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.’” 6 So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

7 Now Moses used to take (BD)the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And (BE)everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, (BF)the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; (BG)and [ac]the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 Thus (BH)the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When [ad]Moses returned to the camp, (BI)his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Moses Intercedes

12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘(BJ)Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know (BK)whom You will send with me. (BL)Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, (BM)let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. (BN)Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “(BO)My presence shall go with you, and (BP)I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “(BQ)If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that (BR)we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the [ae]earth?”

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; (BS)for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 (BT)Then [af]Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “(BU)I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and (BV)I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, (BW)for no man can see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place [ag]by Me, and (BX)you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and (BY)cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but (BZ)My face shall not be seen.”

The Two Tablets Replaced

34 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Cut out for yourself (CA)two stone tablets like the former ones, and (CB)I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. 2 So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to (CC)Mount Sinai, and [ah]present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. 3 (CD)No man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen [ai]anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain.” 4 So he cut out (CE)two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. 5 (CF)The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as [aj]he called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, (CG)compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and [ak]truth; 7 who (CH)keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He (CI)will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, (CJ)visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 8 Moses made haste [al](CK)to bow low toward the earth and worship. 9 He said, “(CL)If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though [am](CM)the people are so obstinate, and (CN)pardon our iniquity and our sin, and (CO)take us as Your own [an]possession.”

The Covenant Renewed

10 Then [ao]God said, “Behold, (CP)I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people (CQ)I will perform miracles which have not been [ap]produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people [aq]among whom you live will see the working of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.

11 “[ar]Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day: behold, (CR)I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. 12 (CS)Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. 13 (CT)But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their [as](CU)Asherim 14 —for (CV)you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— 15 otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and (CW)sacrifice to their gods, and someone (CX)might invite you [at]to eat of his sacrifice, 16 and (CY)you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. 17 (CZ)You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

18 “You shall observe (DA)the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For (DB)seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, [au]as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the (DC)month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

19 “(DD)The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from [av]cattle and sheep. 20 (DE)You shall redeem with a lamb the [aw]first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem (DF)all the firstborn of your sons. [ax](DG)None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

21 “You shall work (DH)six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest. 22 You shall celebrate (DI)the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 (DJ)Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord [ay]God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will [az](DK)drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord your God.

25 “(DL)You shall not [ba]offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, (DM)nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to [bb]be left over until morning.

26 “You shall bring (DN)the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.

“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(DO)Write [bc]down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made (DP)a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 So he was there with the Lord (DQ)forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And [bd](DR)he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, (DS)the Ten [be]Commandments.

Moses’ Face Shines

29 It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the (DT)two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that (DU)the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and (DV)they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the Lord had spoken [bf]to him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, (DW)he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, (DX)he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, 35 (DY)the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

The Sabbath Emphasized

35 Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, “(DZ)These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to [bg]do:

2 “(EA)For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, (EB)a sabbath of complete rest to the Lord; (EC)whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 (ED)You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day.”

4 Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded, saying, 5 ‘(EE)Take from among you a [bh]contribution to the Lord; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the Lord’s [bi]contribution: gold, silver, and [bj]bronze, 6 and [bk]blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goats’ hair, 7 and rams’ skins [bl]dyed red, and porpoise skins, and acacia wood, 8 and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the [bm]breastpiece.

Tabernacle Workmen

10 ‘(EF)Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 the [bn](EG)tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its [bo]sockets; 12 the (EH)ark and its poles, the [bp]mercy seat, and the curtain of the screen; 13 the (EI)table and its poles, and all its [bq]utensils, and the bread of the [br]Presence; 14 the (EJ)lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps and the oil for the light; 15 and the (EK)altar of incense and its poles, and the (EL)anointing oil and the (EM)fragrant incense, and the screen for the doorway at the [bs]entrance of the tabernacle; 16 (EN)the altar of burnt offering with its [bt]bronze grating, its poles, and all its [bu]utensils, the [bv]basin and its stand; 17 (EO)the hangings of the court, its pillars and its [bw]sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court and their cords; 19 the [bx](EP)woven garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.’”

Gifts Received

20 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from Moses’ presence. 21 (EQ)Everyone whose heart [by]stirred him and everyone whose spirit [bz]moved him came and brought the Lord’s [ca]contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. 22 Then all [cb]whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and [cc]earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who [cd]presented an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 Every man, [ce]who had in his possession [cf]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats’ hair and rams’ skins [cg]dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a [ch]contribution of silver and [ci]bronze brought the Lord’s [cj]contribution; and every man [ck]who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it. 25 All the [cl]skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in [cm]blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. 26 All the women whose heart [cn]stirred with a skill spun the goats’ hair. 27 The rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the [co]breastpiece; 28 and (ER)the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29 The [cp]Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart [cq]moved them to bring material for all the work, which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a (ES)freewill offering to the Lord.

30 (ET)Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all [cr]craftsmanship; 32 [cs]to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in [ct]bronze, 33 and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work. 34 He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and (EU)Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 (EV)He has filled them with [cu]skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in [cv]blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.

The Tabernacle Underwritten

36 “Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every [cw]skillful person in whom the Lord has put [cx]skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work [cy]in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.”

2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every [cz]skillful person in [da]whom the Lord had put [db]skill, (EW)everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it. 3 They received from Moses all the [dc]contributions which the sons of Israel had brought [dd]to perform the work [de]in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4 And all the [df]skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from [dg]the work which [dh]he was performing, 5 and they said to [di]Moses, “(EX)The people are bringing much more than enough for the [dj]construction work which the Lord commanded us to [dk]perform.” 6 So Moses issued a command, and a [dl]proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the [dm]contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. 7 (EY)For the [dn]material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

Construction Proceeds

8 (EZ)All the [do]skillful men among those who were performing the work made the [dp]tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and [dq]blue and purple and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman, [dr]Bezalel made them. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight [ds]cubits and the width of each curtain four [dt]cubits; all the curtains had [du]the same measurements. 10 He [dv]joined five curtains to one another and the other five curtains he [dw]joined to one another. 11 He made loops of [dx]blue on the edge of the [dy]outermost curtain in the first [dz]set; he did likewise on the edge of the curtain that was [ea]outermost in the second [eb]set. 12 He made (FA)fifty loops in the one curtain and he made fifty loops on the [ec]edge of the curtain that was in the second [ed]set; the loops were opposite each other. 13 He made (FB)fifty clasps of gold and [ee]joined the curtains to one another with the clasps, so the tabernacle was [ef]a unit.

14 Then (FC)he made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains [eg]in all. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits and four cubits the width of each curtain; the eleven curtains had [eh]the same measurements. 16 He [ei]joined five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves. 17 Moreover, he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the first [ej]set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second [ek]set. 18 He made fifty clasps of [el]bronze to [em]join the tent together so that it would be [en]a unit. 19 He made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins [eo]dyed red, and a covering of porpoise skins above.

20 (FD)Then he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. 21 Ten cubits was the length of [ep]each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. 22 There were two tenons for each board, [eq]fitted to one another; thus he did for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23 He made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards [er]for the south side; 24 and he made forty [es]sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two [et]sockets under one board for its two tenons and two [eu]sockets under another board for its two tenons. 25 Then for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, 26 and their forty [ev]sockets of silver; two [ew]sockets under one board and two [ex]sockets under another board. 27 For the [ey]rear of the tabernacle, to the west, he made six boards. 28 He made two boards for the corners of the [ez]tabernacle at the [fa]rear. 29 They were double beneath, and together they were complete to its [fb]top [fc]to the first ring; thus he did with both of them for the two corners. 30 There were eight boards with their [fd]sockets of silver, sixteen [fe]sockets, [ff]two under every board.

31 Then he made (FE)bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the boards of the [fg]other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the [fh]rear side to the west. 33 He made the middle bar to pass through in the [fi]center of the boards from end to end. 34 He overlaid the boards with gold and made their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

35 (FF)Moreover, he made the veil of [fj]blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen; he made it with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 36 He made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and he cast four [fk]sockets of silver for them. 37 He made a (FG)screen for the doorway of the tent, of [fl]blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, the work of a [fm]weaver; 38 and he made its (FH)five pillars with their hooks, and he overlaid their tops and their [fn]bands with gold; but their five [fo]sockets were of [fp]bronze.

Construction Continues

37 (FI)Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half [fq]cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; 2 and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around. 3 He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; even two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the [fr]other side of it. 4 He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry [fs]it. 6 He made a [ft]mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits [fu]long and one and a half cubits [fv]wide. 7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work [fw]at the two ends of the mercy seat; 8 one cherub [fx]at the one end and one cherub [fy]at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat [fz]at the two ends. 9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the [ga]mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

10 (FJ)Then he made the table of acacia wood, two [gb]cubits [gc]long and a cubit [gd]wide and one and a half cubits [ge]high. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding for it all around. 12 He made a rim for it of a handbreadth all around, and made a gold molding for its rim all around. 13 He cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four feet. 14 Close by the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 He made the utensils which were on the table, its [gf]dishes and its pans and its [gg]bowls and its jars, with which to pour out drink offerings, of pure gold.

17 (FK)Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its [gh]bulbs and its flowers were of one piece with it. 18 There were six branches going out of its sides; three branches of the lampstand from the one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the [gi]other side of it; 19 three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a [gj]bulb and a flower in one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a [gk]bulb and a flower in the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 20 In the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its [gl]bulbs and its flowers; 21 and a [gm]bulb was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a [gn]bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a [go]bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 22 Their [gp]bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold. 23 He made its seven lamps with its snuffers and its [gq]trays of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.

25 (FL)Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit [gr]long and a cubit [gs]wide, square, and two cubits [gt]high; its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its [gu]sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around. 27 He made two golden rings for it under its molding, on its two sides—on opposite sides—as holders for poles with which to carry it. 28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 29 (FM)And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.

The Tabernacle Completed

38 (FN)Then he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, five [gv]cubits [gw]long, and five cubits [gx]wide, square, and three cubits [gy]high. 2 He made its horns on its four corners, its horns [gz]being of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with [ha]bronze. 3 He made all the utensils of the altar, the pails and the shovels and the basins, the flesh hooks and the firepans; he made all its utensils of bronze. 4 He made for the altar a grating of bronze network beneath, under its ledge, reaching halfway up. 5 He cast four rings on the four ends of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. 6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.

8 (FO)Moreover, he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, [hb]from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

9 (FP)Then he made the court: [hc]for the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twisted linen, one hundred cubits; 10 their twenty pillars, and their twenty [hd]sockets, made of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their [he]bands were of silver. 11 For the north side there were one hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty [hf]sockets were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their [hg]bands were of silver. 12 For the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten [hh]sockets; the hooks of the pillars and their [hi]bands were of silver. 13 For the [hj]east side fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for the one [hk]side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three [hl]sockets, 15 and so for the [hm]other [hn]side. [ho]On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three [hp]sockets. 16 All the hangings of the court all around were of fine twisted linen. 17 The [hq]sockets for the pillars were of [hr]bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their [hs]bands, of silver; and the overlaying of their tops, of silver, and all the pillars of the court were furnished with silver [ht]bands. 18 The screen of the gate of the court was the work of the [hu]weaver, of [hv]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. And the length was twenty cubits and the [hw]height was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court. 19 Their four pillars and their four [hx]sockets were of bronze; their hooks were of silver, and the overlaying of their tops and their [hy]bands were of silver. 20 All the pegs of the [hz]tabernacle and of the court all around were of bronze.

The Cost of the Tabernacle

21 [ia]This is the number of the things for the [ib]tabernacle, the [ic]tabernacle of the testimony, as they were [id]numbered according to the [ie]command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 22 Now (FQ)Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 23 With him was (FR)Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a skillful workman and a [if]weaver in [ig]blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and fine linen.

24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the wave offering, was 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to (FS)the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 (FT)The silver of those of the congregation who were [ih]numbered was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; 26 (FU)a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for each one who passed over to those who were [ii]numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for (FV)603,550 men. 27 The hundred talents of silver were for casting the [ij]sockets of the sanctuary and the [ik]sockets of the veil; one hundred [il]sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a [im]socket. 28 Of the 1,775 shekels, he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their tops and made [in]bands for them. 29 The bronze of the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. 30 With it he made the [io]sockets to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and the bronze altar and its bronze grating, and all the utensils of the altar, 31 and the [ip]sockets of the court all around and the [iq]sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pegs of the [ir]tabernacle and all the pegs of the court all around.

The Priestly Garments

39 Moreover, from the [is](FW)blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely (FX)woven garments for ministering in the holy place [it]as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

2 (FY)He made the ephod of gold, and of [iu]blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. 3 Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads [iv]to be woven in with the [iw]blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skillful workman. 4 They made attaching shoulder pieces for [ix]the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends. 5 The skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, [iy]of the same material: of gold and of [iz]blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

6 (FZ)They made the onyx stones, set in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. 7 And (GA)he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

8 (GB)He made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful workman, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold and of [ja]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. 9 It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span [jb]long and a span [jc]wide when folded double. 10 And they [jd]mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; 11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; 12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were [je]mounted. 14 The stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes. 15 They made on the breastpiece chains like cords, of twisted cordage work in pure gold. 16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. 17 Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 18 They put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 19 They made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod. 20 Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the woven band of the ephod. 21 They bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a [jf]blue cord, so that it would be on the woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

22 (GC)Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of [jg]blue; 23 (GD)and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, so that it would not be torn. 24 They made pomegranates of [jh]blue and purple and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the [ji]robe, 26 [jj]alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the service, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

27 (GE)They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons, 28 and the turban of fine linen, and the decorated [jk]caps of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twisted linen, 29 and the sash of fine twisted linen, and [jl]blue and purple and scarlet material, the work of the [jm]weaver, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 (GF)They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and [jn]inscribed it like the engravings of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” 31 They [jo]fastened a [jp]blue cord to it, to [jq]fasten it on the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

32 Thus all the work of the [jr]tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did. 33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its [js]furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars and its [jt]sockets; 34 and the covering of rams’ skins [ju]dyed red, and the covering of porpoise skins, and the screening veil; 35 the ark of the testimony and its poles and the [jv]mercy seat; 36 the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the [jw]Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand, [jx]with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; 38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the veil for the doorway of the tent; 39 the [jy]bronze altar and its [jz]bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the laver and its stand; 40 the hangings for the court, its pillars and its [ka]sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords and its pegs and all the [kb]equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 the woven garments for ministering in the holy place and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests. 42 So the sons of Israel did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 And Moses [kc]examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the Lord had commanded, this they had done. So Moses (GG)blessed them.

The Tabernacle Erected

40 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “(GH)On the first day of the first month you shall set up the [kd]tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 (GI)You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4 You shall (GJ)bring in the table and [ke](GK)arrange what belongs on it; and you shall (GL)bring in the lampstand and [kf]mount its lamps. 5 Moreover, you shall (GM)set the gold altar of incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the veil for the doorway to the tabernacle. 6 You shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 You shall (GN)set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water [kg]in it. 8 You shall set up the court all around and [kh]hang up the veil for the gateway of the court. 9 Then you shall take the anointing oil and (GO)anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall consecrate it and all its [ki]furnishings; and it shall be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and (GP)the altar shall be most holy. 11 You shall anoint the laver and its stand, and consecrate it. 12 Then you shall (GQ)bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 (GR)You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me. 14 You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them; 15 and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will [kj]qualify them for a (GS)perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.” 16 Thus Moses did; according to all that the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

17 Now (GT)in the first month [kk]of the second year, on the first day of the month, the [kl]tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle and [km]laid its [kn]sockets, and set up its boards, and [ko]inserted its bars and erected its pillars. 19 He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent [kp]on top of it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 Then he took (GU)the testimony and put it into the ark, and [kq]attached the poles to the ark, and put the [kr]mercy seat [ks]on top of the ark. 21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and (GV)set up a veil for the screen, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 Then he (GW)put the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. 23 He set the arrangement of (GX)bread in order on it before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 Then he placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 25 He (GY)lighted the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 Then he (GZ)placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil; 27 and he (HA)burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 Then he set up the [kt]veil for the doorway of the tabernacle. 29 He (HB)set the altar of burnt offering before the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and (HC)offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 He placed the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing. 31 (HD)From it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 He (HE)erected the court all around the [ku]tabernacle and the altar, and [kv]hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord

34 (HF)Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the (HG)glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses (HH)was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys (HI)whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; 37 but (HJ)if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. 38 For throughout all their journeys, (HK)the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 32:1 Or gods
  2. Exodus 32:4 Or These are your gods
  3. Exodus 32:7 Lit go down
  4. Exodus 32:8 Or These are your gods
  5. Exodus 32:9 Or a stiff-necked
  6. Exodus 32:13 Lit seed
  7. Exodus 32:13 Lit seed
  8. Exodus 32:15 Lit their sides
  9. Exodus 32:17 Lit in its shouting
  10. Exodus 32:19 Lit he
  11. Exodus 32:19 Lit beneath
  12. Exodus 32:22 Lit in evil
  13. Exodus 32:23 Or gods
  14. Exodus 32:25 Lit let loose
  15. Exodus 32:25 Lit go loose
  16. Exodus 32:25 Lit those who rise against them
  17. Exodus 32:27 Or kin
  18. Exodus 32:28 Lit according to Moses’ word
  19. Exodus 32:29 Lit Fill your hand
  20. Exodus 32:30 Lit sinned
  21. Exodus 32:31 Lit sinned
  22. Exodus 32:31 Or gods
  23. Exodus 32:34 Lit visit
  24. Exodus 32:34 Lit visit their sin upon them
  25. Exodus 33:1 Lit seed
  26. Exodus 33:3 Lit a stiff-necked
  27. Exodus 33:4 Lit evil
  28. Exodus 33:5 Lit a stiff-necked
  29. Exodus 33:9 Lit He
  30. Exodus 33:11 Lit he
  31. Exodus 33:16 Lit ground
  32. Exodus 33:18 Lit he
  33. Exodus 33:21 Lit with
  34. Exodus 34:2 Or place yourself before
  35. Exodus 34:3 Lit on all
  36. Exodus 34:5 Or he called out with the name of the Lord
  37. Exodus 34:6 Or faithfulness
  38. Exodus 34:8 Lit and bowed...worshiped
  39. Exodus 34:9 Lit it is a people stiff-necked
  40. Exodus 34:9 Or inheritance
  41. Exodus 34:10 Lit He
  42. Exodus 34:10 Lit created
  43. Exodus 34:10 Lit in whose midst you are
  44. Exodus 34:11 Lit Observe for yourself
  45. Exodus 34:13 I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
  46. Exodus 34:15 Lit and you eat
  47. Exodus 34:18 Or which
  48. Exodus 34:19 Or oxen
  49. Exodus 34:20 Lit first opening of
  50. Exodus 34:20 Lit They shall not
  51. Exodus 34:23 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  52. Exodus 34:24 Or dispossess
  53. Exodus 34:25 Lit slaughter
  54. Exodus 34:25 Lit remain overnight
  55. Exodus 34:27 Lit for yourself
  56. Exodus 34:28 Or He, i.e. The Lord
  57. Exodus 34:28 Lit Words
  58. Exodus 34:32 Lit with
  59. Exodus 35:1 Lit do them
  60. Exodus 35:5 Or heave offering
  61. Exodus 35:5 Or heave offering
  62. Exodus 35:5 Or copper
  63. Exodus 35:6 Or violet
  64. Exodus 35:7 Or tanned
  65. Exodus 35:9 Or pouch
  66. Exodus 35:11 Lit dwelling place
  67. Exodus 35:11 Or bases
  68. Exodus 35:12 Lit propitiatory
  69. Exodus 35:13 Or vessels
  70. Exodus 35:13 Lit Face
  71. Exodus 35:15 Or doorway
  72. Exodus 35:16 Or copper
  73. Exodus 35:16 Or vessels
  74. Exodus 35:16 Or laver
  75. Exodus 35:17 Or bases
  76. Exodus 35:19 Or service garments
  77. Exodus 35:21 Lit lifted up
  78. Exodus 35:21 Or made him willing
  79. Exodus 35:21 Or heave offering
  80. Exodus 35:22 Or who were willing-hearted
  81. Exodus 35:22 Or nose rings
  82. Exodus 35:22 Lit waved a wave offering
  83. Exodus 35:23 Lit with whom was found
  84. Exodus 35:23 Or violet
  85. Exodus 35:23 Or tanned
  86. Exodus 35:24 Or heave offering
  87. Exodus 35:24 Or copper
  88. Exodus 35:24 Or heave offering
  89. Exodus 35:24 Lit with whom was found
  90. Exodus 35:25 Lit women wise of heart
  91. Exodus 35:25 Or violet
  92. Exodus 35:26 Lit lifted them up in wisdom
  93. Exodus 35:27 Or pouch
  94. Exodus 35:29 Lit sons of Israel
  95. Exodus 35:29 Lit made them willing
  96. Exodus 35:31 Or work
  97. Exodus 35:32 Lit devise devices
  98. Exodus 35:32 Or copper
  99. Exodus 35:35 Lit wisdom of heart
  100. Exodus 35:35 Or violet
  101. Exodus 36:1 Lit man wise of heart
  102. Exodus 36:1 Lit wisdom
  103. Exodus 36:1 Or connected with the service of; lit of the service of
  104. Exodus 36:2 Lit man wise of heart
  105. Exodus 36:2 Lit whose heart
  106. Exodus 36:2 Lit wisdom
  107. Exodus 36:3 Lit lifted offering
  108. Exodus 36:3 Lit to perform it for the work
  109. Exodus 36:3 Lit of the service of
  110. Exodus 36:4 Lit wise
  111. Exodus 36:4 Lit his
  112. Exodus 36:4 Lit they were
  113. Exodus 36:5 Lit Moses, saying,
  114. Exodus 36:5 Lit service for the work
  115. Exodus 36:5 Lit perform it
  116. Exodus 36:6 Lit voice
  117. Exodus 36:6 Lit heave offering
  118. Exodus 36:7 Lit work
  119. Exodus 36:8 Lit wise of heart
  120. Exodus 36:8 Lit dwelling place
  121. Exodus 36:8 Or violet
  122. Exodus 36:8 Lit he
  123. Exodus 36:9 I.e. One cubit equals approx 18 in.
  124. Exodus 36:9 I.e. One cubit equals approx 18 in.
  125. Exodus 36:9 Lit one measure
  126. Exodus 36:10 Or coupled
  127. Exodus 36:10 Or coupled
  128. Exodus 36:11 Or violet
  129. Exodus 36:11 Lit one curtain from the end in the coupling
  130. Exodus 36:11 Lit coupling
  131. Exodus 36:11 Lit one curtain from the end in the coupling
  132. Exodus 36:11 Lit coupling
  133. Exodus 36:12 Lit end
  134. Exodus 36:12 Lit coupling
  135. Exodus 36:13 Or coupled
  136. Exodus 36:13 Lit one
  137. Exodus 36:14 Lit in number
  138. Exodus 36:15 Lit one measure
  139. Exodus 36:16 Or coupled
  140. Exodus 36:17 Lit coupling
  141. Exodus 36:17 Lit coupling
  142. Exodus 36:18 Or copper
  143. Exodus 36:18 Or couple
  144. Exodus 36:18 Lit one
  145. Exodus 36:19 Or tanned
  146. Exodus 36:21 Lit the
  147. Exodus 36:22 Lit bound
  148. Exodus 36:23 Lit to the side of the Negev, to the south
  149. Exodus 36:24 Or bases
  150. Exodus 36:24 Or bases
  151. Exodus 36:24 Or bases
  152. Exodus 36:26 Or bases
  153. Exodus 36:26 Or bases
  154. Exodus 36:26 Or bases
  155. Exodus 36:27 Lit extreme parts
  156. Exodus 36:28 Lit dwelling place
  157. Exodus 36:28 Lit extreme parts
  158. Exodus 36:29 Or head
  159. Exodus 36:29 Or with reference to
  160. Exodus 36:30 Or bases
  161. Exodus 36:30 Or bases
  162. Exodus 36:30 Lit two sockets
  163. Exodus 36:32 Or second
  164. Exodus 36:32 Lit extreme parts
  165. Exodus 36:33 Lit midst
  166. Exodus 36:35 Or violet
  167. Exodus 36:36 Or bases
  168. Exodus 36:37 Or violet
  169. Exodus 36:37 Lit variegator; i.e. a weaver in colors
  170. Exodus 36:38 Or fillets, rings
  171. Exodus 36:38 Or bases
  172. Exodus 36:38 Or copper
  173. Exodus 37:1 I.e. One cubit equals approx 18 in.
  174. Exodus 37:3 Lit second
  175. Exodus 37:5 Lit the ark
  176. Exodus 37:6 Lit propitiatory
  177. Exodus 37:6 Lit its length
  178. Exodus 37:6 Lit its width
  179. Exodus 37:7 Lit from
  180. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  181. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  182. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  183. Exodus 37:9 Lit propitiatory
  184. Exodus 37:10 I.e. One cubit equals approx 18 in.
  185. Exodus 37:10 Lit its length
  186. Exodus 37:10 Lit its width
  187. Exodus 37:10 Lit its height
  188. Exodus 37:16 Or platters
  189. Exodus 37:16 Lit libation bowls
  190. Exodus 37:17 Or calyxes
  191. Exodus 37:18 Lit second
  192. Exodus 37:19 Or calyx
  193. Exodus 37:19 Or calyx
  194. Exodus 37:20 Or calyxes
  195. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  196. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  197. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  198. Exodus 37:22 Or calyxes
  199. Exodus 37:23 Lit snuff dishes
  200. Exodus 37:25 Lit its length
  201. Exodus 37:25 Lit its width
  202. Exodus 37:25 Lit its height
  203. Exodus 37:26 Lit walls
  204. Exodus 38:1 I.e. One cubit equals approx 18 in.
  205. Exodus 38:1 Lit its length
  206. Exodus 38:1 Lit its width
  207. Exodus 38:1 Lit its height
  208. Exodus 38:2 Lit were
  209. Exodus 38:2 Or copper, and so for bronze throughout the ch
  210. Exodus 38:8 Lit with
  211. Exodus 38:9 Lit to the side of the Negev, to the south
  212. Exodus 38:10 Or bases
  213. Exodus 38:10 Or fillets, rings
  214. Exodus 38:11 Or bases
  215. Exodus 38:11 Or fillets, rings
  216. Exodus 38:12 Or bases
  217. Exodus 38:12 Or fillets, rings
  218. Exodus 38:13 Lit east side, eastward
  219. Exodus 38:14 Lit shoulder
  220. Exodus 38:14 Or bases
  221. Exodus 38:15 Lit second
  222. Exodus 38:15 Lit shoulder
  223. Exodus 38:15 Lit On this side and on that side
  224. Exodus 38:15 Or bases
  225. Exodus 38:17 Or bases
  226. Exodus 38:17 Or copper
  227. Exodus 38:17 Or fillets, rings
  228. Exodus 38:17 Or fillets, rings
  229. Exodus 38:18 Lit variegator; i.e. a weaver in colors
  230. Exodus 38:18 Or violet
  231. Exodus 38:18 Lit height in width
  232. Exodus 38:19 Or bases
  233. Exodus 38:19 Or fillets, rings
  234. Exodus 38:20 Lit dwelling place
  235. Exodus 38:21 Lit These are the appointed things of the tabernacle
  236. Exodus 38:21 Lit dwelling place
  237. Exodus 38:21 Lit dwelling place
  238. Exodus 38:21 Lit appointed
  239. Exodus 38:21 Lit mouth
  240. Exodus 38:23 Lit variegator; i.e. a weaver in colors
  241. Exodus 38:23 Or violet
  242. Exodus 38:25 Lit mustered
  243. Exodus 38:26 Lit mustered
  244. Exodus 38:27 Or bases
  245. Exodus 38:27 Or bases
  246. Exodus 38:27 Or bases
  247. Exodus 38:27 Or bases
  248. Exodus 38:28 Or fillets, rings
  249. Exodus 38:30 Or bases
  250. Exodus 38:31 Or bases
  251. Exodus 38:31 Or bases
  252. Exodus 38:31 Lit dwelling place
  253. Exodus 39:1 Or violet
  254. Exodus 39:1 Lit and they made
  255. Exodus 39:2 Or violet
  256. Exodus 39:3 Lit to work
  257. Exodus 39:3 Or violet
  258. Exodus 39:4 Lit it
  259. Exodus 39:5 Lit from it
  260. Exodus 39:5 Or violet
  261. Exodus 39:8 Or violet
  262. Exodus 39:9 Lit its length
  263. Exodus 39:9 Lit its width
  264. Exodus 39:10 Lit filled
  265. Exodus 39:13 Lit filled
  266. Exodus 39:21 Or violet
  267. Exodus 39:22 Or violet
  268. Exodus 39:24 Or violet
  269. Exodus 39:25 Lit robe, between the pomegranates
  270. Exodus 39:26 Lit a bell and a pomegranate, a bell...
  271. Exodus 39:28 Lit headgear
  272. Exodus 39:29 Or violet
  273. Exodus 39:29 Lit variegator; i.e. a weaver in colors
  274. Exodus 39:30 Lit wrote on it a writing
  275. Exodus 39:31 Lit put
  276. Exodus 39:31 Or violet
  277. Exodus 39:31 Lit put
  278. Exodus 39:32 Lit dwelling place
  279. Exodus 39:33 Or utensils
  280. Exodus 39:33 Or bases
  281. Exodus 39:34 Or tanned
  282. Exodus 39:35 Lit propitiatory
  283. Exodus 39:36 Lit Face
  284. Exodus 39:37 Lit its lamps, the lamps set in order
  285. Exodus 39:39 Or copper
  286. Exodus 39:39 Or copper
  287. Exodus 39:40 Or bases
  288. Exodus 39:40 Or utensils
  289. Exodus 39:43 Lit saw
  290. Exodus 40:2 Lit dwelling place
  291. Exodus 40:4 Lit arrange its arrangement
  292. Exodus 40:4 Or light
  293. Exodus 40:7 Lit there
  294. Exodus 40:8 Lit put the screen
  295. Exodus 40:9 Or utensils
  296. Exodus 40:15 Lit be for them
  297. Exodus 40:17 Lit in
  298. Exodus 40:17 Lit dwelling place
  299. Exodus 40:18 Lit put
  300. Exodus 40:18 Or bases
  301. Exodus 40:18 Lit put
  302. Exodus 40:19 Lit over it above
  303. Exodus 40:20 Lit set
  304. Exodus 40:20 Lit propitiatory
  305. Exodus 40:20 Lit over the ark above
  306. Exodus 40:28 Or screen
  307. Exodus 40:33 Or dwelling place
  308. Exodus 40:33 Lit put the screen
Listen to Exodus 32:1-39:24
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Exodus 32:1-39:24
New International Version

The Golden Calf

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

2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings(D) that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol(E) cast in the shape of a calf,(F) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b](G) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”(H)

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival(I) to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.(J) Afterward they sat down to eat and drink(K) and got up to indulge in revelry.(L)

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt,(M) have become corrupt.(N) 8 They have been quick to turn away(O) from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol(P) cast in the shape of a calf.(Q) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed(R) to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’(S)

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

11 But Moses sought the favor(X) 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?(Y) 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’?(Z) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster(AA) on your people. 13 Remember(AB) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:(AC) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars(AD) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land(AE) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented(AF) 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(AG) in his hands.(AH) They were inscribed(AI) 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.(AJ)

17 When Joshua(AK) 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(AL) and the dancing,(AM) his anger burned(AN) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces(AO) at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned(AP) it in the fire; then he ground it to powder,(AQ) scattered it on the water(AR) 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,(AS) my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil.(AT) 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.’(AU) 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!”(AV)

25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock(AW) 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.’”(AX) 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.(AY) But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement(AZ) for your sin.”

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

33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out(BF) of my book. 34 Now go, lead(BG) the people to the place(BH) I spoke of, and my angel(BI) will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,(BJ) 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(BK) Aaron had made.

33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath(BL) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’(BM) 2 I will send an angel(BN) before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.(BO) 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.(BP) But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked(BQ) people and I might destroy(BR) you on the way.”

4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn(BS) and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people.(BT) If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy(BU) you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’” 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.(BV)

The Tent of Meeting

7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.”(BW) Anyone inquiring(BX) of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents,(BY) watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud(BZ) would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke(CA) with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent.(CB) 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face,(CC) as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua(CD) son of Nun did not leave the tent.

Moses and the Glory of the Lord

12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’(CE) but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name(CF) and you have found favor(CG) with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways(CH) so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”(CI)

14 The Lord replied, “My Presence(CJ) will go with you, and I will give you rest.”(CK)

15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence(CL) does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?(CM) What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”(CN)

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked,(CO) because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”(CP)

18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”(CQ)

19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass(CR) in front of you, and I will proclaim my name,(CS) the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.(CT) 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see(CU) me and live.”

21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock(CV) and cover you with my hand(CW) until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

The New Stone Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones,(CX) and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets,(CY) which you broke.(CZ) 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai.(DA) Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain;(DB) not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

4 So Moses chiseled(DC) out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.(DD) 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud(DE) and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord.(DF) 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate(DG) and gracious God, slow to anger,(DH) abounding in love(DI) and faithfulness,(DJ) 7 maintaining love to thousands,(DK) and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.(DL) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;(DM) he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”(DN)

8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor(DO) in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us.(DP) Although this is a stiff-necked(DQ) people, forgive our wickedness and our sin,(DR) and take us as your inheritance.”(DS)

10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant(DT) with you. Before all your people I will do wonders(DU) never before done in any nation in all the world.(DV) The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command(DW) you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.(DX) 12 Be careful not to make a treaty(DY) with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare(DZ) among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[c](EA) 14 Do not worship any other god,(EB) for the Lord, whose name(EC) is Jealous, is a jealous God.(ED)

15 “Be careful not to make a treaty(EE) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute(EF) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.(EG) 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives(EH) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,(EI) they will lead your sons to do the same.

17 “Do not make any idols.(EJ)

18 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(EK) For seven days eat bread made without yeast,(EL) as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(EM) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

19 “The first offspring(EN) of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(EO) Redeem all your firstborn sons.(EP)

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(EQ)

21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest;(ER) even during the plowing season and harvest(ES) you must rest.

22 “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits(ET) of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering(EU) at the turn of the year.[d] 23 Three times(EV) a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations(EW) before you and enlarge your territory,(EX) and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God.

25 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast,(EY) and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.(EZ)

26 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(FA) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”(FB)

27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write(FC) down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant(FD) with you and with Israel.” 28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights(FE) without eating bread or drinking water.(FF) And he wrote on the tablets(FG) the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.(FH)

The Radiant Face of Moses

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai(FI) with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands,(FJ) he was not aware that his face was radiant(FK) because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community(FL) came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands(FM) the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil(FN) over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant.(FO) Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

Sabbath Regulations

35 Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded(FP) you to do: 2 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath(FQ) rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.(FR) 3 Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.(FS)”

Materials for the Tabernacle(FT)(FU)

4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather[e]; acacia wood; 8 olive oil(FV) for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

10 “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded:(FW) 11 the tabernacle(FX) with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the ark(FY) with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain(FZ) that shields it; 13 the table(GA) with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand(GB) that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; 15 the altar(GC) of incense with its poles, the anointing oil(GD) and the fragrant incense;(GE) the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;(GF) 16 the altar(GG) of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin(GH) with its stand; 17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;(GI) 18 the tent pegs(GJ) for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; 19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments(GK) for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

20 Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, 21 and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. 22 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn(GL) or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. 24 Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. 25 Every skilled woman(GM) spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. 26 And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. 27 The leaders(GN) brought onyx stones and other gems(GO) to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.(GP) 29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing(GQ) brought to the Lord freewill offerings(GR) for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.

Bezalel and Oholiab(GS)

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills(GT)— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab(GU) son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach(GV) others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work(GW) as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers. 36 1 So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person(GX) to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary(GY) are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.”

2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel(GZ) and Oholiab(HA) and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing(HB) to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings(HC) the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough(HD) for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.”

6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more(HE) than enough to do all the work.

The Tabernacle(HF)

8 All those who were skilled among the workers made the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by expert hands. 9 All the curtains were the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide.[f] 10 They joined five of the curtains together and did the same with the other five. 11 Then they made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and the same was done with the end curtain in the other set. 12 They also made fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. 13 Then they made fifty gold clasps and used them to fasten the two sets of curtains together so that the tabernacle was a unit.(HG)

14 They made curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. 15 All eleven curtains were the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.[g] 16 They joined five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another set. 17 Then they made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. 18 They made fifty bronze clasps to fasten the tent together as a unit.(HH) 19 Then they made for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.[h]

20 They made upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 21 Each frame was ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide,[i] 22 with two projections set parallel to each other. They made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 23 They made twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle 24 and made forty silver bases to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. 25 For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, they made twenty frames 26 and forty silver bases—two under each frame. 27 They made six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, 28 and two frames were made for the corners of the tabernacle at the far end. 29 At these two corners the frames were double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both were made alike. 30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.

31 They also made crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 32 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. 33 They made the center crossbar so that it extended from end to end at the middle of the frames. 34 They overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. They also overlaid the crossbars with gold.

35 They made the curtain(HI) of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. 36 They made four posts of acacia wood for it and overlaid them with gold. They made gold hooks for them and cast their four silver bases. 37 For the entrance to the tent they made a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer;(HJ) 38 and they made five posts with hooks for them. They overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with gold and made their five bases of bronze.

The Ark(HK)

37 Bezalel(HL) made the ark(HM) of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.[j] 2 He overlaid it with pure gold,(HN) both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

6 He made the atonement cover(HO) of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 7 Then he made two cherubim(HP) out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 8 He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. 9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing(HQ) the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover.(HR)

The Table(HS)

10 They[k] made the table(HT) of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.[l] 11 Then they overlaid it with pure gold(HU) and made a gold molding around it. 12 They also made around it a rim a handbreadth[m] wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 13 They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were. 14 The rings(HV) were put close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 15 The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold. 16 And they made from pure gold the articles for the table—its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings.

The Lampstand(HW)

17 They made the lampstand(HX) of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 18 Six branches extended from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 21 One bud was under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 22 The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.(HY)

23 They made its seven lamps,(HZ) as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. 24 They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent[n] of pure gold.

The Altar of Incense(IA)

25 They made the altar of incense(IB) out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high[o]—its horns(IC) of one piece with it. 26 They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. 27 They made two gold rings(ID) below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.(IE)

29 They also made the sacred anointing oil(IF) and the pure, fragrant incense(IG)—the work of a perfumer.

The Altar of Burnt Offering(IH)

38 They[p] built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits[q] high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.[r] 2 They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze.(II) 3 They made all its utensils(IJ) of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. 5 They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating. 6 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards.

The Basin for Washing

8 They made the bronze basin(IK) and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women(IL) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The Courtyard(IM)

9 Next they made the courtyard. The south side was a hundred cubits[s] long and had curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side was also a hundred cubits long and had twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12 The west end was fifty cubits[t] wide and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 13 The east end, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits wide. 14 Curtains fifteen cubits[u] long were on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long were on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, with three posts and three bases. 16 All the curtains around the courtyard were of finely twisted linen. 17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver; so all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.

18 The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. It was twenty cubits[v] long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits[w] high, 19 with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 20 All the tent pegs(IN) of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

The Materials Used

21 These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law,(IO) which were recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar(IP) son of Aaron, the priest. 22 (Bezalel(IQ) son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; 23 with him was Oholiab(IR) son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan—an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.) 24 The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary(IS) was 29 talents and 730 shekels,[x] according to the sanctuary shekel.(IT)

25 The silver obtained from those of the community who were counted in the census(IU) was 100 talents[y] and 1,775 shekels,[z] according to the sanctuary shekel— 26 one beka per person,(IV) that is, half a shekel,[aa] according to the sanctuary shekel,(IW) from everyone who had crossed over to those counted, twenty years old or more,(IX) a total of 603,550 men.(IY) 27 The 100 talents of silver were used to cast the bases(IZ) for the sanctuary and for the curtain—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent for each base. 28 They used the 1,775 shekels to make the hooks for the posts, to overlay the tops of the posts, and to make their bands.

29 The bronze from the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.[ab] 30 They used it to make the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grating and all its utensils, 31 the bases for the surrounding courtyard and those for its entrance and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and those for the surrounding courtyard.

The Priestly Garments

39 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn(JA) they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary.(JB) They also made sacred garments(JC) for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Ephod(JD)

2 They[ac] made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 3 They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. 4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 5 Its skillfully woven waistband was like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses.

6 They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 7 Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial(JE) stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece(JF)

8 They fashioned the breastpiece(JG)—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 9 It was square—a span[ad] long and a span wide—and folded double. 10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 11 the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 12 the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; 13 the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper.[ae] They were mounted in gold filigree settings. 14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.(JH)

15 For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. 17 They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 18 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 19 They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 20 Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 21 They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod—as the Lord commanded Moses.

Other Priestly Garments(JI)

22 They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth—the work of a weaver— 23 with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar,[af] and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. 24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 32:1 Or a god; also in verses 23 and 31
  2. Exodus 32:4 Or This is your god; also in verse 8
  3. Exodus 34:13 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
  4. Exodus 34:22 That is, in the autumn
  5. Exodus 35:7 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals; also in verse 23
  6. Exodus 36:9 That is, about 42 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 13 meters long and 1.8 meters wide
  7. Exodus 36:15 That is, about 45 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 14 meters long and 1.8 meters wide
  8. Exodus 36:19 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals (see 35:7)
  9. Exodus 36:21 That is, about 15 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide or about 4.5 meters long and 68 centimeters wide
  10. Exodus 37:1 That is, about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high or about 1.1 meters long and 68 centimeters wide and high; similarly in verse 6
  11. Exodus 37:10 Or He; also in verses 11-29
  12. Exodus 37:10 That is, about 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide and 2 1/4 feet high or about 90 centimeters long, 45 centimeters wide and 68 centimeters high
  13. Exodus 37:12 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  14. Exodus 37:24 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
  15. Exodus 37:25 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
  16. Exodus 38:1 Or He; also in verses 2-9
  17. Exodus 38:1 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters
  18. Exodus 38:1 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters long and wide
  19. Exodus 38:9 That is, about 150 feet or about 45 meters
  20. Exodus 38:12 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters
  21. Exodus 38:14 That is, about 22 feet or about 6.8 meters
  22. Exodus 38:18 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters
  23. Exodus 38:18 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters
  24. Exodus 38:24 The weight of the gold was a little over a ton or about 1 metric ton.
  25. Exodus 38:25 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons; also in verse 27
  26. Exodus 38:25 That is, about 44 pounds or about 20 kilograms; also in verse 28
  27. Exodus 38:26 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.7 grams
  28. Exodus 38:29 The weight of the bronze was about 2 1/2 tons or about 2.4 metric tons.
  29. Exodus 39:2 Or He; also in verses 7, 8 and 22
  30. Exodus 39:9 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  31. Exodus 39:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
  32. Exodus 39:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
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