Making the Ark

37 Bezalel(A) made the ark of acacia wood, forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.[a] He overlaid it with pure gold inside and out and made a gold molding all around it. He cast four gold rings for it, for its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark for carrying the ark.

He made a mercy seat of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.[b] He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat, one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At each end, he made a cherub of one piece with the mercy seat. They had wings spread out. They faced each other and covered the mercy seat with their wings. The faces of the cherubim were looking toward the mercy seat.

Making the Table

10 He(B) constructed the table of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.[c] 11 He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding all around it. 12 He made a three-inch[d] frame all around it and made a gold molding all around its frame. 13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 14 The rings were next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles for carrying the table from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 16 He also made the utensils that would be on the table out of pure gold: its plates and cups, as well as its bowls and pitchers for pouring drink offerings.

Making the Lampstand

17 Then(C) he made the lampstand out of pure hammered gold. He made it all of one piece: its base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its buds and petals. 18 Six branches extended from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from the other side. 19 There were three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a bud and petals, on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a bud and petals, on the next branch. It was this way for the six branches that extended from the lampstand. 20 There were four cups shaped like almond blossoms on the lampstand shaft along with its buds and petals. 21 For the six branches that extended from it, a bud was under the first pair of branches from it, a bud under the second pair of branches from it, and a bud under the third pair of branches from it. 22 Their buds and branches were of one piece with it. All of it was a single hammered piece of pure gold. 23 He also made its seven lamps, snuffers, and firepans of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils of seventy-five pounds[e] of pure gold.

Making the Altar of Incense

25 He(D) made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide; it was thirty-six inches high.[f] Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it, its top, all around its sides, and its horns with pure gold. Then he made a gold molding all around it. 27 He made two gold rings for it under the molding on two of its sides; he put these on opposite sides of it to be holders for the poles to carry it with. 28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant, and expertly blended incense.(E)

Footnotes

  1. 37:1 Lit two and a half cubits its length, one and a half cubits its width, and one and a half cubits its height
  2. 37:6 Lit two and a half cubits its length and one and a half cubits its width
  3. 37:10 Lit two cubits its length, one cubit its width, and one and a half cubits its height
  4. 37:12 Lit a handbreadth
  5. 37:24 Lit a talent
  6. 37:25 Lit a cubit its length, a cubit its width, and two cubits its height

Construction Continues

37 (A)Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was [a]two and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around. He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the [b]other side of it. And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry [c]it. He also made [d]an atoning cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits [e]long and one and a half cubits [f]wide. And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work [g]at the two ends of the atoning cover: one cherub [h]at the one end and one cherub [i]at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the atoning cover [j]at the two ends. And the cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the atoning cover.

10 (B)Then he made the table of acacia wood, [k]two cubits [l]long, a cubit [m]wide, and one and a half cubits [n]high. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding for it all around. 12 And he made a rim for it of a [o]hand width all around, and made a gold molding for its rim all around. 13 He also cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four legs. 14 Close by the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 He also made the utensils which were on the table, its dishes, its pans, its libation bowls, and its jars, with which to pour out drink offerings, of pure gold.

17 (C)Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its [p]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 [q]other side of it; 19 three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a [r]bulb and a flower on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a [s]bulb and a flower on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its [t]bulbs and its flowers; 21 and a [u]bulb was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a [v]bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a [w]bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 22 Their [x]bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold. 23 And he made its seven lamps with its tongs and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils from a [y]talent of pure gold.

25 (D)Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit [z]long and a cubit [aa]wide, square, and two cubits [ab]high; its horns were of one piece with it. 26 And he overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its [ac]sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around. 27 He also 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 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 29 (E)Then he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 37:1 About 3.7 ft. long and 2.2 ft. wide and high or about 1.1 m and 68 cm
  2. Exodus 37:3 Lit second
  3. Exodus 37:5 Lit the ark
  4. Exodus 37:6 Also called a mercy seat, and so throughout the ch; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
  5. Exodus 37:6 Lit its length
  6. Exodus 37:6 Lit its width
  7. Exodus 37:7 Lit from
  8. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  9. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  10. Exodus 37:8 Lit from
  11. Exodus 37:10 About 3 ft. long, 1.5 ft. wide, and 2.2 ft. high or about 90 cm, 45 cm, and 68 cm
  12. Exodus 37:10 Lit its length
  13. Exodus 37:10 Lit its width
  14. Exodus 37:10 Lit its height
  15. Exodus 37:12 About 3 in. or 7.5 cm
  16. Exodus 37:17 Or calyxes
  17. Exodus 37:18 Lit second
  18. Exodus 37:19 Or calyx
  19. Exodus 37:19 Or calyx
  20. Exodus 37:20 Or calyxes
  21. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  22. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  23. Exodus 37:21 Or calyx
  24. Exodus 37:22 Or calyxes
  25. Exodus 37:24 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
  26. Exodus 37:25 Lit its length
  27. Exodus 37:25 Lit its width
  28. Exodus 37:25 Lit its height
  29. Exodus 37:26 Lit walls