Offerings to Build the Tabernacle

25 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me. You are to take my offering from everyone who is willing to give.^{(A) 3} This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; ⁵ ram skins dyed red^(B) and fine leather;^[a] acacia wood; ⁶ oil^(C) for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁷ and onyx^[b] along with other gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breastpiece.^[c](D)

⁸ “They are to make a sanctuary^(E) for me so that I may dwell^(F) among them. ⁹ You must make it according to all that I show you—the pattern^(G) of the tabernacle as well as the pattern of all its furnishings.

The Ark

¹⁰ “They are to make an ark^(H) of acacia wood, forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.^{[d] 11} Overlay it with pure gold; overlay it both inside and out. Also make a gold molding all around it. ¹² Cast four gold rings for it and place them on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. ¹³ Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. ¹⁶ Put the tablets of^[e] the testimony that I will give you into the ark.^{(I) 17} Make a mercy seat^(J) of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.^{[f] 18} Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat. ²⁰ The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering^(K) the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat. ²¹ Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark.^{(L) 22} I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim^(M) that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.

³¹ “You are to make a curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen with a design of cherubim worked into it.^{(A) 32} Hang it on four gold-plated pillars of acacia wood that have gold hooks and that stand on four silver bases. ³³ Hang the curtain under the clasps^[a] and bring the ark of the testimony there behind the curtain, so the curtain will make a separation for you between the holy place^(B) and the most holy place. ³⁴ Put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.^{(C) 35} Place the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table; put the table on the north side.^(D)

³¹ Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet from it. ³² They washed whenever they came to the tent of meeting and approached the altar, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³³ Next Moses set up the surrounding courtyard for the tabernacle and the altar and hung a screen for the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.^(A)

The Lord’s Glory

³⁴ The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.^{(B) 35} Moses was unable to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud rested on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³⁶ The Israelites set out whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle throughout all the stages of their journey.^{(C) 37} If the cloud was not taken up, they did not set out until the day it was taken up.^{(D) 38} For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the cloud by night, visible to the entire house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey.

³³ They set out from the mountain of the Lord on a three-day journey with the ark of the Lord’s covenant traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them.^{(A) 34} Meanwhile, the cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

³⁵ Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say:

³⁶ When it came to rest, he would say:

A Heavenly Priesthood

8 Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,^{(A) 2} a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man.^{(B) 3} For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts^(C) and sacrifices; therefore, it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. ⁴ Now if he were on earth, he wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those^[a] offering the gifts prescribed by the law. ⁵ These serve as a copy and shadow^(D) of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.^[b](E)