Gifts for the Lord

25 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to bring me gifts. Receive for me the gifts each person wants to give. ³ These are the gifts that you should receive from them: gold, silver, bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and red thread; fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ sheepskins that are dyed red; fine leather; acacia wood; ⁶ olive oil to burn in the lamps; spices for sweet-smelling incense, and the special olive oil poured on a person’s head to make him a priest; ⁷ onyx stones, and other jewels to be put on the holy vest and the chest covering.

⁸ “The people must build a holy place for me so that I can live among them. ⁹ Build this Holy Tent and everything in it by the plan I will show you.

The Ark of the Agreement

¹⁰ “Use acacia wood and build an Ark forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ¹¹ Cover the Ark inside and out with pure gold, and put a gold strip all around it. ¹² Make four gold rings for the Ark and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. ¹³ Then make poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. ¹⁴ Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the Ark, and use these poles to carry it. ¹⁵ These poles must always stay in the rings of the Ark. Do not take them out. ¹⁶ Then put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you.

¹⁷ “Then make a lid of pure gold for the Ark; this is the mercy seat. Make it forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide. ¹⁸ Then hammer gold to make two creatures with wings, and put one on each end of the lid. ¹⁹ Attach one creature on one end of the lid and the other creature on the other end. Make them to be one piece with the lid at the ends. ²⁰ The creatures’ wings should be spread upward, covering the lid, and the creatures are to face each other across the lid. ²¹ Put this lid on top of the Ark, and put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you. ²² I will meet with you there, above the lid between the two winged creatures on the Ark of the Agreement. There I will give you all my commands for the Israelites.

The Table

²³ “Make a table out of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ²⁴ Cover it with pure gold, and put a gold strip around it. ²⁵ Make a frame three inches high that stands up all around the edge, and put a gold strip around it. ²⁶ Then make four gold rings. Attach them to the four corners of the table where the four legs are. ²⁷ Put the rings close to the frame around the top of the table, because they will hold the poles for carrying it. ²⁸ Make the poles out of acacia wood, cover them with gold, and carry the table with these poles. ²⁹ Make the plates and bowls for the table, as well as the jars and cups, out of pure gold. They will be used for pouring out the drink offerings. ³⁰ On this table put the bread that shows you are in my presence so that it is always there in front of me.

The Lampstand

³¹ “Hammer pure gold to make a lampstand. Its base, stand, flower-like cups, buds, and petals must all be joined together in one piece. ³² The lampstand must have six branches going out from its sides—three on one side and three on the other. ³³ Each branch must have three cups shaped like almond flowers on it. Each cup must have a bud and a petal. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand must be the same. ³⁴ And there must be four more cups made like almond flowers on the lampstand itself. These cups must also have buds and petals. ³⁵ Put a bud under each pair of branches that goes out from the lampstand. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand must be the same. ³⁶ The branches, buds, and lampstand must be made of one piece, hammered out of pure gold.

³⁷ “Then make seven small oil lamps and put them on the lampstand so that they give light to the area in front of it. ³⁸ The wick trimmers and trays must be made of pure gold. ³⁹ Use seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and everything with it. ⁴⁰ Be very careful to make them by the plan I showed you on the mountain.