Exodus 29:31-30:16

The Voice

Eternal One: ³¹ Take the meat of the ordination ram and boil it in a sacred place. ³² Aaron and his sons are to eat it and the bread from the basket at the entrance to the congregation tent. ³³ Only they are allowed to eat the bread and meat which was part of their purification rite in the ordination ceremony. An outsider may not eat them because they are holy. ³⁴ If any meat or bread is left over from the ordination ceremony the next morning, burn it completely. No one is allowed to eat it, for it is holy.

³⁵ The ordination period is to last for seven days. Here is what you must do to ordain Aaron and his sons to My priestly service. ³⁶ Offer a bull as an offering every day for seven days to purify them from sin. Cleanse the altar and consecrate it by anointing it with oil. ³⁷ For seven days you must purify the altar and consecrate it. As a result of these rituals it will be most holy and anything that touches the altar will become holy.

³⁸ Here are the sacrifices you are to offer on the altar: every day offer two one-year-old lambs. ³⁹ Offer one lamb in the morning, and the other at twilight. ⁴⁰ With the lamb offered in the morning bring two quarts of fine flour mixed together with one quart of beaten olive oil, and one quart of wine for the drink offering. ⁴¹ With the second lamb offered at twilight, bring the same gifts of grain and drink that you offered with the morning lamb. These offerings by fire presented to Me will give off a pleasing aroma. ⁴² From generation to generation, the ritual of the burnt offering is to begin daily at the entrance of the congregation tent in My presence. I will meet with you and talk with you there. ⁴³ I will meet with My people Israel there, for My glory will make that place sacred. ⁴⁴ I will sanctify the congregation tent and the altar. I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve as My priests. ⁴⁵ I will live among the Israelites and be their God. ⁴⁶ And they will know that I am the Eternal their God, who led them out of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Eternal One their God.

30 Eternal One: Make an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense ² in the shape of a square—18 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 36 inches high. Carve the horns and the top of the altar out of one piece of wood. ³ Overlay the top, sides, and horns with pure gold, and attach gold trim around its edges. ⁴ Fashion two gold rings, and attach them beneath the trim on the two opposite sides; the rings are to hold the poles so that the altar can be carried. ⁵ Make the poles out of acacia wood as well and overlay them with gold. ⁶ Place this altar just outside of the veil that conceals the covenant chest and the seat of mercy that sits on top of the covenant chest. I will meet with you there.

⁷ Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he trims the lamps’ wicks ⁸ and every evening when he lights the lamps. Incense must be burned in My presence throughout all your generations. ⁹ Do not burn any strange incense, burnt offerings, or grain offerings at this altar. Also, do not pour out any drink offerings on it. ¹⁰ Since this altar is sacred to Me, Aaron is to cleanse it once each year by smearing blood from the sin offering on its horns. Throughout all your generations, the high priests are to perform this ritual.

Eternal One (to Moses): ¹² When you take a census of the population of Israel, each person should pay a ransom to Me so that no disease will spread among them when you count them. ¹³ Everyone who is counted must bring ⅕ ounce of silver—a weight based on the sanctuary’s measure, where ⅖ ounce equals 20 gerahs^[a]—and it is to be given to Me as an offering. ¹⁴ Everyone who is 20 years old and older will be counted and must give this offering to Me. ¹⁵ The rich will not pay more, and the poor will not pay less than ⅕ of an ounce. This money will go to Me in order to ransom your lives. ¹⁶ Take all the money collected from the people of Israel and use it to provide for the service of the congregation tent. This will serve as a constant reminder of My covenant with Israel and provide a way to atone for your lives.