Exodus 30:1-16

New Living Translation

Plans for the Incense Altar

30 “Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense. ² Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high,^[a] with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself. ³ Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar. ⁴ Make two gold rings, and attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying poles. ⁵ Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant,^[b] in front of the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.^[c] I will meet with you there.

⁷ “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar. ⁸ And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the Lord’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation. ⁹ Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.

¹⁰ “Once a year Aaron must purify^[d] the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord’s most holy altar.”

Money for the Tabernacle

¹¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹² “Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the Lord. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them. ¹³ Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the Lord. (This payment is half a shekel,^[e] based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.) ¹⁴ All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ When this offering is given to the Lord to purify your lives, making you right with him,^[f] the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give less. ¹⁶ Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the Tabernacle.^[g] It will bring the Israelites to the Lord’s attention, and it will purify your lives.”