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Exodus 30
New International Version

The Altar of Incense(A)

30 “Make an altar(B) of acacia wood for burning incense.(C) 2 It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high[a]—its horns(D) of one piece with it. 3 Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.(E) 4 Make two gold rings(F) for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.(G) 6 Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover(H) that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you.

7 “Aaron must burn fragrant incense(I) on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.(J) 9 Do not offer on this altar any other incense(K) or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year(L) Aaron shall make atonement(M) on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering[b](N) for the generations to come.(O) It is most holy to the Lord.”

Atonement Money

11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census(P) of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom(Q) for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague(R) will come on them when you number them. 13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel,[c] according to the sanctuary shekel,(S) which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more,(T) are to give an offering to the Lord. 15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less(U) when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives. 16 Receive the atonement(V) money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting.(W) It will be a memorial(X) for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives.”

Basin for Washing

17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin,(Y) with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet(Z) with water(AA) from it. 20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die.(AB) Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance(AC) for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”(AD)

Anointing Oil

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the following fine spices:(AE) 500 shekels[d] of liquid myrrh,(AF) half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon,(AG) 250 shekels[e] of fragrant calamus,(AH) 24 500 shekels(AI) of cassia(AJ)—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin[f] of olive oil. 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer.(AK) It will be the sacred anointing oil.(AL) 26 Then use it to anoint(AM) the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them(AN) so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.(AO)

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate(AP) them so they may serve me as priests.(AQ) 31 Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil(AR) for the generations to come.(AS) 32 Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.(AT) 33 Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off(AU) from their people.’”

Incense

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices(AV)—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense,(AW) the work of a perfumer.(AX) It is to be salted and pure and sacred. 36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet(AY) with you. It shall be most holy(AZ) to you. 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy(BA) to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off(BB) from their people.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:2 That is, about 1 1/2 feet long and wide and 3 feet high or about 45 centimeters long and wide and 90 centimeters high
  2. Exodus 30:10 Or purification offering
  3. Exodus 30:13 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.8 grams; also in verse 15
  4. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 12 1/2 pounds or about 5.8 kilograms; also in verse 24
  5. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 6 1/4 pounds or about 2.9 kilograms
  6. Exodus 30:24 That is, probably about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters
Listen to Exodus 30
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Exodus 30
New American Standard Bible

The Altar of Incense

30 “Now you shall make (A)an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 Its length shall be [a]a cubit, and its width a cubit; it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be [b]of one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its [c]sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. 4 You shall also make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two sides—on [d]opposite sides—and [e]they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 You shall put [f]this altar in front of the veil that is [g]near the ark of the testimony, in front of the [h](B)atoning cover that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8 And when Aaron sets up the lamps at [i]twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer any [j]strange incense on [k]this altar, or burnt offering, or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10 However, Aaron shall (C)make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

11 The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “When you take (D)a [l]census of the sons of Israel [m]to count them, then each one of them shall give (E)a ransom for [n]himself to the Lord, when you [o]count them, so that there will be no plague among them when you [p]count them. 13 This is what everyone who [q]is counted shall give: half a [r]shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary ((F)the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a [s]contribution to the Lord. 14 Everyone who [t]is counted, from twenty years old and over, shall give the [u]contribution to the Lord. 15 The rich shall not pay more, and the poor shall not pay less, than the half shekel, when you give the [v]contribution to the Lord to make atonement for [w]yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and give it for the service of the tent of meeting, so that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for [x]yourselves.”

17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “You shall also make (G)a basin of [y]bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall (H)put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons shall (I)wash their hands and their feet from it; 20 when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they do not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they do not die; and (J)it shall be a permanent statute for them, for [z]Aaron and his [aa]descendants throughout their generations.”

The Anointing Oil

22 Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of liquid myrrh [ab]five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250, 24 and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a [ac]hin. 25 You shall make [ad]from these a holy anointing oil, a fragrant mixture of ointments, the work of a perfumer; it shall be (K)a holy anointing oil. 26 And (L)you shall anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall also consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 And (M)you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, so that they may serve as priests to Me. 31 Furthermore, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on [ae]anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in [af]the same proportions; (N)it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 (O)Whoever mixes any like it or whoever puts any of it on a [ag]layman [ah](P)shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum, spices and pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35 You shall make incense from it all, a skillful mixture, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall crush some of it very fine, and put part of it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting (Q)where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37 And the incense which you shall make, (R)you shall not make in [ai]the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. 38 (S)Whoever makes any like it, to [aj]use as perfume, [ak]shall be cut off from his people.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:2 About 1.5 ft. long and wide and 3 ft. high or 45 cm and 90 cm
  2. Exodus 30:2 Lit from itself
  3. Exodus 30:3 Lit walls
  4. Exodus 30:4 Lit its two
  5. Exodus 30:4 Lit it
  6. Exodus 30:6 Lit it
  7. Exodus 30:6 Lit upon; or over
  8. Exodus 30:6 Also called mercy seat; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
  9. Exodus 30:8 Lit between the two evenings
  10. Exodus 30:9 I.e., prohibited
  11. Exodus 30:9 Lit it
  12. Exodus 30:12 Lit sum
  13. Exodus 30:12 Lit for their being mustered
  14. Exodus 30:12 Lit his soul
  15. Exodus 30:12 Lit muster
  16. Exodus 30:12 Lit muster
  17. Exodus 30:13 Lit passes over to those who are mustered
  18. Exodus 30:13 A shekel was about 0.5 oz. or 14 gm
  19. Exodus 30:13 Or uplifted offering
  20. Exodus 30:14 See note 1 v 13
  21. Exodus 30:14 Or uplifted offering of the Lord
  22. Exodus 30:15 Or uplifted offering of the Lord
  23. Exodus 30:15 Lit your souls
  24. Exodus 30:16 Lit your souls
  25. Exodus 30:18 Or copper
  26. Exodus 30:21 Lit him
  27. Exodus 30:21 Lit seed
  28. Exodus 30:23 About 15.5 and 7.75 lb. or 7 and 3.5 kg
  29. Exodus 30:24 About 1 gallon or 3.8 liters
  30. Exodus 30:25 Lit it
  31. Exodus 30:32 Lit the flesh of mankind
  32. Exodus 30:32 Lit its proportion
  33. Exodus 30:33 Lit stranger
  34. Exodus 30:33 Lit even he shall
  35. Exodus 30:37 Lit its proportion
  36. Exodus 30:38 Lit smell of it
  37. Exodus 30:38 Lit even he shall
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Exodus 30
Names of God Bible

The Altar for Incense(A)

30 The Lord continued, “Build an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high. The horns and altar must be made out of one piece of wood. 3 Cover all of it with pure gold—the top, the sides, and the horns. Put a gold molding around it. 4 Make two gold rings, and put them below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles for carrying it. 5 Make the poles out of acacia wood, and cover them with gold. 6 Put the altar in front of the canopy which hangs over the ark containing the words of my promise. I will meet with you there in front of the throne of mercy that is on the ark.

7 “Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on this altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps. 8 Also, when Aaron lights the lamps at dusk, he must burn incense. For generations to come an incense offering must burn constantly in Yahweh’s presence.

9 “Never burn any unauthorized incense on this altar or any burnt offerings or grain offerings. Never pour a wine offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron must make peace with the Lord by putting blood on its horns. Once a year—for generations to come—blood from the offering must be placed on the altar to make peace with the Lord. It is most holy to Yahweh.”

Counting the Israelites

11 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites, each person must pay Yahweh a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will happen to them when they are counted. 13 As each person is counted, he must give one-fifth of an ounce of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.[a] This one-fifth of an ounce of silver is a contribution to Yahweh. 14 Everyone counted who is at least 20 years old must give this contribution to Yahweh. 15 The rich must not give more than one-fifth of an ounce of silver, and the poor must not give less. This contribution is given to make peace with the Lord and make your lives acceptable to Yahweh. 16 Take the money the Israelites give to make peace with the Lord, and use it to pay the expenses of the tent of meeting. It will be a reminder for the Israelites in Yahweh’s presence that the sins in their lives are removed.”

The Bronze Basin(B)

17 Yahweh said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and fill it with water. 19 Aaron and his sons will use it for washing their hands and feet. 20 Before they go into the tent of meeting, they must wash so that they will not die. Before they come near the altar to serve as priests and burn an offering by fire to Yahweh, 21 they will wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This will be a permanent law for him and his descendants for generations to come.”

The Oil for Anointing

22 Yahweh said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: 12½ pounds of powdered[b] myrrh; half as much, that is, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cinnamon; 6¼ pounds of fragrant cane; 24 12½ pounds of cassia—all weighed using the standard weight of the holy place—and 4 quarts of olive oil. 25 Have a perfumer make these into a holy oil, a fragrant mixture, used only for anointing. This will be the holy oil used for anointing.

26 “Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise, 27 the table and all the dishes, the lamp stand and all the utensils, the altar for incense, 28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, and the basin with its stand. 29 In this way you will dedicate them for their holy purpose. Then they will be most holy, and anything that touches them will become holy. 30 Anoint Aaron and his sons as well. In this way you will set them apart for their holy duties of serving me as priests.

31 “Say to the Israelites, ‘For generations to come, this will be my holy oil used only for anointing. 32 It must never be poured on the bodies of other people. Never make any perfumed oil using this formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. 33 Whoever prepares a perfume like this or puts it on anyone who is not a priest must be excluded from the people.’”

The Incense for Use in the Tent

34 Yahweh said to Moses, “Take one part fragrant spices (two kinds of gum resin and aromatic mollusk shells), and mix them with one part pure frankincense. 35 Have a perfumer make it into fragrant incense, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 Grind some of it into a fine powder, and put it in front of the ark containing the words of my promise in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You must treat it as most holy. 37 Never make any incense for yourselves using this formula. Treat it as holy to Yahweh. 38 Whoever prepares anything like it for his own enjoyment must be excluded from his people.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:13 Hebrew adds, “There are 20 gerahs to the standard shekel.”
  2. Exodus 30:23 Or “liquid.”
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