Exodus 30
New King James Version
The Altar of Incense(A)
30 “You shall make (B)an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width—it shall be square—and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a [a]molding of gold all around. 4 Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it before the (C)veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the (D)mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.
7 “Aaron shall burn on it (E)sweet incense every morning; when (F)he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8 And when Aaron lights the lamps [b]at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer (G)strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. 10 And (H)Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
The Ransom Money
11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 (I)“When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give (J)a[c] ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no (K)plague among them when you number them. 13 (L)This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (M)(a shekel is twenty gerahs). (N)The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an [d]offering to the Lord. 15 The (O)rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and (P)shall [e]appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be (Q)a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”
The Bronze Laver
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 18 (R)“You shall also make a [f]laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall (S)put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons (T)shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And (U)it shall be a [g]statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”
The Holy Anointing Oil(V)
22 Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Also take for yourself (W)quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid (X)myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling (Y)cane, 24 five hundred shekels of (Z)cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a (AA)hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be (AB)a holy anointing oil. 26 (AC)With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; (AD)whatever touches them must be holy. 30 (AE)And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests.
31 “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. (AF)It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 (AG)Whoever [h]compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, (AH)shall be [i]cut off from his people.’ ”
The Incense(AI)
34 And the Lord said to Moses: (AJ)“Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound (AK)according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting (AL)where I will meet with you. (AM)It shall be most holy to you. 37 But as for the incense which you shall make, (AN)you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its [j]composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. 38 (AO)Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 30:3 border
- Exodus 30:8 Lit. between the two evenings
- Exodus 30:12 the price of a life
- Exodus 30:14 contribution
- Exodus 30:16 give
- Exodus 30:18 basin
- Exodus 30:21 requirement
- Exodus 30:33 mixes
- Exodus 30:33 Put to death
- Exodus 30:37 Lit. proportion
Exodus 30
English Standard Version
The Altar of Incense
30 (A)“You shall make (B)an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit[a] shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. (C)Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 You shall (D)overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. 4 And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be (E)holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the (F)mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron shall (G)burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he (H)dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer (I)unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 (J)Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the (K)sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
The Census Tax
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 (L)“When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give (M)a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel[b] according to the (N)shekel of the sanctuary (the (O)shekel is twenty gerahs),[c] (P)half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than (Q)the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall (R)give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to (S)remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”
The Bronze Basin
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a (T)basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. (U)You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons (V)shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering[d] to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall (W)be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
The Anointing Oil and Incense
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the (X)finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of (Y)aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a (Z)hin[e] of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the (AA)perfumer; it shall be a (AB)holy anointing oil. 26 (AC)With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting 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 with all its utensils and the (AD)basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. (AE)Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 (AF)You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. (AG)It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 (AH)Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
34 The Lord said to Moses, (AI)“Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), 35 and make an (AJ)incense blended as by the (AK)perfumer, (AL)seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting (AM)where I shall meet with you. (AN)It shall be most holy for you. 37 And the incense that you shall make (AO)according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. 38 (AP)Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 30:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- Exodus 30:13 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- Exodus 30:13 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram
- Exodus 30:20 Or an offering by fire
- Exodus 30:24 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters
Exodus 30
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
30 And you shall make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia wood you shall make it.
2 A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its breadth; its top shall be square and it shall be two cubits high. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.
3 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides round about and its horns, and you shall make a crown (a rim or molding) of gold around it.
4 You shall make two golden rings under the rim of it, on the two ribs on the two opposite sides of it; and they shall be holders for the poles with which to carry it.
5 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, overlaid with gold.
6 You shall put the altar [of incense] in front and outside of the veil that screens the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony (the Law, the tables of stone), where I will meet with you.
7 And Aaron shall burn on it incense of sweet spices; every morning when he trims and fills the lamps he shall burn it.(A)
8 And when Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.
9 You shall offer no unholy incense on the altar nor burnt sacrifice nor cereal offering; and you shall pour no libation (drink offering) on it.
10 Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once a year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atonement upon and for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.
11 And the Lord said to Moses,
12 When you take the census of the Israelites, every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord when you number them, that no plague may fall upon them when you number them.(B)
13 This is what everyone shall give as he joins those already numbered: a half shekel, in terms of the sanctuary shekel, a shekel being twenty gerahs; a half shekel as an offering to the Lord.
14 Everyone from twenty years old and upward, as he joins those already numbered, shall give this offering to the Lord.(C)
15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when [you] give this offering to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves.
16 And you shall take the atonement money of the Israelites and use it [exclusively] for the service of the Tent of Meeting, that it may bring the Israelites to remembrance before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.
17 And the Lord said to Moses,
18 You shall also make a laver or large basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it [outside in the court] between the Tent of Meeting and the altar [of burnt offering], and you shall put water in it;
19 There Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.(D)
20 When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord,(E)
21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die; it shall be a perpetual statute for [Aaron] and his descendants throughout their generations.
22 Moreover, the Lord said to Moses,
23 Take the best spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, of sweet-scented cinnamon half as much, 250 shekels, of fragrant calamus 250 shekels,
24 And of cassia 500 shekels, in terms of the sanctuary shekel, and of olive oil a hin.
25 And you shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer; it shall be a sacred anointing oil.
26 And you shall anoint the Tent of Meeting with it, and the ark of the Testimony,
27 And the [showbread] table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,
28 And the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver [for cleansing] and its base.
29 You shall sanctify (separate) them, that they may be most holy; whoever and whatever touches them must be holy (set apart to God).
30 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons and sanctify (separate) them, that they may minister to Me as priests.
31 And say to the Israelites, This is a holy anointing oil [symbol of the Holy Spirit], sacred to Me alone throughout your generations.(F)
32 It shall not be poured upon a layman’s body, nor shall you make any other like it in composition; it is holy, and you shall hold it sacred.
33 Whoever compounds any like it or puts any of it upon an outsider shall be cut off from his people.
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, Take sweet spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense, an equal amount of each—
35 And make of them incense, a perfume after the perfumer’s art, seasoned with salt and mixed, pure and sacred.
36 You shall beat some of it very small and put some of it before the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you; it shall be to you most holy.
37 And the incense which you shall make according to its composition you shall not make for yourselves; it shall be to you holy to the Lord.
38 Whoever makes any like it for perfume shall be cut off from his people.
Exodus 30
New Life Version
The Altar for Special Perfume
30 “Make an altar for burning special perfume. Make it of acacia wood. 2 It will be as long and as wide as a man’s arm and as high as a man’s waist. Its horns will be of one piece with it. 3 Cover its top, all its sides and its horns with pure gold. And make a piece of gold to go around it. 4 Then make two gold rings for the altar to put under this piece. Put one on each side of the altar so it can hold the long pieces of wood used for carrying it. 5 Make the long pieces of acacia wood and cover them with gold. 6 Put this altar in front of the curtain that is by the box of the Law, in front of the mercy-seat that is over the box of the Law. There I will meet with you. 7 Aaron will burn special perfume on it every morning when he takes care of the lamps. 8 And when Aaron takes care of the lamps in the evening, he will burn special perfume. There will be a burning of special perfume before the Lord for all your people for all time. 9 Do not give upon this altar any perfume, burnt gift or grain gift that is not holy. And do not pour out a drink gift on it. 10 Once a year Aaron will give a gift for sin on its horns to take away sin. He will give the blood of the sin gift to make it holy once a year for all your people for all time. It is most holy to the Lord.”
Tax for the Meeting Tent
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you number the people of Israel, each one of them will pay a price for his life to the Lord. Then no trouble will come upon them when you number them. 13 Every one who is numbered will give one piece of silver, by the weight decided upon for the holy place. One piece of silver will be a gift to the Lord. 14 Every one who is numbered, twenty years old and older, will give the gift to the Lord. 15 The rich will not pay more and the poor will not pay less than one piece of silver. It will be a gift to the Lord so you will be forgiven of sin. 16 Receive this money from the people of Israel and use it for the work of the meeting tent. Then it will be remembered before the Lord that the people of Israel gave a gift to take away their sin of being numbered.”
The Pot of Brass for Washing
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a pot of brass for washing. Make its base of brass also. Put it between the meeting tent and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet with water from it. 20 When they go into the meeting tent, they will wash with water, so they will not die. And they will wash when they go near the altar to give a gift made by fire to the Lord. 21 They will wash their hands and their feet, so they will not die. It will always be a law for Aaron and his children forever.”
The Holy Oil for Pouring
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the best spices: a heavy weight of flowing myrrh, half that weight of sweet-smelling cinnamon and of sweet-smelling cane, 24 and a heavy weight of cassia, the weight decided upon by the holy place, and a large jar of olive oil. 25 Mix these to make a holy oil for holy use, mixed like perfume made by an able workman. It will be a holy oil for holy use. 26 Pour it on the meeting tent and the box of the Law, 27 the table and all its objects, the lamp-stand and all its objects, the altar of special perfume, 28 the altar of burnt gifts and all its objects, and the washing pot and its base. 29 Set them apart so they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy. 30 Pour oil on Aaron and his sons. Set them apart so they may serve as religious leaders for Me. 31 Say to the people of Israel, ‘This will be a holy oil to Me for all your people for all time. 32 It will not be poured on the flesh of man. And you will not mix any like it. It is holy. It will be holy to you. 33 Whoever mixes any like it, or puts any of it on a man who is not a religious leader, will be cut off from his people.’”
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense. Take the same amount of each. 35 Mix them to make a special perfume, salted, pure and holy, the work of an able workman. 36 Beat some of it very fine. And put some of it in front of the special box of the agreement in the meeting tent, where I will meet with you. It will be most holy to you. 37 Do not mix this special perfume in the same way for yourselves. It will be holy for you to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume will be cut off from his people.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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