Exodus 30
Complete Jewish Bible
30 (vii) “You are to make an altar on which to burn incense; make it of acacia-wood. 2 It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet high; its horns are to be of one piece with it. 3 Overlay it with pure gold — its top, all around its sides, and its horns; and put around it a molding of gold. 4 Make two gold rings for it under its molding at the two corners on both sides; this is where the carrying-poles will go. 5 Make the poles of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold.
6 “Place it in front of the curtain by the ark for the testimony, in front of the ark-cover that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 Aharon will burn fragrant incense on it as a pleasing aroma every morning; he is to burn it when he prepares the lamps. (Maftir) 8 Aharon is also to burn it when he lights the lamps at dusk; this is the regular burning of incense before Adonai through all your generations. 9 You are not to offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering or a grain offering; and you are not to pour a drink offering on it. 10 Aharon is to make atonement on its horns once a year — with the blood of the sin offering of atonement he is to make atonement for it once a year through all your generations; it is especially holy to Adonai.”
Haftarah Tetzaveh: Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 43:10–27
B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Tetzaveh: Philippians 4:10–20
Parashah 21: Ki Tissa (When you take) 30:11–34:35
11 Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “When you take a census of the people of Isra’el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. 13 Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). 14 Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai — 15 the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai’s offering to atone for your lives. 16 You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra’el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra’el before Adonai to atone for your lives.”
17 Adonai said to Moshe, 18 “You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there 20 when they enter the tent of meeting — they are to wash with water, so that they won’t die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for Adonai, 21 they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won’t die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations.”
22 Adonai said to Moshe, 23 “Take the best spices — 500 shekels of myrrh [12 1/2 pounds], half this amount (250 shekels) of aromatic cinnamon [6 1/4 pounds], 250 shekels of aromatic cane, 24 500 shekels of cassia (use the sanctuary standard), and one gallon of olive oil — 25 and make them into a holy anointing oil; blend it and perfume it as would an expert perfume-maker; it will be a holy anointing oil. 26 Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, 27 the table and all its utensils, the menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, 28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin with its base. 29 You are to consecrate them — they will be especially holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. 30 Then you are to anoint Aharon and his sons — you are to consecrate them to serve me in the office of cohen.
31 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil for me through all your generations. 32 It is not to be used for anointing a person’s body; and you are not to make any like it, with the same composition of ingredients — it is holy, and you are to treat it as holy. 33 Whoever makes any like it or uses it on any unauthorized person is to be cut off from his people.’”
34 Adonai said to Moshe, “Take aromatic plant substances — balsam resin, sweet onycha root and bitter galbanum gum — these spices along with frankincense, all in equal quantities; 35 and make incense, blended and perfumed as would an expert perfume-maker, salted, pure and holy. 36 You are to grind up some of it very finely and put it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; you are to regard it as especially holy. 37 You are not to make for your own use any incense like it, with the same composition of ingredients — you are to treat it as holy, for Adonai. 38 Whoever makes up any like it to use as perfume is to be cut off from his people.”
Shemot 30
Orthodox Jewish Bible
30 And thou shalt make a Mizbe’ach to burn ketonet (incense) upon; of acacia wood shalt thou make it.
2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the width thereof; ravu’a (foursquare, square) shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof; the karnenot thereof shall be of the same.
3 And thou shalt overlay it with zahav tahor, the top thereof, and the sides thereof all around, and the karnenot thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of zahav all around.
4 And two tabe’ot zahav (golden rings) shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the carrying poles to bear it withal.
5 And thou shalt make the carrying poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with zahav.
6 And thou shalt put it in front of the Parochet that is before the Aron HaEdut, before the Kapporet that is over HaEdut, where I will set My meetings with thee.
7 And Aharon shall burn thereon spice ketoret every boker; when he cleaneth the nerot (lamps), he shall burn it.
8 And when Aharon lighteth the nerot (lamps) in the afternoon, he shall burn ketoret upon it, ketoret tamid before Hashem throughout your dorot.
9 Ye shall offer no ketoret zarah thereon, nor olah, nor minchah; neither shall ye pour nesekh thereon.
10 And Aharon shall make kapporah upon the karenot of it once in a year with the dahm of the chattat hakippurim; once in the year shall he make kapporah upon it throughout your dorot; it is kodesh kodashim unto Hashem [see Lev 16 on this].
[KI TISSA]
11 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
12 When thou takest the census of the Bnei Yisroel after their number, then shall they give every man a kofer nafsho (life price, atoning payment for his nefesh or soul) unto Hashem, when thou numberest them; that there be no negef (plague) among them, when thou numberest them.
13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are pekudim (numbered, counted), half a shekel after the shekel of HaKodesh. (A shekel is twenty gerahs.) A half shekel shall be the terumah (offering) unto Hashem.
14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give a terumah (offering) unto Hashem.
15 The oisher (rich man) shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give a terumah (offering) unto Hashem, to make kapporah for your nefashot.
16 And thou shalt take the kesef hakippurim of the Bnei Yisroel, and shalt appoint it for the Avodat Ohel Mo’ed (Work, Service of the Tent of Appointed Meeting); that it may be a zikaron unto the Bnei Yisroel before Hashem, to make kapporah for your nefashot [see Psalm 49; 1K 1:18-19 OJBC].
17 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
18 Thou shalt also make a Kiyor of nechoshet, and its Stand also of nechoshet, to wash withal; and thou shalt place it between the Ohel Mo’ed and the Mizbe’ach, and thou shalt put mayim therein.
19 For Aharon and his banim shall wash their hands and their feet thereat;
20 When they go into the Ohel Mo’ed, they shall wash with mayim, that they die not; or when they come near to the Mizbe’ach to minister, to present offering made by eish unto Hashem;
21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not; and it shall be a chok olam to them, even to him and to his zera throughout their dorot.
22 Moreover Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
23 Take thou also unto thee choice spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekel-weights, and of fragrant cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane spice two hundred and fifty,
24 And of cassia five hundred shekel-weights, after the shekel of HaKodesh, and of shemen zayit (oil olive) a hin:
25 And thou shalt make it a shemen mishchah kodesh, an ointment of blended compound, the art of the perfumer; it shall be a shemen mishchah kodesh.
26 And thou shalt anoint the Ohel Mo’ed therewith, and the Aron HaEdut,
27 And the Shulchan and all its utensils, the Menorah and its utensils, and the Mizbe’ach HaKetoret,
28 And the Mizbe’ach HaOlah with all its utensils, and the Kiyor and its Stand.
29 And thou shalt set them apart as kodesh, that they may be kodesh kodashim; whatsoever toucheth them shall be kodesh.
30 And thou shalt anoint Aharon and his banim, and set them apart as kodesh, that they may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.
31 And thou shalt speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, saying, This shall be a shemen mishchat kodesh unto Me throughout your dorot.
32 Upon the basar adam shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the formulation of it; it is kodesh, and it shall be kodesh unto you.
33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a zar, shall even be cut off from his people.
34 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Take unto thee spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these spices with pure frankincense; of each shall there be an equal weight;
35 And thou shalt make it a compound of spice, the art of a perfumer, mixed thoroughly together, tahor and kodesh;
36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and place it in front of HaEdut in the Ohel Mo’ed, where I will set a meeting with thee; it shall be unto you kodesh kodashim.
37 And as for the ketoret which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the formulation thereof; it shall be unto thee kodesh for Hashem.
38 Whosoever shall make its like, to smell it, shall even be cut off from his people.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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