Materials for the Tabernacle^(A)(B)

⁴ Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ⁵ From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; ⁶ blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ⁷ ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather^[a]; acacia wood; ⁸ olive oil^(C) for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁹ and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

¹⁰ “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded:^{(D) 11} the tabernacle^(E) with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; ¹² the ark^(F) with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain^(G) that shields it; ¹³ the table^(H) with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; ¹⁴ the lampstand^(I) that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; ¹⁵ the altar^(J) of incense with its poles, the anointing oil^(K) and the fragrant incense;^(L) the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;^{(M) 16} the altar^(N) of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin^(O) with its stand; ¹⁷ the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;^{(P) 18} the tent pegs^(Q) for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; ¹⁹ the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments^(R) for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

²⁰ Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, ²¹ and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. ²² All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. ²³ Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn^(S) or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. ²⁴ Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. ²⁵ Every skilled woman^(T) spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. ²⁶ And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. ²⁷ The leaders^(U) brought onyx stones and other gems^(V) to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. ²⁸ They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.^{(W) 29} All the Israelite men and women who were willing^(X) brought to the Lord freewill offerings^(Y) for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.

Artaxerxes Sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem

2 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,^(A) when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, ² so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, ³ but I said to the king, “May the king live forever!^(B) Why should my face not look sad when the city^(C) where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?^(D)”

⁴ The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵ and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

⁶ Then the king^(E), with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

⁷ I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates,^(F) so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? ⁸ And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel^(G) by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me,^(H) the king granted my requests.^{(I) 9} So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry^(J) with me.

⁶ this Ezra^(A) came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted^(B) him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.^(C)