36 “Bezalel and Oholiab, along with everyone whom God has given the skill and know-how for making everything involved in the worship of the Sanctuary as commanded by God, are to start to work.”

2-3 Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab along with all whom God had gifted with the ability to work skillfully with their hands. The men were eager to get started and engage in the work. They took from Moses all the offerings that the Israelites had brought for the work of constructing the Sanctuary. The people kept on bringing in their freewill offerings, morning after morning.

4-5 All the artisans who were at work making everything involved in constructing the Sanctuary came, one after another, to Moses, saying, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing this work that God has commanded us to do!”

6-7 So Moses sent out orders through the camp: “Men! Women! No more offerings for the building of the Sanctuary!”

The people were ordered to stop bringing offerings! There was plenty of material for all the work to be done. Enough and more than enough.

The Tapestries

8-13 Then all the skilled artisans on The Dwelling made ten tapestries of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet fabric with an angel-cherubim design worked into the material. Each panel of tapestry was forty-six feet long and six feet wide. Five of the panels were joined together, and then the other five. Loops of blue were made along the edge of the outside panel of the first set, and the same on the outside panel of the second set. They made fifty loops on each panel, with the loops opposite each other. Then they made fifty gold clasps and joined the tapestries together so that The Dwelling was one whole.

14-19 Next they made tapestries of woven goat hair for a tent that would cover The Dwelling. They made eleven panels of these tapestries. The length of each panel was forty-five feet long and six feet wide. They joined five of the panels together, and then the other six, by making fifty loops along the edge of the end panel and fifty loops along the edge of the joining panel, then making fifty clasps of bronze, connecting the clasps to the loops, bringing the tent together. They finished it off by covering the tapestries with tanned rams’ skins dyed red, and covered that with dolphin skins.

The Framing

20-30 They framed The Dwelling with vertical planks of acacia wood, each section of frame fifteen feet long and two and a quarter feet wide, with two pegs for securing them. They made all the frames identical: twenty frames for the south side, with forty silver sockets to receive the two tenons from each of the twenty frames; they repeated that construction on the north side of The Dwelling. For the rear of The Dwelling facing west, they made six frames, with two additional frames for the rear corners. Both of the two corner frames were double in thickness from top to bottom and fit into a single ring—eight frames altogether with sixteen sockets of silver, two under each frame.

31-34 They made crossbars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of The Dwelling, five for the other side, and five for the back side facing west. The center crossbar ran from end to end halfway up the frames. They covered the frames with a veneer of gold, made gold rings to hold the crossbars, and covered the crossbars with a veneer of gold.

35-36 They made the curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. They wove a design of angel-cherubim into it. They made four posts of acacia wood, covered them with a veneer of gold, and cast four silver bases for them.

37-38 They made a screen for the door of the tent, woven from blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen with embroidery. They framed the weaving with five poles of acacia wood covered with a veneer of gold, and made gold hooks to hang the weaving and five bronze bases for the poles.

36 “Now Bezalel and Oholiab and every person [a]wise at heart, to whom Yahweh has given [b]wisdom and discernment to know how to do all the work of the service of constructing the sanctuary, shall do in accordance with all that Yahweh has commanded.”

Making the Tabernacle

Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every person [c]wise at heart to whom Yahweh had given [d]wisdom, (A)everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to do it. And they received from Moses the entire [e]contribution which the sons of Israel had brought [f]to do the work in the service of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. And all the [g]wise men who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from [h]the work which [i]he was doing, and they said to [j]Moses, “(B)The people are bringing much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded us to [k]do.” So Moses commanded and a [l]proclamation was passed throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer do the work for the [m]contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. (C)Indeed, the [n]material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to do it.

(D)And all those [o]wise at heart among those who were doing the work made the [p]tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and [q]blue and purple and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer, [r]Bezalel made them. The length of each curtain was [s]twenty-eight cubits and the width of each curtain four [t]cubits; all the curtains had [u]the same measurements. 10 He [v]joined five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he [w]joined to one another. 11 He made loops of [x]blue on the edge of the [y]outermost curtain in the first [z]set; he did likewise on the edge of the curtain that was [aa]outermost in the second [ab]set. 12 He made (E)fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the [ac]edge of the curtain that was in the second [ad]set; the loops were opposite each other. 13 He made (F)fifty clasps of gold and [ae]joined the curtains to one another with the clasps, so the tabernacle was one unit.

14 Then (G)he made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains [af]in all. 15 The length of each curtain was [ag]thirty cubits and four cubits the width of each curtain; the eleven curtains had [ah]the same measurements. 16 He [ai]joined five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves. 17 Moreover, he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the first [aj]set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second [ak]set. 18 He made fifty clasps of [al]bronze to [am]join the tent together so that it would be [an]a unit. 19 He made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins [ao]dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

20 (H)Then he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. 21 Ten cubits was the length of [ap]each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. 22 There were two tenons for each board, [aq]fitted to one another; thus he did for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23 And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards [ar]for the south side; 24 and he made forty bases of silver under the twenty boards; two bases under one board for its two tenons and two bases under another board for its two tenons. 25 Then for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, 26 and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board. 27 For the [as]rear of the tabernacle, to the west, he made six boards. 28 And he made two boards for the corners of the [at]tabernacle at the [au]rear. 29 And they were [av]separated beneath, but were together at their completion at the [aw]top, [ax]at the first ring; thus he did with both of them for the two corners. 30 And there were eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases, two bases under every board.

31 Then he made (I)bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the boards of the [ay]other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the [az]rear side to the west. 33 And he made the middle bar to pass through in the [ba]center of the boards from end to end. 34 He also overlaid the boards with gold and made their rings of gold as holders for the bars and overlaid the bars with gold.

35 (J)Moreover, he made the veil of [bb]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; he made it with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer. 36 And he made four pillars of acacia for it and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and he cast four bases of silver for them. 37 And he made a (K)screen for the doorway of the tent, of [bc]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a [bd]weaver; 38 and he made its (L)five pillars with their hooks, and he overlaid their tops and their [be]bands with gold; but their five bases were of [bf]bronze.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 36:1 Or skillful
  2. Exodus 36:1 Or skill
  3. Exodus 36:2 Or skillful
  4. Exodus 36:2 Or skill
  5. Exodus 36:3 Lit heave offering
  6. Exodus 36:3 Lit to perform it for the work
  7. Exodus 36:4 Or skillful
  8. Exodus 36:4 Lit his
  9. Exodus 36:4 Lit they were
  10. Exodus 36:5 Lit Moses, saying,
  11. Exodus 36:5 Lit do it
  12. Exodus 36:6 Lit voice
  13. Exodus 36:6 Lit heave offering
  14. Exodus 36:7 Lit work
  15. Exodus 36:8 Or skillful
  16. Exodus 36:8 Lit dwelling place
  17. Exodus 36:8 Or violet
  18. Exodus 36:8 Lit he
  19. Exodus 36:9 Approx. 43 ft. or 12.6 m
  20. Exodus 36:9 A cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
  21. Exodus 36:9 Lit one measure
  22. Exodus 36:10 Or coupled
  23. Exodus 36:10 Or coupled
  24. Exodus 36:11 Or violet
  25. Exodus 36:11 Lit one curtain from the end in the coupling
  26. Exodus 36:11 Lit coupling
  27. Exodus 36:11 Lit one curtain from the end in the coupling
  28. Exodus 36:11 Lit coupling
  29. Exodus 36:12 Lit end
  30. Exodus 36:12 Lit coupling
  31. Exodus 36:13 Or coupled
  32. Exodus 36:14 Lit in number
  33. Exodus 36:15 Approx. 45 ft. or 13.5 m
  34. Exodus 36:15 Lit one measure
  35. Exodus 36:16 Or coupled
  36. Exodus 36:17 Lit coupling
  37. Exodus 36:17 Lit coupling
  38. Exodus 36:18 Or copper
  39. Exodus 36:18 Or couple
  40. Exodus 36:18 Lit one
  41. Exodus 36:19 Or tanned
  42. Exodus 36:21 Lit the
  43. Exodus 36:22 Lit bound
  44. Exodus 36:23 Lit to the side of the Negev, to the south
  45. Exodus 36:27 Lit extreme parts
  46. Exodus 36:28 Lit dwelling place
  47. Exodus 36:28 Lit extreme parts
  48. Exodus 36:29 Lit twins
  49. Exodus 36:29 Or head
  50. Exodus 36:29 Or with reference to
  51. Exodus 36:32 Or second
  52. Exodus 36:32 Lit extreme parts
  53. Exodus 36:33 Lit midst
  54. Exodus 36:35 Or violet
  55. Exodus 36:37 Or violet
  56. Exodus 36:37 A weaver in colors; lit variegator
  57. Exodus 36:38 Or fillets, rings
  58. Exodus 36:38 Or copper

36 Bezalel and Oholiab and everyone skilful to whom the Lord has given skill and understanding to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.

Moses then called Bezalel and Oholiab and everyone skilful to whom the Lord had given skill, everyone whose heart was stirred to come to do the work; and they received from Moses all the freewill-offerings that the Israelites had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill-offerings every morning, so that all the artisans who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task being performed, and said to Moses, ‘The people are bringing much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.’ So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp: ‘No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.’ So the people were restrained from bringing; for what they had already brought was more than enough to do all the work.

Construction of the Tabernacle

All those with skill among the workers made the tabernacle with ten curtains; they were made of fine twisted linen, and blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with cherubim skilfully worked into them. The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains were of the same size.

10 He joined five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he joined to one another. 11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set; likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set; 12 he made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set; the loops were opposite one another. 13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and joined the curtains one to the other with clasps; so the tabernacle was one whole.

14 He also made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains were of the same size. 16 He joined five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17 He made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. 18 He made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent together so that it might be one whole. 19 And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and an outer covering of fine leather.[a]

20 Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. 21 Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the width of each frame. 22 Each frame had two pegs for fitting together; he did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 23 The frames for the tabernacle he made in this way: twenty frames for the south side; 24 and he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under the first frame for its two pegs, and two bases under the next frame for its two pegs. 25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames 26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under the first frame and two bases under the next frame. 27 For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. 28 He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. 29 They were separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring; he made two of them in this way, for the two corners. 30 There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.

31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 33 He made the middle bar to pass through from end to end half-way up the frames. 34 And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made rings of gold for them to hold the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

35 He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, with cherubim skilfully worked into it. 36 For it he made four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold; their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver. 37 He also made a screen for the entrance to the tent, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, embroidered with needlework; 38 and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their bases with gold, but their five bases were of bronze.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 36:19 Meaning of Heb uncertain