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Chapter 38

The Altar of Burnt Offering. He made an altar out of acacia wood. It was five cubits long and five cubits wide and three cubits high. It had horns on its four corners and they were all one piece with it. It was covered with bronze. He also made the accessories for the altar: vessels to take away its ashes, shovels, basins, forks, and firepans. All of its utensils were made out of bronze. He made a grating for the altar, a network of bronze. He placed it under the edge of the altar so that the net hung halfway down the altar. He made four rings of bronze and placed them at the four corners of the bronze grating so that poles could be inserted. He made poles out of acacia wood and covered them with bronze. He placed the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar so it could be carried. He made the altar out of boards, hollow in the middle.

The Basin for Washing. He made the basin of bronze and its base of bronze from the mirrors[a] of the women who ministered at the door to the meeting tent.

The Courtyard. He made the courtyard. On the south side of the courtyard there was a drape of fine twisted linen, one hundred cubits long. 10 There were twenty columns with twenty bronze bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made out of silver. 11 Likewise on the north side there was a drape one hundred cubits long. There were twenty columns with twenty bronze bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made out of silver. 12 On the west side there were fifty cubits of drapes with ten columns and ten bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made out of silver. 13 On the east side there were fifty cubits. 14 There was fifteen cubits of draping with three columns and three bases on one side. 15 On the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, there was fifteen cubits of draping with three columns and three bases. 16 All of the drapes that formed the courtyard were made of fine twisted linen. 17 The bases of the columns were made out of bronze. The hooks of the columns and the rings were made out of silver. The overlaying of their capitals and the columns of the courtyard were filleted with silver.

18 The screen for the entrance to the courtyard was made of needlework of blue, purple, and scarlet cloth and fine twisted linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high, that is, wide, like the drapes of the courtyard. 19 It had four columns with their four bases out of bronze. Their hooks and the overlaying of their capitals and their bars were made out of silver. 20 All the pegs of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were made out of bronze.

21 The Materials Used.[b] These are the expenses for the tabernacle, the dwelling place of the Testimony, that Moses ordered the Levites to calculate under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, completed what the Lord had commanded Moses to do. 23 He did this together with Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, who was an engraver and a skillful craftsman, and a weaver of blue, purple, and scarlet cloth and fine twisted linen.

24 All the gold that was used in the work—that is, for all the work of the sanctuary, which was the gold from the offering—was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, measured by the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 The silver of the assembly was measured to be one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, measured by the shekel of the sanctuary. 26 Every person who was counted in the census twenty years old and up gave a bekah, which is worth a half-shekel according to the measure of the sanctuary. There were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men. 27 The one hundred talents were used to make the bases of the sanctuary and the bases for the veil. One hundred talents were used for the one hundred bases, or one talent for each base. 28 The one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels were used for the hooks for the pillars, and for overlaying and filleting their tops. 29 The bronze presented in the offering amounted to seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. 30 With it were made the bases for the entrance to the meeting tent, the altar of bronze with the netting of bronze, and all the accessories for the altar, 31 the bases for the courtyard, the bases for the gate to the courtyard, and all the pegs of the tabernacle and all the pegs of the surrounding courtyard.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 38:8 In antiquity mirrors were made of polished bronze.
  2. Exodus 38:21 According to the account, a ton of gold and five tons of silver were used; the figures are certainly exaggerated in order to make the point that there is no such thing as too much beauty when it comes to honoring the presence of God in the midst of humanity.

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering

38 Bezalel(A) constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, 7½ feet long and 7½ feet wide,[a] and was 4½ feet[b] high. He made horns for it on its four corners; the horns were of one piece.[c] Then he overlaid it with bronze.

He made all the altar’s utensils: the pots, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; he made all its utensils of bronze. He constructed for the altar a grate of bronze mesh under its ledge,[d] halfway up from the bottom. At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles. Also, he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar in order to carry it with them. He constructed the altar with boards so that it was hollow.

Making the Bronze Basin

He made the bronze basin and its stand from the bronze mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.(B)

Making the Courtyard

Then(C) he made the courtyard. The hangings on the south side of the courtyard were of finely spun linen, 150 feet in length,[e] 10 including their 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands[f] of the posts were silver. 11 The hangings on the north side were also 150 feet in length,[g] including their 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands[h] of the posts were silver. 12 The hangings on the west side were 75 feet in length,[i] including their 10 posts and 10 bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. 13 The hangings on the east toward the sunrise were also 75 feet in length.[j] 14 The hangings on one side of the gate were 22½ feet,[k] including their three posts and three bases. 15 It was the same for the other side. The hangings were 22½ feet,[l] including their three posts and three bases on both sides of the courtyard gate. 16 All the hangings around the courtyard were of finely spun linen. 17 The bases for the posts were bronze; the hooks and bands[m] of the posts were silver; and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. All the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.

18 The screen for the gate of the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was 30 feet[n] long, and like the hangings of the courtyard, 7½ feet[o] high.[p] 19 It had four posts, including their four bronze bases. Their hooks were silver, and the bands[q] as well as the plating of their tops were silver. 20 All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

Inventory of Materials

21 This is the inventory for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony,(D) that was recorded at Moses’ command. It was the work of the Levites under the direction of[r] Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.(E) 22 Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord commanded Moses. 23 With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a gem cutter, a designer, and an embroiderer with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

24 All the gold of the presentation offering that was used for the project in all the work on the sanctuary, was 2,193 pounds,[s] according to the sanctuary shekel.(F) 25 The silver from those of the community who were registered was 7,544 pounds,[t] according to the sanctuary shekel— 26 2⁄5 of an ounce[u] per man, that is, half a shekel according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone 20 years old or more who had crossed over to the registered group, 603,550 men. 27 There were 7,500 pounds[v] of silver used to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil—100 bases from 7,500 pounds,[w] 75 pounds[x] for each base.(G) 28 With the remaining 44 pounds[y] he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands[z] for them.

29 The bronze of the presentation offering totaled 5,310 pounds.[aa] 30 He made with it the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grate, all the utensils for the altar, 31 the bases for the surrounding courtyard, the bases for the gate of the courtyard, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs for the surrounding courtyard.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 38:1 Lit five cubits its length and five cubits its width
  2. Exodus 38:1 Lit three cubits
  3. Exodus 38:2 Lit piece with it
  4. Exodus 38:4 Or rim
  5. Exodus 38:9 Lit 100 cubits
  6. Exodus 38:10 Or connecting rods
  7. Exodus 38:11 Lit 100 cubits
  8. Exodus 38:11 Or connecting rods
  9. Exodus 38:12 Lit 50 cubits
  10. Exodus 38:13 Lit 50 cubits
  11. Exodus 38:14 Lit 15 cubits
  12. Exodus 38:15 Lit 15 cubits
  13. Exodus 38:17 Or connecting rods
  14. Exodus 38:18 Lit 20 cubits
  15. Exodus 38:18 Lit five cubits
  16. Exodus 38:18 Lit high in width
  17. Exodus 38:19 Or connecting rods
  18. Exodus 38:21 Lit Levites by the hand of
  19. Exodus 38:24 Lit 29 talents and 730 shekels
  20. Exodus 38:25 Lit 100 talents and 1,775 shekels
  21. Exodus 38:26 Lit a beka
  22. Exodus 38:27 Lit 100 talents
  23. Exodus 38:27 Lit 100 talents
  24. Exodus 38:27 Lit one talent
  25. Exodus 38:28 Lit 1,775 (shekels)
  26. Exodus 38:28 Or connecting rods
  27. Exodus 38:29 Lit 70 talents and 2,400 shekels