Exodus 38-40

New American Standard Bible

The Tabernacle Completed

38 ^(A)Then he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, ^[a]five cubits ^[b]long, and five cubits ^[c]wide, square, and three cubits ^[d]high. ² And he made its horns on its four corners, its horns ^[e]being of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with ^[f]bronze. ³ He also made all the utensils of the altar, the pails, the shovels, the basins, the meat-forks, and the firepans; he made all its utensils of bronze. ⁴ And he made for the altar a grating of bronze netting beneath, under its ledge, reaching halfway up. ⁵ He also cast four rings on the four ends of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. ⁶ He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. ⁷ Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.

^8 (B)Moreover, he made the basin of bronze with its base of bronze, ^[g]from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

^9 (C)Then he made the courtyard: ^[h]for the south side the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits; ¹⁰ their twenty pillars, and their twenty bases, were made of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their ^[i]bands were of silver. ¹¹ For the north side there were a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their ^[j]bands were of silver. ¹² For the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their ^[k]bands were of silver. ¹³ For the ^[l]east side, fifty cubits. ¹⁴ The hangings for the one ^[m]side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases, ¹⁵ and so for the ^[n]other ^[o]side. ^[p]On both sides of the gate of the courtyard were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁶ All the hangings of the courtyard all around were of fine twisted linen. ¹⁷ And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their ^[q]bands, of silver; and the overlaying of their tops, of silver, and all the pillars of the courtyard were furnished with silver ^[r]bands. ¹⁸ Now the curtain of the gate of the courtyard was the work of the ^[s]weaver, of ^[t]violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. And the length was twenty cubits and the ^[u]height was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the courtyard. ¹⁹ Their four pillars and their four bases were of bronze; their hooks were of silver, and the overlaying of their tops and their ^[v]bands were of silver. ²⁰ All the pegs of the ^[w]tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were of bronze.

The Cost of the Tabernacle

^21 [x]This is the number of the things for the ^[y]tabernacle, the ^[z]tabernacle of the testimony, as they were ^[aa]counted according to the ^[ab]command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. ²² Now ^(D)Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. ²³ With him was ^(E)Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a skilled embroiderer, and a ^[ac]weaver in violet, in purple, and in scarlet material, and fine linen.

²⁴ All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, ^[ad]which was the gold of the wave offering, was twenty-nine ^[ae]talents and 730 ^[af]shekels, according to ^(F)the shekel of the sanctuary. ²⁵ And ^(G)the silver of those of the congregation who were ^[ag]counted was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; ^26 (H)a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), assessed to each one who passed over to those who were ^[ah]counted, from twenty years old and upward, for ^(I)603,550 men. ²⁷ The hundred talents of silver were used for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent for a base. ²⁸ And of the 1,775 shekels, he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their tops and made ^[ai]bands for them. ²⁹ And the bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels. ³⁰ With it he made the bases to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and the bronze altar and its bronze grating, and all the utensils of the altar, ³¹ and the bases of the courtyard all around and the bases of the gate of the courtyard, and all the pegs of the ^[aj]tabernacle and all the pegs of the courtyard all around.

The Priestly Garments

39 Now from the ^(J)[ak]violet, purple, and scarlet material they made finely ^(K)woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, ^[al]as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

^2 (L)He made the ephod of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. ³ Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads ^[am]to be woven in with the violet, the purple, and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skilled embroiderer. ⁴ They made attaching shoulder pieces for ^[an]the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends. ⁵ And the skillfully woven band of its overlay which was on it was like its workmanship, ^[ao]of the same material: of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

^6 (M)They also made the onyx stones, set in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷ And ^(N)he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁸ And ^(O)he made the breastpiece, the work of a skilled embroiderer, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. ⁹ It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a ^[ap]span ^[aq]long and a span ^[ar]wide when folded double. ¹⁰ And they ^[as]mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; ¹¹ and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹² and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ¹³ and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were ^[at]mounted. ¹⁴ The stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes. ¹⁵ And they made for the breastpiece chains like cords, work of twisted cords of pure gold. ¹⁶ They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. ¹⁷ Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. ¹⁸ And they put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. ¹⁹ They made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod. ²⁰ Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the woven band of the ephod. ²¹ And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord, so that it would be on the woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

^22 (P)Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of violet; ^23 (Q)and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, so that it would not be torn. ²⁴ And they made pomegranates of violet, purple, and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe. ²⁵ They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the ^[au]robe, ^26 [av]alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the service, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

^27 (R)They also made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons, ²⁸ and the turban of fine linen, and the decorated ^[aw]caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twisted linen, ²⁹ and the sash of fine twisted linen, and violet, purple, and scarlet material, the work of the ^[ax]weaver, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

^30 (S)They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and ^[ay]inscribed it like the engravings of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” ³¹ Then they ^[az]fastened a violet cord to it, to ^[ba]fasten it on the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³² So all the work of the ^[bb]tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did. ³³ Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its ^[bc]furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; ³⁴ and the covering of rams’ skins ^[bd]dyed red, and the covering of ^[be]fine leather, and the covering curtain; ³⁵ the ark of the testimony, its poles, and the ^[bf]atoning cover; ³⁶ the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the ^[bg]Presence; ³⁷ the pure gold lampstand, ^[bh]with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; ³⁸ and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the doorway of the tent; ³⁹ the ^[bi]bronze altar and its ^[bj]bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; ⁴⁰ the hangings for the courtyard, its pillars and its bases, and the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and its pegs, and all the ^[bk]equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; ⁴¹ the woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to serve as priests. ⁴² So the sons of Israel did all the work according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³ And Moses ^[bl]examined all the work, and behold, they had done it; just as the Lord had commanded, this they had done. So Moses ^(T)blessed them.

The Tabernacle Erected

40 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(U)On the first day of the first month you shall set up the ^[bm]tabernacle of the tent of meeting. ^3 (V)You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen off the ark with the veil. ⁴ Then you shall ^(W)bring in the table and ^(X)arrange ^[bn]what belongs on it; and you shall ^(Y)bring in the lampstand and ^[bo]mount its lamps. ⁵ You shall also ^(Z)set the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the testimony, and set up the curtain for the doorway to the tabernacle. ⁶ And you shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. ⁷ Then you shall ^(AA)set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water ^[bp]in it. ⁸ You shall also set up the courtyard all around and ^[bq]hang up the curtain for the gate of the courtyard. ⁹ Then you shall take the anointing oil and ^(AB)anoint the tabernacle and everything that is in it, and consecrate it and all its ^[br]furnishings; and it shall be holy. ¹⁰ You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and ^(AC)the altar shall be most holy. ¹¹ And you shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. ¹² Then you shall ^(AD)bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ¹³ And ^(AE)you shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, so that he may serve as a priest to Me. ¹⁴ You shall also bring his sons and put tunics on them; ¹⁵ and you shall anoint them just as you have anointed their father, so that they may serve as priests to Me; and their anointing will ^[bs]qualify them for a ^(AF)permanent priesthood throughout their generations.” ¹⁶ So Moses did these things; according to all that the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

¹⁷ Now ^(AG)in the first month ^[bt]of the second year, on the first day of the month, the ^[bu]tabernacle was erected. ¹⁸ Moses erected the tabernacle and ^[bv]laid its bases, and set up its boards, and ^[bw]inserted its bars, and erected its pillars. ¹⁹ And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent ^[bx]on top of it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁰ Then he took ^(AH)the testimony and put it into the ark, and ^[by]attached the poles to the ark, and put the ^[bz]atoning cover ^[ca]on top of the ark. ²¹ He then brought the ark into the tabernacle, and ^(AI)set up a veil for the covering, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²² He also ^(AJ)put the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. ²³ And he set the arrangement of ^(AK)bread in order on it before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁴ Then he placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. ²⁵ And he ^(AL)lighted the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁶ Then he ^(AM)placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil; ²⁷ and he ^(AN)burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁸ Then he set up the curtain for the doorway of the tabernacle. ²⁹ And he ^(AO)set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and ^(AP)offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰ He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing. ^31 (AQ)From it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. ³² When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³³ And he ^(AR)erected the courtyard all around the ^[cb]tabernacle and the altar, and ^[cc]hung up the curtain for the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord

^34 (AS)Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the ^(AT)glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ And Moses ^(AU)was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁶ Throughout their journeys, ^(AV)whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; ³⁷ but ^(AW)if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. ³⁸ For throughout their journeys, ^(AX)the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.