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Setting Up the Tabernacle

40 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, (A)On the first day of the first month you shall set up the [a]tabernacle of the tent of meeting. (B)You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. You shall (C)bring in the table and [b](D)arrange what belongs on it; and you shall (E)bring in the lampstand and [c]mount its lamps. Moreover, you shall (F)set the gold altar of incense before the ark of the testimony and set up the veil for the doorway to the tabernacle. You shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. You shall (G)set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water [d]in it. You shall set up the court all around and [e]hang up the screen for the gateway of the court. Then you shall take the anointing oil and (H)anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it and set it apart as holy and all its [f]furnishings; and it shall be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and set the altar apart as holy, and (I)the altar shall be most holy. 11 You shall anoint the laver and its stand, and set it apart as holy. 12 Then you shall (J)bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 (K)You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and set him apart as holy, that he may minister as a priest to Me. 14 You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them; 15 and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will be for them for a (L)perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.” 16 Thus Moses did; according to all that Yahweh had commanded him, so he did.

17 Now (M)it happened, in the first month [g]of the second year, on the first day of the month, the [h]tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle and [i]laid its bases and set up its boards and [j]inserted its bars and erected its pillars. 19 He spread the tent over the tabernacle and placed the covering of the tent [k]on top of it, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 20 Then he took (N)the testimony and put it into the ark and [l]attached the poles to the ark and put the [m]mercy seat [n]on top of the ark. 21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle and (O)placed the veil of the screen and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 22 Then he (P)put the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. 23 He set the arrangement of (Q)bread in order on it before Yahweh, just as Yahweh 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 He (R)lighted the lamps before Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 26 Then he (S)placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil; 27 and he (T)burned fragrant incense on it, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 28 Then he placed the screen at the doorway of the tabernacle. 29 He (U)placed the altar of burnt offering before the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and he (V)offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 30 He placed the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing. 31 (W)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 Yahweh had commanded Moses. 33 He (X)erected the court all around the [o]tabernacle and the altar, and he put up the screen for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 40:2 Lit dwelling place
  2. Exodus 40:4 Lit arrange its arrangement
  3. Exodus 40:4 Or light
  4. Exodus 40:7 Lit there
  5. Exodus 40:8 Lit put
  6. Exodus 40:9 Or utensils
  7. Exodus 40:17 Lit in
  8. Exodus 40:17 Lit dwelling place
  9. Exodus 40:18 Lit put
  10. Exodus 40:18 Lit put
  11. Exodus 40:19 Lit over it above
  12. Exodus 40:20 Lit set
  13. Exodus 40:20 Or propitiatory seat, place of atonement
  14. Exodus 40:20 Lit over the ark above
  15. Exodus 40:33 Or dwelling place

Moses sets up the dwelling

40 The Lord spoke to Moses: Set up the meeting tent dwelling on the first day of the first month.[a] Place the chest containing the covenant inside the dwelling. Hide the chest from view with the veil. Bring in the table and arrange its items. Bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. Place the gold altar for burning incense in front of the chest containing the covenant. Set up the screen at the dwelling’s entrance. Put the altar for entirely burned offerings in front of the entrance to the meeting tent dwelling. Put the washbasin between the meeting tent and the altar and put water in it. Set up the courtyard all around. Hang up the screen at the courtyard gate. Then take the anointing oil and anoint the dwelling and everything in it. Make holy the dwelling and all its equipment, and it will be holy. 10 Anoint the altar for entirely burned offerings and all its equipment. Make the altar holy, and the altar will be most holy. 11 Anoint the washbasin with its stand and make it holy.

12 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the meeting tent’s entrance and wash them with water. 13 Dress Aaron in the holy clothes. Anoint him and make him holy so that he may serve me as priest. 14 Then bring his sons and dress them in tunics. 15 Anoint them like you anointed their father so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing is to the priesthood for all time in every generation.

16 Moses did everything exactly as the Lord had commanded him. 17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the dwelling was set up. 18 Moses set up the dwelling. He laid out its bases. He set up its boards, inserted its bars, and raised up its posts. 19 He spread the tent out over the dwelling, and he put the covering of the tent over it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the covenant document and placed it inside the chest. He put the poles on the chest, and he set the cover on top of the chest. 21 He brought the chest into the dwelling. He set up the veil as a screen to hide from view the chest containing the covenant, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 He placed the table in the meeting tent, on the north side of the dwelling, outside the veil. 23 He set the bread in its proper place on the table in the Lord’s presence, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lampstand in the meeting tent, opposite the table on the south side of the dwelling. 25 He set up the lamps in the Lord’s presence, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 He put the gold altar in the meeting tent in front of the veil. 27 He burned sweet-smelling incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 He also set up the screen at the entrance to the dwelling. 29 He placed the altar for entirely burned offerings at the entrance to the meeting tent dwelling. He offered the entirely burned offering and the grain offering on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 He put the washbasin between the meeting tent and the altar, and put water in it for washing. 31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons used it to wash their hands and their feet. 32 Whenever they went into the meeting tent and whenever they approached the altar, they washed themselves, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 He set up the courtyard around the dwelling and the altar, and he hung up the screen at the courtyard’s gate.

God’s presence fills the dwelling!

When Moses had finished all the work,

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 40:2 March–April, Abib