¹⁷ Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?

¹⁹ How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

³⁸ Take the incense burners of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and hammer the metal into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. Since these burners were used in the Lord’s presence, they have become holy. Let them serve as a warning to the people of Israel.”

³⁹ So Eleazar the priest collected the 250 bronze incense burners that had been used by the men who died in the fire, and the bronze was hammered into a thin sheet to overlay the altar.

²⁶ Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, ²⁷ the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar, ²⁸ the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand. ²⁹ Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.