25 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids^[a] who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ^2-4 But only five of them were wise enough to fill their lamps with oil, while the other five were foolish and forgot.

^5-6 “So, when the bridegroom was delayed, they lay down to rest until midnight, when they were roused by the shout, ‘The bridegroom is coming! Come out and welcome him!’

^7-8 “All the girls jumped up and trimmed their lamps. Then the five who hadn’t any oil begged the others to share with them, for their lamps were going out.

⁹ “But the others replied, ‘We haven’t enough. Go instead to the shops and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were gone, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.

¹¹ “Later, when the other five returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’

¹² “But he called back, ‘Go away! It is too late!’^[b]

¹³ “So stay awake and be prepared, for you do not know the date or moment of my return.^[c]

¹⁴ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going into another country, who called together his servants and loaned them money to invest for him while he was gone.

¹⁵ “He gave $5,000 to one, $2,000 to another, and $1,000 to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities—and then left on his trip. ¹⁶ The man who received the $5,000 began immediately to buy and sell with it and soon earned another $5,000. ¹⁷ The man with $2,000 went right to work, too, and earned another $2,000.

¹⁸ “But the man who received the $1,000 dug a hole in the ground and hid the money for safekeeping.

¹⁹ “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to him to account for his money. ²⁰ The man to whom he had entrusted the $5,000 brought him $10,000.

²¹ “His master praised him for good work. ‘You have been faithful in handling this small amount,’ he told him, ‘so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Begin the joyous tasks I have assigned to you.’

²² “Next came the man who had received the $2,000, with the report, ‘Sir, you gave me $2,000 to use, and I have doubled it.’

²³ “‘Good work,’ his master said. ‘You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over this small amount, so now I will give you much more.’

^24-25 “Then the man with the $1,000 came and said, ‘Sir, I knew you were a hard man, and I was afraid you would rob me of what I earned,^[d] so I hid your money in the earth and here it is!’

²⁶ “But his master replied, ‘Wicked man! Lazy slave! Since you knew I would demand your profit, ²⁷ you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest. ²⁸ Take the money from this man and give it to the man with the $10,000. ²⁹ For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him. ³⁰ And throw the useless servant out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

29 “This is the ceremony for the dedication of Aaron and his sons as priests: get a young bull and two rams with no defects, ² and bread made without yeast, and thin sheets of sweetened bread mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers with oil poured over them. (The various kinds of bread shall be made with finely ground wheat flour.) ^3-4 Place the bread in a basket and bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle, along with the young bull and the two rams.

“Bathe Aaron and his sons there at the entrance. ⁵ Then put Aaron’s robe on him, and the embroidered shirt, ephod, chestpiece, and sash, ⁶ and place on his head the turban with the gold plate. ⁷ Then take the anointing oil and pour it upon his head. ⁸ Next, dress his sons in their robes, ⁹ with their woven sashes, and place caps on their heads. They will then be priests forever; thus you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.

¹⁰ “Then bring the young bull to the Tabernacle, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head; ¹¹ and you shall kill it before the Lord, at the entrance of the Tabernacle. ¹² Place its blood upon the horns of the altar, smearing it on with your finger, and pour the rest at the base of the altar. ¹³ Then take all the fat that covers the inner parts, also the gall bladder and two kidneys, and the fat on them, and burn them upon the altar. ¹⁴ Then take the body, including the skin and the dung, outside the camp and burn it as a sin offering.

^15-16 “Next, Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of one of the rams as it is killed. Its blood shall also be collected and sprinkled upon the altar. ¹⁷ Cut up the ram and wash off the entrails and the legs; place them with the head and the other pieces of the body, ¹⁸ and burn it all upon the altar; it is a burnt offering to the Lord, and very pleasant to him.

^19-20 “Now take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head as it is killed. Collect the blood and place some of it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and his sons, and upon their right thumbs and the big toes of their right feet; sprinkle the rest of the blood over the altar. ²¹ Then scrape off some of the blood from the altar and mix it with some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it upon Aaron and his sons and upon their clothes; and they and their clothing shall be sanctified to the Lord.

²² “Then take the fat of the ram, including the fat tail and the fat that covers the insides, also the gall bladder and the two kidneys and the fat surrounding them, and the right thigh—for this is the ram for ordination of Aaron and his sons— ²³ and one loaf of bread, one cake of shortening bread, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that was placed before the Lord: ²⁴ Place these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, to wave them in a gesture of offering to the Lord. ²⁵ Afterwards, take them from their hands and burn them on the altar as a fragrant burnt offering to him. ²⁶ Then take the breast of Aaron’s ordination ram and wave it before the Lord in a gesture of offering; afterwards, keep it for yourself.

²⁷ “Give the breast and thigh of the consecration ram ²⁸ to Aaron and his sons. The people of Israel must always contribute this portion of their sacrifices—whether peace offerings or thanksgiving offerings—as their contribution to the Lord.

²⁹ “These sacred garments of Aaron shall be preserved for the consecration of his son who succeeds him, from generation to generation, for his anointing ceremony. ³⁰ Whoever is the next High Priest after Aaron shall wear these clothes for seven days before beginning to minister in the Tabernacle and the Holy Place.

³¹ “Take the ram of consecration—the ram used in the ordination ceremony—and boil its meat in a sacred area. ³² Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat, also the bread in the basket, at the door of the Tabernacle. ³³ They alone shall eat those items used in their atonement (that is, in their consecration ceremony). The ordinary people shall not eat them, for these things are set apart and holy. ³⁴ If any of the meat or bread remains until the morning, burn it; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.

³⁵ “This, then, is the way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons to their offices. This ordination shall go on for seven days. ³⁶ Every day you shall sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering for atonement; afterwards,^[a] purge the altar by making atonement for it; pour olive oil upon it to sanctify it. ³⁷ Make atonement for the altar and consecrate it to God every day for seven days. After this the altar shall be exceedingly holy, so that whatever touches it shall be set apart for God.^[b]

³⁸ “Each day offer two yearling lambs upon the altar, ³⁹ one in the morning and the other in the evening. ⁴⁰ With one of them offer 3 quarts of finely ground flour mixed with 2-1/2 pints of oil, pressed from olives; also 2-1/2 pints of wine, as an offering.

⁴¹ Offer the other lamb in the evening, along with the flour and the wine as in the morning, for a fragrant offering to the Lord, an offering made to the Lord by fire.

⁴² “This shall be a perpetual daily offering at the door of the Tabernacle before the Lord, where I will meet with you and speak with you. ⁴³ And I will meet with the people of Israel there, and the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. ⁴⁴ Yes, I will sanctify the Tabernacle and the altar and Aaron and his sons who are my ministers, the priests. ⁴⁵ And I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, ⁴⁶ and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. I brought them out of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am Jehovah their God.

30 “Then make a small altar for burning incense. It shall be made from acacia wood. ² It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet high, with horns carved from the wood of the altar—they are not to be merely separate parts that are attached. ³ Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar. ⁴ Beneath the molding, on each of two sides, construct two gold rings to hold the carrying poles. ⁵ The poles are to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. ⁶ Place the altar just outside the veil, near the place of mercy that is above the Ark containing the Ten Commandments. I will meet with you there.

⁷ “Every morning when Aaron trims the lamps, he shall burn sweet spices on the altar, ⁸ and each evening when he lights the lamps he shall burn the incense before the Lord, and this shall go on from generation to generation. ⁹ Offer no unauthorized incense, burnt offerings, meal offerings, or wine offerings.

¹⁰ “Once a year Aaron must sanctify the altar,^[c] placing upon its horns the blood of the sin offering for atonement. This shall be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord’s supremely holy altar.”

^11-12 And Jehovah said to Moses, “Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is numbered shall give a ransom to the Lord for his soul, so that there will be no plague among the people when you number them. ¹³ His payment shall be half a dollar.^{[d] 14} All who have reached their twentieth birthday shall give this offering. ¹⁵ The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, for it is an offering to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves. ¹⁶ Use this money for the care of the Tabernacle; it is to bring you, the people of Israel, to the Lord’s attention, and to make atonement for you.”

^17-18 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze basin with a bronze pedestal. Put it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet there, ²⁰ when they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord, or when they approach the altar to burn offerings to the Lord. They must always wash before doing so, or they will die. ²¹ These are instructions to Aaron and his sons from generation to generation.”

^22-23 Then the Lord told Moses to collect the choicest of spices—eighteen pounds of pure myrrh; half as much of cinnamon and of sweet cane; ²⁴ the same amount of cassia as of myrrh; and 1-1/2 gallons of olive oil. ²⁵ The Lord instructed skilled perfume makers to compound all this into a holy anointing oil.

^26-27 “Use this,” he said, “to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark, the table and all its instruments, the lampstand and all its utensils, the incense altar, ²⁸ the burnt offering altar with all its instruments, and the washbasin and its pedestal. ²⁹ Sanctify them, to make them holy; whatever touches them shall become holy.^{[e] 30} Use it to anoint Aaron and his sons, sanctifying them so that they can minister to me as priests. ³¹ And say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall always be my holy anointing oil. ³² It must never be poured upon an ordinary person, and you shall never make any of it yourselves, for it is holy, and it shall be treated by you as holy. ³³ Anyone who compounds any incense like it or puts any of it upon someone who is not a priest shall be excommunicated.’”

³⁴ These were the Lord’s directions to Moses concerning the incense: “Use sweet spices—stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, weighing out the same amounts of each, ³⁵ using the usual techniques of the incense maker, and seasoning it with salt; it shall be a pure and holy incense. ³⁶ Beat some of it very fine and put some of it in front of the Ark where I meet with you in the Tabernacle; this incense is most holy. ³⁷ Never make it for yourselves, for it is reserved for the Lord and you must treat it as holy. ³⁸ Anyone making it for himself shall be excommunicated.”