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30 And thou shalt make a Mizbe’ach to burn ketonet (incense) upon; of acacia wood shalt thou make it.

A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the width thereof; ravu’a (foursquare, square) shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof; the karnenot thereof shall be of the same.

And thou shalt overlay it with zahav tahor, the top thereof, and the sides thereof all around, and the karnenot thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of zahav all around.

And two tabe’ot zahav (golden rings) shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the carrying poles to bear it withal.

And thou shalt make the carrying poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with zahav.

And thou shalt put it in front of the Parochet that is before the Aron HaEdut, before the Kapporet that is over HaEdut, where I will set My meetings with thee.

And Aharon shall burn thereon spice ketoret every boker; when he cleaneth the nerot (lamps), he shall burn it.

And when Aharon lighteth the nerot (lamps) in the afternoon, he shall burn ketoret upon it, ketoret tamid before Hashem throughout your dorot.

Ye shall offer no ketoret zarah thereon, nor olah, nor minchah; neither shall ye pour nesekh thereon.

10 And Aharon shall make kapporah upon the karenot of it once in a year with the dahm of the chattat hakippurim; once in the year shall he make kapporah upon it throughout your dorot; it is kodesh kodashim unto Hashem [see Lev 16 on this].

[KI TISSA]

11 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

12 When thou takest the census of the Bnei Yisroel after their number, then shall they give every man a kofer nafsho (life price, atoning payment for his nefesh or soul) unto Hashem, when thou numberest them; that there be no negef (plague) among them, when thou numberest them.

13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are pekudim (numbered, counted), half a shekel after the shekel of HaKodesh. (A shekel is twenty gerahs.) A half shekel shall be the terumah (offering) unto Hashem.

14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give a terumah (offering) unto Hashem.

15 The oisher (rich man) shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give a terumah (offering) unto Hashem, to make kapporah for your nefashot.

16 And thou shalt take the kesef hakippurim of the Bnei Yisroel, and shalt appoint it for the Avodat Ohel Mo’ed (Work, Service of the Tent of Appointed Meeting); that it may be a zikaron unto the Bnei Yisroel before Hashem, to make kapporah for your nefashot [see Psalm 49; 1K 1:18-19 OJBC].

17 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

18 Thou shalt also make a Kiyor of nechoshet, and its Stand also of nechoshet, to wash withal; and thou shalt place it between the Ohel Mo’ed and the Mizbe’ach, and thou shalt put mayim therein.

19 For Aharon and his banim shall wash their hands and their feet thereat;

20 When they go into the Ohel Mo’ed, they shall wash with mayim, that they die not; or when they come near to the Mizbe’ach to minister, to present offering made by eish unto Hashem;

21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not; and it shall be a chok olam to them, even to him and to his zera throughout their dorot.

22 Moreover Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

23 Take thou also unto thee choice spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekel-weights, and of fragrant cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane spice two hundred and fifty,

24 And of cassia five hundred shekel-weights, after the shekel of HaKodesh, and of shemen zayit (oil olive) a hin:

25 And thou shalt make it a shemen mishchah kodesh, an ointment of blended compound, the art of the perfumer; it shall be a shemen mishchah kodesh.

26 And thou shalt anoint the Ohel Mo’ed therewith, and the Aron HaEdut,

27 And the Shulchan and all its utensils, the Menorah and its utensils, and the Mizbe’ach HaKetoret,

28 And the Mizbe’ach HaOlah with all its utensils, and the Kiyor and its Stand.

29 And thou shalt set them apart as kodesh, that they may be kodesh kodashim; whatsoever toucheth them shall be kodesh.

30 And thou shalt anoint Aharon and his banim, and set them apart as kodesh, that they may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.

31 And thou shalt speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, saying, This shall be a shemen mishchat kodesh unto Me throughout your dorot.

32 Upon the basar adam shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the formulation of it; it is kodesh, and it shall be kodesh unto you.

33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a zar, shall even be cut off from his people.

34 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Take unto thee spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these spices with pure frankincense; of each shall there be an equal weight;

35 And thou shalt make it a compound of spice, the art of a perfumer, mixed thoroughly together, tahor and kodesh;

36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and place it in front of HaEdut in the Ohel Mo’ed, where I will set a meeting with thee; it shall be unto you kodesh kodashim.

37 And as for the ketoret which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the formulation thereof; it shall be unto thee kodesh for Hashem.

38 Whosoever shall make its like, to smell it, shall even be cut off from his people.

The Altar of Incense(A)

30 “Make an altar(B) of acacia wood for burning incense.(C) It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high[a]—its horns(D) of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.(E) Make two gold rings(F) for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.(G) Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover(H) that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you.

“Aaron must burn fragrant incense(I) on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.(J) Do not offer on this altar any other incense(K) or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year(L) Aaron shall make atonement(M) on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering[b](N) for the generations to come.(O) It is most holy to the Lord.”

Atonement Money

11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census(P) of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom(Q) for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague(R) will come on them when you number them. 13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel,[c] according to the sanctuary shekel,(S) which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more,(T) are to give an offering to the Lord. 15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less(U) when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives. 16 Receive the atonement(V) money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting.(W) It will be a memorial(X) for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives.”

Basin for Washing

17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin,(Y) with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet(Z) with water(AA) from it. 20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die.(AB) Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance(AC) for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”(AD)

Anointing Oil

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the following fine spices:(AE) 500 shekels[d] of liquid myrrh,(AF) half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon,(AG) 250 shekels[e] of fragrant calamus,(AH) 24 500 shekels(AI) of cassia(AJ)—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin[f] of olive oil. 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer.(AK) It will be the sacred anointing oil.(AL) 26 Then use it to anoint(AM) the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them(AN) so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.(AO)

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate(AP) them so they may serve me as priests.(AQ) 31 Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil(AR) for the generations to come.(AS) 32 Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.(AT) 33 Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off(AU) from their people.’”

Incense

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices(AV)—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense,(AW) the work of a perfumer.(AX) It is to be salted and pure and sacred. 36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet(AY) with you. It shall be most holy(AZ) to you. 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy(BA) to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off(BB) from their people.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:2 That is, about 1 1/2 feet long and wide and 3 feet high or about 45 centimeters long and wide and 90 centimeters high
  2. Exodus 30:10 Or purification offering
  3. Exodus 30:13 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.8 grams; also in verse 15
  4. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 12 1/2 pounds or about 5.8 kilograms; also in verse 24
  5. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 6 1/4 pounds or about 2.9 kilograms
  6. Exodus 30:24 That is, probably about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters