Exodus 23-26
New American Standard Bible
Various Laws
23 “(A)You shall not give a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked person to be a (B)malicious witness. 2 You shall not follow [a]the crowd in doing evil, nor shall you [b]testify in a dispute so as to join together with [c]a crowd in order to (C)pervert justice; 3 (D)nor shall you [d]show favor to a poor person in his dispute.
4 “(E)If you encounter your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you must return it to him. 5 (F)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall not leave it helpless for [e]its owner; you must arrange the load with him.
6 “(G)You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. 7 (H)Keep far from a false charge, and (I)do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for (J)I will not acquit the guilty.
8 “(K)You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and [f]subverts the cause of the just.
9 “(L)You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the [g]feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The Sabbath and the Land
10 “Now (M)you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, 11 but in the seventh year you shall let it [h]rest and lie uncultivated, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the animal of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
12 “(N)For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as the stranger residing with you, may refresh themselves. 13 Now (O)concerning everything which I have said to you, be careful; and (P)do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard [i]from your mouth.
Three National Feasts
14 “(Q)Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 15 You shall keep (R)the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the (S)month of Abib, for in [j]that month you came out of Egypt. And [k](T)no one is to appear before Me empty-handed. 16 Also you shall keep (U)the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year (V)when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 (W)Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord [l]God.
18 “(X)You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; (Y)nor is the fat of My [m]feast to remain overnight until morning.
19 “You shall bring (Z)the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.
“(AA)You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.
Conquest of the Land
20 “Behold, I am going to send (AB)an angel before you to guard you along the way and (AC)to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and obey his voice; (AD)do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your rebellion, since (AE)My name is in him. 22 But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then (AF)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 (AG)For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. 24 (AH)You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; (AI)but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their (AJ)memorial stones in pieces. 25 (AK)And you shall serve the Lord your God, [n]and He will bless your bread and your water; and (AL)I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 There will be no one miscarrying or (AM)unable to have children in your land; (AN)I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will (AO)send My terror ahead of you, and (AP)throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will (AQ)make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send (AR)hornets ahead of you so that they will (AS)drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from you. 29 (AT)I will not drive them out from you in a single year, so that the land will not become desolate and the animals of the field become too numerous for you. 30 I will drive them out from you (AU)little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. 31 (AV)I will set your boundary from the [o]Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River; (AW)for I will hand over the inhabitants of the land to you, and you will (AX)drive them out from you. 32 (AY)You shall [p]make no covenant with them (AZ)or with their gods. 33 (BA)They shall not live in your land, otherwise they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, (BB)it is certain to be a snare to you.”
People Affirm Their Covenant with God
24 Then He said to Moses, “(BC)Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, (BD)Nadab and Abihu, and (BE)seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. 2 Moses alone, however, shall approach the Lord, but they shall not approach, nor shall the people come up with him.”
3 Then Moses came and reported to the people all the words of the Lord and all the [q]ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “(BF)All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” 4 And (BG)Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he got up early in the morning, and built an (BH)altar [r]at the foot of the mountain with twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, (BI)and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 (BJ)Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took (BK)the Book of the Covenant and read it [s]as the people listened; and they said, “(BL)All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” 8 So (BM)Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold (BN)the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has [t]made with you [u]in accordance with all these words.”
9 Then Moses went up [v]with Aaron, (BO)Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and (BP)they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet [w](BQ)there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, [x]as clear as the sky itself. 11 Yet He did not reach out with His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and (BR)they saw God, and they ate and drank.
12 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and [y]stay there, and (BS)I will give you the stone tablets [z]with the Law and the [aa]commandments which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses got up [ab]along with (BT)Joshua his [ac]servant, and Moses went up to (BU)the mountain of God. 14 But to the elders he said, “(BV)Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, (BW)Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever [ad]has a legal matter, have him approach them.” 15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and (BX)the cloud covered the mountain. 16 (BY)The glory of the Lord [ae]settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He (BZ)called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17 (CA)And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a (CB)consuming fire on the mountain top. 18 Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud [af]as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain for (CC)forty days and forty nights.
Offerings for the Sanctuary
25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “(CD)Tell the sons of Israel to take a [ag]contribution for Me; (CE)from everyone whose heart moves him you shall take My [ah]contribution. 3 This is the [ai]contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 [aj](CF)violet, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5 rams’ skins dyed red, [ak]fine leather, acacia wood, 6 (CG)oil for lighting, (CH)balsam oil for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones and setting stones for the (CI)ephod and for the [al](CJ)breastpiece. 8 Have them (CK)construct a sanctuary for Me, (CL)so that I may dwell among them. 9 (CM)According to all that I am going to show you as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, so you shall construct it.
Ark of the Covenant
10 “Now (CN)they shall construct an [am]ark of acacia wood [an]two and a half cubits [ao]long, one and a half cubits [ap]wide, and one and a half cubits [aq]high. 11 You shall (CO)overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding [ar]around it. 12 You shall also cast four gold rings for it and [as]fasten them on its four feet; two rings shall be on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. 15 The (CP)poles shall [at]remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16 You shall (CQ)put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.
17 “And you shall (CR)make [au]an atoning cover of pure gold, [av]two and a half cubits [aw]long and one and a half cubits [ax]wide. 18 You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work [ay]at the two ends of the atoning cover. 19 Make one cherub [az]at one end and one cherub [ba]at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece [bb]with the atoning cover at its two ends. 20 And (CS)the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and [bc]facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover. 21 Then (CT)you shall put the atoning cover [bd]on top of the ark, and (CU)in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22 (CV)There I will meet with you; and from above the atoning cover, from (CW)between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about [be]every commandment that I will give you for the sons of Israel.
Bread of the Presence
23 “(CX)You shall also make a table of acacia wood, [bf]two cubits [bg]long and one cubit [bh]wide, and one and a half cubits [bi]high. 24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold (CY)border around it. 25 And you shall make for it a rim of a [bj]hand width around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. 26 You shall also make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four legs. 27 The rings shall be close to the rim, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. 29 You shall also make its (CZ)dishes, its pans, its jars, and its libation bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set (DA)the bread of the [bk]Presence on the table before Me continually.
The Golden Lampstand
31 “(DB)Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand, its base and its shaft, are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its [bl]bulbs, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 (DC)Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its [bm]other side. 33 (DD)Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms on the one branch, a [bn]bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the [bo]other branch, a [bp]bulb and a flower—the same for six branches going out from the lampstand; 34 and (DE)on the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its [bq]bulbs and its flowers. 35 (DF)A [br]bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a [bs]bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a [bt]bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 36 (DG)Their [bu]bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. 37 Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and (DH)they shall [bv]mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. 38 Its tongs and its trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made from a [bw]talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 (DI)See that you make them (DJ)by the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.
Curtains of Linen
26 “(DK)Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and [bx]violet, purple, and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer. 2 The length of each curtain shall be [by]twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have [bz]the same measurements. 3 Five curtains shall be [ca]joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be [cb]joined to one another. 4 You shall make loops of violet on the edge of the [cc]outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second [cd]set. 5 You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the [ce]edge of the curtain that is in the second [cf]set; the loops shall be opposite each other. 6 You shall also make fifty clasps of gold, and [cg]join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the [ch]tabernacle will be a unit.
Curtains of Goats’ Hair
7 “Then (DL)you shall make curtains of goats’ hair as a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. 8 The length of each curtain shall be [ci]thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have [cj]the same measurements. 9 You shall [ck]join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain [cl]at the front of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the [cm]curtain that is outermost in the first [cn]set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second [co]set.
11 “You shall also make fifty clasps of [cp]bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and [cq]join the tent together so that it will be [cr]a unit. 12 The [cs]overhanging part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13 The [ct]cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it. 14 And (DM)you shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins [cu]dyed red and a covering of [cv]fine leather above.
Boards and Bases
15 “Then you shall make (DN)the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. 16 [cw]Ten cubits shall be the length of [cx]each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. 17 There shall be two tenons for each board, [cy]fitted to one another; that is what you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18 You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards [cz]for the south side. 19 You shall make forty (DO)bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two tenons and two bases under another board for its two tenons; 20 and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, 21 and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board. 22 For the [da]back of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. 23 You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the [db]back. 24 They shall be double beneath, and together they shall be complete [dc]to its top [dd]to the first ring; this is how it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. 25 And there shall be eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.
26 “Then you shall make (DP)bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, 27 and five bars for the boards of the [de]other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the [df]back side to the west. 28 The middle bar in the [dg]center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. 29 And you shall overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. 30 Then you shall erect the tabernacle (DQ)according to its plan which you have been shown on the mountain.
The Veil and Curtain
31 “You shall also make (DR)a veil of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer. 32 Then you shall [dh]hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also of gold, on four bases of silver. 33 You shall [di]hang up the veil under the clasps, and bring in (DS)the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall [dj]serve as a partition for you (DT)between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. 34 (DU)You shall put the [dk]atoning cover on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. 35 And (DV)you shall set the table outside the veil, and the (DW)lampstand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.
36 “(DX)You shall also make a curtain for the doorway of the tent of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a [dl]weaver. 37 And (DY)you shall make five pillars of acacia for the curtain and overlay them with gold, their hooks also of gold; and you shall cast five bases of [dm]bronze for them.
Footnotes
- Exodus 23:2 Lit many
- Exodus 23:2 Or answer
- Exodus 23:2 Lit many
- Exodus 23:3 Lit honor
- Exodus 23:5 Lit him
- Exodus 23:8 Or distorts the words
- Exodus 23:9 Lit soul
- Exodus 23:11 Lit drop
- Exodus 23:13 Lit on
- Exodus 23:15 Lit it
- Exodus 23:15 Lit they shall not
- Exodus 23:17 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Exodus 23:18 Or festival
- Exodus 23:25 Or that He may bless
- Exodus 23:31 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Exodus 23:32 Lit cut
- Exodus 24:3 Or judgments
- Exodus 24:4 Lit beneath
- Exodus 24:7 Lit in the ears of the people;
- Exodus 24:8 Lit cut
- Exodus 24:8 Lit on all
- Exodus 24:9 Lit and
- Exodus 24:10 Lit like a pavement
- Exodus 24:10 Lit and as
- Exodus 24:12 Lit be
- Exodus 24:12 Lit and
- Exodus 24:12 Lit commandment
- Exodus 24:13 Lit and
- Exodus 24:13 Or minister
- Exodus 24:14 Lit is a master of matters
- Exodus 24:16 Lit dwelt
- Exodus 24:18 Lit and
- Exodus 25:2 Or uplifted offering
- Exodus 25:2 Or uplifted offering
- Exodus 25:3 Or uplifted offering
- Exodus 25:4 Or bluish; LXX hyacinth in color
- Exodus 25:5 Meaning of the Heb uncertain
- Exodus 25:7 Or pouch
- Exodus 25:10 I.e., chest
- Exodus 25:10 About 3.7 ft. long and 2.2 ft. wide and high or 1.1 m and 68 cm
- Exodus 25:10 Lit its length
- Exodus 25:10 Lit its width
- Exodus 25:10 Lit its height
- Exodus 25:11 Lit on it round about
- Exodus 25:12 Or put
- Exodus 25:15 Lit be
- Exodus 25:17 Also called a mercy seat, and so throughout the ch; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
- Exodus 25:17 About 3.7 ft. long and 2.2 ft. wide or 1.1 m and 68 cm
- Exodus 25:17 Lit its length
- Exodus 25:17 Lit its width
- Exodus 25:18 Lit from
- Exodus 25:19 Lit from
- Exodus 25:19 Lit from
- Exodus 25:19 Lit from
- Exodus 25:20 Lit their faces to
- Exodus 25:21 Lit above, upon
- Exodus 25:22 Lit all that I will command
- Exodus 25:23 About 3 ft. long, 1.5 ft. wide, 2.25 ft. high or 90 cm, 45 cm, and 68 cm
- Exodus 25:23 Lit its length
- Exodus 25:23 Lit its width
- Exodus 25:23 Lit its height
- Exodus 25:25 About 3 in. or 7.5 cm
- Exodus 25:30 Lit Face
- Exodus 25:31 Or calyx
- Exodus 25:32 Lit second
- Exodus 25:33 Or calyx
- Exodus 25:33 Lit one branch
- Exodus 25:33 Or calyx
- Exodus 25:34 Or calyxes
- Exodus 25:35 Or calyx
- Exodus 25:35 Or calyx
- Exodus 25:35 Or calyx
- Exodus 25:36 Or calyxes
- Exodus 25:37 Lit raise up
- Exodus 25:39 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
- Exodus 26:1 Or bluish; LXX hyacinth in color, and so throughout the ch
- Exodus 26:2 About 42 ft. long and 6 ft. wide or 13 m and 1.8 m
- Exodus 26:2 Lit one measure
- Exodus 26:3 Or coupled
- Exodus 26:3 Or coupled
- Exodus 26:4 Lit one curtain from the end in the coupling
- Exodus 26:4 Lit coupling
- Exodus 26:5 Lit end
- Exodus 26:5 Lit coupling
- Exodus 26:6 Or couple
- Exodus 26:6 Or dwelling place, and so throughout the ch
- Exodus 26:8 About 45 ft. long and 6 ft. wide or 13.5 m and 1.8 m
- Exodus 26:8 Lit one measure
- Exodus 26:9 Or couple
- Exodus 26:9 Lit toward the front of the face of the tent
- Exodus 26:10 Lit one curtain
- Exodus 26:10 Lit coupling
- Exodus 26:10 Lit coupling
- Exodus 26:11 Or copper
- Exodus 26:11 Or couple
- Exodus 26:11 Lit one
- Exodus 26:12 Lit excess
- Exodus 26:13 About 18 in. or about 45 cm
- Exodus 26:14 Or tanned
- Exodus 26:14 Meaning of the Heb uncertain
- Exodus 26:16 About 15 ft. long and 2.2 ft. wide or 4.6 m and 68 cm
- Exodus 26:16 Lit the
- Exodus 26:17 Lit bound
- Exodus 26:18 Lit toward the side of the Negev to the south
- Exodus 26:22 Lit far parts
- Exodus 26:23 Lit far parts
- Exodus 26:24 Or at its head
- Exodus 26:24 Or with reference to
- Exodus 26:27 Lit second
- Exodus 26:27 Lit far parts
- Exodus 26:28 Lit midst
- Exodus 26:32 Lit put
- Exodus 26:33 Lit put
- Exodus 26:33 Lit separate for you between
- Exodus 26:34 Also called mercy seat; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
- Exodus 26:36 Lit variegator; i.e., a weaver in colors
- Exodus 26:37 Or copper
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.