Exodus 21-31

New King James Version

The Law Concerning Servants^(A)

21 “Now these are the ^[a]judgments which you shall ^(B)set before them: ^2 (C)If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. ³ If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴ If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. ^5 (D)But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ ⁶ then his master shall bring him to the ^(E)judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

⁷ “And if a man ^(F)sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. ⁸ If she ^[b]does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. ⁹ And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. ¹⁰ If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, ^(G)and her marriage rights. ¹¹ And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.

The Law Concerning Violence

^12 (H)“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. ¹³ However, ^(I)if he did not lie in wait, but God ^(J)delivered him into his hand, then ^(K)I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

¹⁴ “But if a man acts with ^(L)premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, ^(M)you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.

¹⁵ “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

^16 (N)“He who kidnaps a man and ^(O)sells him, or if he is ^(P)found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

¹⁷ “And ^(Q)he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

¹⁸ “If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, ¹⁹ if he rises again and walks about outside ^(R)with his staff, then he who struck him shall be ^[c]acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.

²⁰ “And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. ²¹ Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his ^(S)property.

²² “If men ^[d]fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that ^[e]she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall ^(T)pay as the judges determine. ²³ But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, ^24 (U)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

²⁶ “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. ²⁷ And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.

Animal Control Laws

²⁸ “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then ^(V)the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be ^[f]acquitted. ²⁹ But if the ox ^[g]tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. ³⁰ If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay ^(W)to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him. ³¹ Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him. ³² If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master ^(X)thirty shekels of silver, and the ^(Y)ox shall be stoned.

³³ “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his.

³⁵ “If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide. ³⁶ Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own.

Responsibility for Property

22 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall ^(Z)restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. ² If the thief is found ^(AA)breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be ^(AB)no guilt for his bloodshed. ³ If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be ^(AC)sold^[h] for his theft. ⁴ If the theft is certainly ^(AD)found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall ^(AE)restore double.

⁵ “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

⁶ “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

⁷ “If a man ^(AF)delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, ^(AG)if the thief is found, he shall pay double. ⁸ If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the ^(AH)judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.

⁹ “For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the ^(AI)cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. ¹⁰ If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, ¹¹ then an ^(AJ)oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. ¹² But ^(AK)if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it. ¹³ If it is ^(AL)torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.

¹⁴ “And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. ¹⁵ If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.

Moral and Ceremonial Principles

^16 (AM)“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. ¹⁷ If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the ^(AN)bride-price of virgins.

^18 (AO)“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

^19 (AP)“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.

^20 (AQ)“He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

^21 (AR)“You shall neither mistreat a ^[i]stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

^22 (AS)“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. ²³ If you afflict them in any way, and they ^(AT)cry at all to Me, I will surely ^(AU)hear their cry; ²⁴ and My ^(AV)wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; ^(AW)your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

^25 (AX)“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him ^(AY)interest. ^26 (AZ)If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. ²⁷ For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am ^(BA)gracious.

^28 (BB)“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ^(BC)ruler of your people.

²⁹ “You shall not delay to offer ^(BD)the first of your ripe produce and your juices. ^(BE)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ^30 (BF)Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother ^(BG)seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

³¹ “And you shall be ^(BH)holy men to Me: ^(BI)you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Justice for All

23 “You ^(BJ)shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an ^(BK)unrighteous witness. ^2 (BL)You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; ^(BM)nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. ³ You shall not show partiality to a ^(BN)poor man in his dispute.

^4 (BO)“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. ^5 (BP)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

^6 (BQ)“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. ^7 (BR)Keep yourself far from a false matter; ^(BS)do not kill the innocent and righteous. For ^(BT)I will not justify the wicked. ⁸ And ^(BU)you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.

⁹ “Also ^(BV)you shall not oppress a ^[j]stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Law of Sabbaths

^10 (BW)“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, ¹¹ but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your ^[k]olive grove. ^12 (BX)Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

¹³ “And in all that I have said to you, ^(BY)be circumspect and ^(BZ)make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.

Three Annual Feasts^(CA)

^14 (CB)“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: ^15 (CC)You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; ^(CD)none shall appear before Me empty); ^16 (CE)and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and ^(CF)the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

^17 (CG)“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord ^[l]God.

^18 (CH)“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened ^(CI)bread; nor shall the fat of My ^[m]sacrifice remain until morning. ^19 (CJ)The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. ^(CK)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

The Angel and the Promises

^20 (CL)“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹ Beware of Him and obey His voice; ^(CM)do not provoke Him, for He will ^(CN)not pardon your transgressions; for ^(CO)My name is in Him. ²² But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then ^(CP)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ^23 (CQ)For My Angel will go before you and ^(CR)bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will ^[n]cut them off. ²⁴ You shall not ^(CS)bow down to their gods, nor serve them, ^(CT)nor do according to their works; ^(CU)but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

²⁵ “So you shall ^(CV)serve the Lord your God, and ^(CW)He will bless your bread and your water. And ^(CX)I will take sickness away from the midst of you. ^26 (CY)No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will ^(CZ)fulfill the number of your days.

²⁷ “I will send ^(DA)My fear before you, I will ^(DB)cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸ And ^(DC)I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. ^29 (DD)I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. ³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. ³¹ And ^(DE)I will set your ^[o]bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the ^[p]River. For I will ^(DF)deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. ^32 (DG)You shall make no ^[q]covenant with them, nor with their gods. ³³ They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, ^(DH)it will surely be a snare to you.”

Israel Affirms the Covenant

24 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, ^(DI)Nadab and Abihu, ^(DJ)and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. ² And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”

³ So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ^[r]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ^(DK)“All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” ⁴ And Moses ^(DL)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve ^(DM)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered ^(DN)burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. ⁶ And Moses ^(DO)took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ Then he ^(DP)took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” ⁸ And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is ^(DQ)the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

On the Mountain with God

⁹ Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and they ^(DR)saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of ^(DS)sapphire stone, and it was like the ^(DT)very^[s] heavens in its clarity. ¹¹ But on the nobles of the children of Israel He ^(DU)did not ^[t]lay His hand. So ^(DV)they saw God, and they ^(DW)ate and drank.

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(DX)“Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you ^(DY)tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

¹³ So Moses arose with ^(DZ)his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. ¹⁴ And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and ^(EA)Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” ¹⁵ Then Moses went up into the mountain, and ^(EB)a cloud covered the mountain.

¹⁶ Now ^(EC)the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷ The sight of the glory of the Lord was like ^(ED)a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. ¹⁸ So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And ^(EE)Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Offerings for the Sanctuary^(EF)

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an ^[u]offering. ^(EG)From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. ³ And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ⁵ ram skins dyed red, ^[v]badger skins, and acacia wood; ^6 (EH)oil for the light, and ^(EI)spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; ⁷ onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ^(EJ)ephod and in the breastplate. ⁸ And let them make Me a ^(EK)sanctuary,^[w] that ^(EL)I may dwell among them. ⁹ According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

The Ark of the Testimony^(EM)

^10 (EN)“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. ¹¹ And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of ^(EO)gold all around. ¹² You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 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, that the ark may be carried by them. ^15 (EP)The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. ¹⁶ And you shall put into the ark ^(EQ)the Testimony which I will give you.

^17 (ER)“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. ¹⁸ And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. ²⁰ And ^(ES)the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. ^21 (ET)You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and ^(EU)in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. ²² And ^(EV)there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from ^(EW)between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

The Table for the Showbread^(EX)

^23 (EY)“You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. ²⁴ And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. ²⁵ You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. ²⁶ And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. ²⁷ The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. ²⁸ And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. ²⁹ You shall make ^(EZ)its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ And you shall set the ^(FA)showbread on the table before Me always.

The Gold Lampstand^(FB)

^31 (FC)“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. ³² And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. ^33 (FD)Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. ^34 (FE)On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. ³⁵ And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. ³⁶ Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. ³⁷ You shall make seven lamps for it, and ^(FF)they shall arrange its lamps so that they ^(FG)give light in front of it. ³⁸ And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. ⁴⁰ And ^(FH)see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

The Tabernacle^(FI)

26 “Moreover ^(FJ)you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. ² The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. And every one of the curtains shall have ^[x]the same measurements. ³ Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. ⁴ And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. ⁵ Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another. ⁶ And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.

^7 (FK)“You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. ⁸ The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. ⁹ And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. ¹⁰ You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. ¹¹ And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. ¹² The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it.

^14 (FL)“You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.

¹⁵ “And for the tabernacle you shall ^(FM)make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. ¹⁶ Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. ¹⁷ Two ^[y]tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. ¹⁹ You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. ²⁰ And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards ²¹ and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. ²² For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. ²³ And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. ²⁴ They shall be ^[z]coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. ²⁵ So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards.

²⁶ “And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward. ²⁸ The ^(FN)middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end. ²⁹ You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ And you shall raise up the tabernacle ^(FO)according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.

^31 (FP)“You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. ³² You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. ³³ And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring ^(FQ)the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between ^(FR)the holy place and the Most Holy. ^34 (FS)You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. ^35 (FT)You shall set the table outside the veil, and ^(FU)the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

^36 (FV)“You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. ³⁷ And you shall make for the screen ^(FW)five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.

The Altar of Burnt Offering^(FX)

27 “You shall make ^(FY)an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits. ² You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze. ³ Also you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. ⁴ You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. ⁵ You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar. ⁶ And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it. ⁸ You shall make it hollow with boards; ^(FZ)as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.

The Court of the Tabernacle^(GA)

^9 (GB)“You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. ¹⁰ And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver. ¹¹ Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver.

¹² “And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. ¹³ The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. ¹⁵ And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.

¹⁶ “For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets. ¹⁷ All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their ^(GC)hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

The Care of the Lampstand^(GD)

²⁰ “And ^(GE)you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to ^[aa]burn continually. ²¹ In the tabernacle of meeting, ^(GF)outside the veil which is before the Testimony, ^(GG)Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. ^(GH)It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.

Garments for the Priesthood^(GI)

28 “Now take ^(GJ)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as ^(GK)priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: ^(GL)Nadab, Abihu, ^(GM)Eleazar, and Ithamar. ² And ^(GN)you shall make ^[ab]holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ³ So ^(GO)you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, ^(GP)whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. ⁴ And these are the garments which they shall make: ^(GQ)a breastplate, ^(GR)an ^[ac]ephod, ^(GS)a robe, ^(GT)a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and ^(GU)a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.

The Ephod

⁵ “They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, ^6 (GV)and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked. ⁷ It shall have two shoulder straps joined at its two edges, and so it shall be joined together. ⁸ And the ^[ad]intricately woven band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen.

⁹ “Then you shall take two onyx ^(GW)stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: ¹⁰ six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, in order of their ^(GX)birth. ¹¹ With the work of an ^(GY)engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall set them in settings of gold. ¹² And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So ^(GZ)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders ^(HA)as a memorial. ¹³ You shall also make settings of gold, ¹⁴ and you shall make two chains of pure gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the settings.

The Breastplate^(HB)

^15 (HC)“You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. ¹⁶ It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. ^17 (HD)And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a ^[ae]sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; ¹⁸ the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹⁹ the third row, a ^[af]jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ and the fourth row, a ^[ag]beryl, an ^[ah]onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. ²¹ And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.

²² “You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. ²³ And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. ²⁴ Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; ²⁵ and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.

²⁶ “You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. ²⁷ And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the ^[ai]intricately woven band of the ephod. ²⁸ They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.

²⁹ “So Aaron shall ^(HE)bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. ³⁰ And ^(HF)you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the ^[aj]Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.

Other Priestly Garments^(HG)

^31 (HH)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. ³² There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. ³³ And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: ³⁴ a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. ³⁵ And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die.

^36 (HI)“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:

HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

³⁷ And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. ³⁸ So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may ^(HJ)bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their ^[ak]holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be ^(HK)accepted before the Lord.

³⁹ “You shall ^(HL)skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.

^40 (HM)“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make ^[al]hats for them, for glory and ^(HN)beauty. ⁴¹ So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall ^(HO)anoint them, ^(HP)consecrate them, and ^[am]sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests. ⁴² And you shall make ^(HQ)for them linen trousers to cover their ^[an]nakedness; they shall ^[ao]reach from the waist to the thighs. ⁴³ They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near ^(HR)the altar to minister in the holy place, that they ^(HS)do not incur ^[ap]iniquity and die. ^(HT)It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.

Aaron and His Sons Consecrated^(HU)

29 “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: ^(HV)Take one young bull and two rams without blemish, ² and ^(HW)unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil (you shall make them of wheat flour). ³ You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams.

⁴ “And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, ^(HX)and you shall wash them with water. ^5 (HY)Then you shall take the garments, put the tunic on Aaron, and the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with ^(HZ)the intricately woven band of the ephod. ^6 (IA)You shall put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. ⁷ And you shall take the anointing ^(IB)oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. ⁸ Then ^(IC)you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. ⁹ And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. ^(ID)The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall ^(IE)consecrate Aaron and his sons.

¹⁰ “You shall also have the bull brought before the tabernacle of meeting, and ^(IF)Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the bull. ¹¹ Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ¹² You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on ^(IG)the horns of the altar with your finger, and ^(IH)pour all the blood beside the base of the altar. ¹³ And ^(II)you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. ¹⁴ But ^(IJ)the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.

^15 (IK)“You shall also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall ^(IL)put their hands on the head of the ram; ¹⁶ and you shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood and ^(IM)sprinkle it all around on the altar. ¹⁷ Then you shall cut the ram in pieces, wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and with its head. ¹⁸ And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a ^(IN)burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

^19 (IO)“You shall also take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram. ²⁰ Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. ²¹ And you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar, and some of ^(IP)the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments, on his sons and on the garments of his sons with him; and ^(IQ)he and his garments shall be hallowed, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

²² “Also you shall take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), ^23 (IR)one loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord; ²⁴ and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall ^(IS)wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. ^25 (IT)You shall receive them back from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord.

²⁶ “Then you shall take ^(IU)the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be your portion. ²⁷ And from the ram of the consecration you shall consecrate ^(IV)the breast of the wave offering which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering which is raised, of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons. ²⁸ It shall be from the children of Israel for Aaron and his sons ^(IW)by a statute forever. For it is a heave offering; ^(IX)it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, that is, their heave offering to the Lord.

²⁹ “And the ^(IY)holy garments of Aaron ^(IZ)shall be his sons’ after him, ^(JA)to be anointed in them and to be consecrated in them. ^30 (JB)That son who becomes priest in his place shall put them on for ^(JC)seven days, when he enters the tabernacle of meeting to minister in the ^[aq]holy place.

³¹ “And you shall take the ram of the consecration and ^(JD)boil its flesh in the holy place. ³² Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the ^(JE)bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ^33 (JF)They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; ^(JG)but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy. ³⁴ And if any of the flesh of the consecration offerings, or of the bread, remains until the morning, then ^(JH)you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

³⁵ “Thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. ^(JI)Seven days you shall consecrate them. ³⁶ And you ^(JJ)shall offer a bull every day as a sin offering for atonement. ^(JK)You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to sanctify it. ³⁷ Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy. ^(JL)Whatever touches the altar must be holy.

The Daily Offerings^(JM)

³⁸ “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: ^(JN)two lambs of the first year, ^(JO)day by day continually. ³⁹ One lamb you shall offer ^(JP)in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer ^[ar]at twilight. ⁴⁰ With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. ⁴¹ And the other lamb you shall ^(JQ)offer ^[as]at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. ⁴² This shall be ^(JR)a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, ^(JS)where I will meet you to speak with you. ⁴³ And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle ^(JT)shall be sanctified by My glory. ⁴⁴ So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also ^(JU)consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests. ^45 (JV)I will dwell among the children of Israel and will ^(JW)be their God. ⁴⁶ And they shall know that ^(JX)I am the Lord their God, who ^(JY)brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar of Incense^(JZ)

30 “You shall make ^(KA)an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. ² A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width—it shall be square—and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. ³ And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a ^[at]molding of gold all around. ⁴ Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. ⁵ You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. ⁶ And you shall put it before the ^(KB)veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the ^(KC)mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

⁷ “Aaron shall burn on it ^(KD)sweet incense every morning; when ^(KE)he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. ⁸ And when Aaron lights the lamps ^[au]at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹ You shall not offer ^(KF)strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. ¹⁰ And ^(KG)Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

The Ransom Money

¹¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^12 (KH)“When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give ^(KI)a^[av] ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no ^(KJ)plague among them when you number them. ^13 (KK)This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary ^(KL)(a shekel is twenty gerahs). ^(KM)The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an ^[aw]offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ The ^(KN)rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves. ¹⁶ And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and ^(KO)shall ^[ax]appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be ^(KP)a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”

The Bronze Laver

¹⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^18 (KQ)“You shall also make a ^[ay]laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall ^(KR)put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, ¹⁹ for Aaron and his sons ^(KS)shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. ²⁰ When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. ²¹ So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And ^(KT)it shall be a ^[az]statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”

The Holy Anointing Oil^(KU)

²² Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²³ “Also take for yourself ^(KV)quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid ^(KW)myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling ^(KX)cane, ²⁴ five hundred shekels of ^(KY)cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a ^(KZ)hin of olive oil. ²⁵ And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be ^(LA)a holy anointing oil. ^26 (LB)With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; ²⁷ the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; ²⁸ the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. ²⁹ You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; ^(LC)whatever touches them must be holy. ^30 (LD)And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests.

³¹ “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. ³² It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. ^(LE)It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. ^33 (LF)Whoever ^[ba]compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, ^(LG)shall be ^[bb]cut off from his people.’ ”

The Incense^(LH)

³⁴ And the Lord said to Moses: ^(LI)“Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. ³⁵ You shall make of these an incense, a compound ^(LJ)according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. ³⁶ And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting ^(LK)where I will meet with you. ^(LL)It shall be most holy to you. ³⁷ But as for the incense which you shall make, ^(LM)you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its ^[bc]composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. ^38 (LN)Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

Artisans for Building the Tabernacle^(LO)

31 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^2 (LP)“See, I have called by name Bezalel the ^(LQ)son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³ And I have ^(LR)filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, ⁴ to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, ⁵ in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.

⁶ “And I, indeed I, have appointed with him ^(LS)Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the ^(LT)gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: ^7 (LU)the tabernacle of meeting, ^(LV)the ark of the Testimony and ^(LW)the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle— ^8 (LX)the table and its utensils, ^(LY)the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, ^9 (LZ)the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and ^(MA)the laver and its base— ^10 (MB)the ^[bd]garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, ^11 (MC)and the anointing oil and ^(MD)sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”

The Sabbath Law

¹² And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹³ “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ^(ME)‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who ^(MF)sanctifies^[be] you. ^14 (MG)You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who ^[bf]profanes it shall surely be put to death; for ^(MH)whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵ Work shall be done for ^(MI)six days, but the ^(MJ)seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. ¹⁶ Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ It is ^(MK)a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for ^(ML)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”

¹⁸ And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses ^(MM)two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.