Beginning
30 Also thou shalt make an altar of the wood of shittim, for to burn incense; (And thou shalt make an altar out of shittim wood, or acacia wood, on which to burn incense;)
2 and the altar shall have a cubit of length, and another cubit of breadth, that is four-cornered, and two cubits in height; (and the) corners shall come forth of the altar. (and the altar shall be one cubit in length, and one cubit in breadth, that is, square, and two cubits in height; and horns shall come forth from the altar.)
3 And thou shalt clothe it with cleanest gold, as well the roof thereof, that is, the higher part, as the walls, and [the] corners by compass thereof; and thou shalt make to the altar a little golden crown by compass, (And thou shalt cover it with pure gold, yea, the top of it, and its walls, and the horns on its corners; and thou shalt put a gold band all around the altar,)
4 and two golden circles under the crown by all sides, that bars be put into those rings, and so the altar be borne. (and thou shalt fasten two gold rings under the band on each side, so that bars can be put through those rings, and the altar can be carried.)
5 Also thou shalt make the bars of the wood of shittim, and thou shalt overgild them; (And thou shalt make the bars out of shittim wood, and thou shalt gild them with gold;)
6 and thou shalt set the altar against the veil, that hangeth before the ark of witnessing, (and) before the propitiatory, with which the witnessing is covered, where I shall speak to thee. (and thou shalt put the altar outside the Veil, that hangeth in front of the Ark of the Witnessing, and in front of the propitiatory, that is, the mercy seat, or the lid, that covereth the Ark of the Witnessing, where I shall speak to thee.)
7 And Aaron shall burn thereon incense smelling sweetly early (And early each day, Aaron shall burn sweet smelling incense on it); when he shall array the lanterns, he shall burn it;
8 and when he setteth the lanterns at eventide, he shall burn everlasting incense before the Lord, into your generations. (and when he setteth the lanterns in the evening, he shall also burn everlasting incense on it before the Lord, and so shall all your generations to come.)
9 Ye shall not offer thereon incense of (any) other making, neither offering, nor slain sacrifice, neither ye shall offer flowing offerings thereon (nor shall ye offer any wine offerings on it).
10 And Aaron shall pray on the horns thereof once by the year, in the blood which is offered for sin, and he shall please (the Lord) thereon in your generations; it shall be the holy of holy things to the Lord. (And once every year Aaron shall put blood on its horns, from the yearly sin offering, and for all your generations to come, the priest shall cleanse, or shall purify, the altar in this way; for it is most holy to the Lord.)
11 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
12 When thou shalt take the sum of the sons of Israel, all by themselves shall give by the number (the) price for their souls to the Lord, and vengeance shall not be in them, when they be numbered. (When thou shalt take the sum of the sons of Israel, that is, when thou shalt register them, each one shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord, and so vengeance shall not come upon them, as they be listed.)
13 Soothly each that passeth to the name(d), that is, of twenty years, shall give this price (And each one who passeth over to the named, that is, he who is twenty years of age, or older, shall pay this amount of money), half a shekel by the measure of the temple; a shekel hath twenty half-pence; the half part of a shekel shall be offered to the Lord.
14 He that is had in the number, from twenty years and above, shall give this price; (He that is had in the number, from twenty years of age and older, shall pay this amount of money;)
15 a rich man shall not add to the half of a shekel, and a poor man shall nothing abate (and a poor man shall not pay less).
16 And thou shalt betake into the uses of the tabernacle of witnessing the money taken, which is gathered of the sons of Israel, that it be a mind of them before the Lord, and he shall be merciful to their souls. (And thou shalt use the money, which is gathered from the sons of Israel, for the needs of the Tabernacle of the Witnessing; and it shall be a reminder of them to the Lord, and so I shall be merciful to their souls.)
17 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
18 Also thou shalt make a great vessel of brass with his foundament, to wash in, and thou shalt set it betwixt the tabernacle of witnessing and the altar; and when water is put therein, (And thou shalt make a great bronze vessel, with a bronze foundation, or a bronze base, to wash in, and thou shalt set it between the Tabernacle of the Witnessing and the altar; and when water is put in it,)
19 Aaron and his sons shall wash therein their hands and their feet,
20 when they shall enter into the tabernacle of witnessing, and when they shall nigh to the altar, that they offer therein incense to the Lord, lest peradventure they die; (whenever they shall go into the Tabernacle of the Witnessing, or when they shall approach the altar to offer incense on it to the Lord, otherwise they shall die/or they shall be killed;)
21 it shall be a lawful thing everlasting to him and to his seed by successions. (this shall be an everlasting law for him and for his descendants by succession.)
22 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
23 Take to thee sweet smelling spiceries, of the first and chosen myrrh, (equal to the weight of) five hundred shekels; and of canel the half (and half as much canel), that is, (the weight of) two hundred and fifty shekels; [and] in like manner of calamus, that is, a sweet smelling tree, small and full of knots, (the weight of) two hundred and fifty shekels;
24 also of cassia five hundred shekels, in the weight of [the] saintuary; the oil of olives trees, the measure of hin; (and of cassia, the weight of five hundred shekels, all by the measure of the sanctuary; and the oil of olives trees, the measure of a hin, that is, two pounds;)
25 and thou shalt make the holy oil of anointing, an ointment made by the craft of an ointment maker.
26 And thou shalt anoint thereof the tabernacle of witnessing, and the ark of the testament, (And thou shalt anoint with it the Tabernacle of the Witnessing, and the Ark of the Witnessing,)
27 and the board with his vessels, [and] the candlestick, and the purtenances thereof, (and) the altars of incense, (and the table, and its vessels, and the lamp-stand, and its purtenances, and the altar of incense,)
28 and of burnt sacrifice, and all the purtenance, that pertaineth to the adorning of those things. (and the altar of burnt sacrifice, and the purtenances of the altars, and the great washing vessel, and its foundation, or its base.)
29 And thou shalt hallow all (these) things, and they shall be the holy of holy things; he that shall touch those, shall be hallowed beforehand. (And thou shalt hallow all these things, and they shall be most holy; anyone who is unclean who toucheth these things, shall be harmed.)
30 Thou shalt anoint Aaron, and his sons, and thou shalt hallow them, that they be set in priesthood to me (so that they can serve as my priests).
31 And thou shalt say to the sons of Israel, This oil of anointing shall be holy to me into your generations. (And thou shalt say to the Israelites, This anointing oil shall be holy to me, for all your generations to come.)
32 The flesh of (a) man shall not be anointed thereof, and by the making thereof ye shall not make another such oil, for it is hallowed, and it shall be holy to you.
33 Whatever man maketh such oil, and giveth thereof to an alien, he shall be put out of his people. (Whoever maketh such an oil, or giveth it to anyone, shall be put out, or shall be cut off, from his people.)
34 Forsooth the Lord said to Moses, Take to thee sweet smelling spiceries, stacte, and onycha, galbanum of good odour, and most pure (frank)incense, all these shall be of even weight (and they all shall be of equal weight).
35 And thou shalt make (the) incense, made by the craft of an ointment maker, meddled together diligently (diligently mixed together), and pure, and most worthy of hallowing.
36 And when thou hast pounded all these things into (the) smallest powder, thou shalt put thereof before the tabernacle of witnessing, in which place I shall appear to thee; the made incense shall be to you the holy of holy things. (And when thou hast pounded all these things into the smallest powder, thou shalt sprinkle it in front of the Ark of the Witnessing in the Tabernacle, where I shall appear to thee; this incense shall be most holy to you.)
37 Ye shall not make such a making into your [own] uses, for it is holy to the Lord. (Ye shall not make such incense for your own uses, for it is holy to the Lord.)
38 Whatever man maketh like thing to it, that he use the odour thereof, he shall perish from his people. (Whoever maketh anything like it, so that he can have its aroma for himself, he shall perish, or shall be cut off, from the midst of his people.)
31 And the Lord spake to Moses, saying,
2 Lo! I have called Bezaleel by name, the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the lineage of Judah; (Lo! I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;)
3 and I have filled him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, and understanding, and knowing in all (manner of) work,
4 to find out, or cast, whatever thing may be made subtly of gold, and silver, and brass, (to design whatever things may be made out of gold, and silver, and bronze,)
5 and marble, and gems, and of (the) diversity of woods.
6 And I have given to him a fellow, Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the kindred of Dan; and I have put in their hearts the wisdom of each learned man, that they make all things which I have commanded to thee; (And I have given for fellowship to him, Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the family, or the tribe, of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the heart of other learned men, so that they know how to make all the things which I have commanded to thee;)
7 the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, and the ark of witnessing, and the propitiatory, or the table, that is thereon, and all the vessels of the tabernacle; (the Tabernacle of the Covenant, that is, the Tabernacle of the Witnessing, and the Ark of the Witnessing, and the propitiatory, that is the lid, that covereth the Ark, and all the vessels of the Tabernacle;)
8 also the board, and the vessels thereof, the cleanest candlestick with his vessels, and the altars of incense, (and the table, and its vessels, the lamp-stand of pure gold, and its vessels, and the altar of incense,)
9 and of burnt sacrifice, and all the vessels of them; the great washing vessel with his foundament; (and the altar of burnt sacrifice, and all their vessels; the great washing vessel, and its foundation, or its base;)
10 [the] holy clothes in service to Aaron the priest, and to his sons, that they be set in their office in holy things; (the holy clothes of ministry for Aaron the priest, and for his sons, to use when they serve as my priests;)
11 the oil of anointing, and the incense of sweet smelling spiceries in the saintuary (the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet smelling spices for the sanctuary); they shall make all these things that I have commanded to thee.
12 And the Lord spake to Moses, saying,
13 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, See ye that ye keep my sabbath, for it is a sign betwixt me and you in your generations; that ye know, that I am the Lord, which hallow[eth] you. (Speak thou to the Israelites, and thou shalt say to them, See ye that ye keep my sabbath, for it is a sign between me and you for all generations to come; so that ye know, that I am the Lord, who halloweth you.)
14 Keep ye my sabbath, for it is holy to you; he that defouleth it, shall die by death (he who defileth it, must be put to death); (yea,) the soul of him, that doeth work in the sabbath, shall perish from the midst of his people.
15 Six days ye shall do work; in the seventh day is sabbath, the holy rest to the Lord; each man that doeth work in this day shall die. (For six days ye shall do work; but on the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, which is holy to the Lord; any person who doeth work on this day must be put to death.)
16 The sons of Israel keep [the] sabbath, and hallow it in their generations; it is a covenant everlasting (The Israelites shall keep the sabbath, and make it holy in all their generations; it is an everlasting covenant)
17 betwixt me and the sons of Israel, and it is a sign everlasting; for in six days God made heaven and earth, and in the seventh day he ceased of work. (between me and the Israelites, and it is an everlasting sign; for in six days God made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he ceased from all his work.)
18 And when he had [ful]filled to speak to Moses, the Lord gave to Moses, in the hill of Sinai, two stone tables of witnessing, written with the finger of God. (And when he had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, the Lord gave Moses the two stone tablets of the Witnessing, that is, the Law, written with the finger of God.)
32 Forsooth the people saw, that Moses made tarrying to come down from the hill, and it was gathered together against Aaron, and said, Rise thou, and make gods to us, that shall go before us, for we wot not what is befallen to this man Moses, that led us out of the land of Egypt. (And the people saw, that Moses was very long in coming down from the mountain, and so they gathered together around Aaron, and said, Rise thou up, and make gods for us, that shall go before us, for we know not what hath befallen this man Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt.)
2 And Aaron said to them, Take ye the golden earrings from the ears of your wives (Take ye the gold earrings from the ears of your wives), (and) of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring ye them to me.
3 The people did those things, that he commanded, and brought the earrings to Aaron;
4 and when he had taken those, he formed them by work of melting, and he made of them a molten calf (and he made a calf out of the melted gold). And they said, Israel, these be thy gods, that led thee out of the land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron had seen this thing, he builded an altar before the calf, and he cried by the voice of a crier, and said, Tomorrow is the solemnity of the Lord. (And when Aaron had seen this thing, he built an altar before the calf, and he cried by the voice of a crier, and said, Tomorrow shall be a Feast to the Lord.)
6 And they rose (up) early, and offered burnt sacrifices, and peaceable sacrifices (and peace offerings); and the people sat (down) to eat and to drink, and (then) they rose up to play, or to scorn, for idolatry is (the) scorning of God.
7 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said, Go thou, go down, thy people hath sinned, whom thou leddest out of the land of Egypt. (And the Lord spoke to Moses, and said, Go thou, and go down now, for thy people, whom thou leddest out of the land of Egypt, have sinned.)
8 They have gone away soon from the way that thou showedest them, and they have made to them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and they have offered sacrifices to it, and said, Israel, these be thy gods, that led thee out of the land of Egypt. (So soon, or so quickly, they have gone away from the way that thou showedest them, and they have made for themselves a calf out of melted gold, and have worshipped it, and they have offered sacrifices to it, and have said, These be thy gods, Israel, that led thee out of the land of Egypt.)
9 And again the Lord said to Moses, I see [well], that this people is of hard noll; (And the Lord said to Moses, now I clearly see, that this is a hard-headed, or a stubborn, people;)
10 suffer thou me, that my strong vengeance be wroth against them, and that I do away them; and I shall make thee into a great folk. (allow me, that my strong anger come forth in vengeance against them, and that I do them away; and then I shall make a great nation to come forth from thee.)
11 Forsooth Moses prayed the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why is thy vengeance wroth against thy people, whom thou hast led out of the land of Egypt in great strength, and in a strong hand? (But Moses prayed to the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why be thou so angry for vengeance against thy people, whom thou hast led out of the land of Egypt with great strength, and with a strong hand?)
12 I beseech (thee), that [the] Egyptians say not, He led them out fellily (He led them out with an evil intent), to slay (them) in the hills, and to do them away from [the] earth; (let) thine ire cease, and be thou quemeful on the wickedness of thy people.
13 Have thou mind of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, thy servants, to which thou hast sworn by thyself, and saidest, I shall multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and I shall give to your seed all the land of which I spake, and ye shall wield it ever[more]. (Remember Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, thy servants, to whom thou hast sworn by thy own self, and saidest, I shall multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens, and I shall give to your descendants all the land of which I spoke, and ye shall possess it forevermore.)
14 And the Lord was pleased (with Moses’ words), (so) that he did not (do) the evil which he spake against his people.
15 And Moses turned again from the hill, and bare in his hand(s) (the) two tables of witnessing, written in either side, (And then Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, and carried in his hands the two tablets of the Witnessing, written on both sides,)
16 and made by the work of God; and the writing of God was graven in the tables. (and made by God’s work; and God’s writing was engraved on the tablets.)
17 Forsooth Joshua heard the noise of the people crying [out], and he said to Moses, (The) Yelling of fighting is heard in the tents.
18 To whom Moses answered, It is not a cry of men exciting to battle, neither the cry of men compelled to fleeing, but I hear the voice(s) of singers.
19 And when Moses had nighed to the tents, he saw the calf, and (the) dances; and he was wroth greatly, and he threw out of his hand(s) the tables, and he brake them at the roots of the hill. (And when Moses came close to the tents, he saw the calf, and the people dancing; and he was greatly angered, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and he broke them at the foot of the mountain.)
20 And he took the calf, which they had made, and he burnt it, and brake it till (in)to powder, which he sprinkled into the water, and gave thereof (to) drink to the sons of Israel (and then he made the Israelites to drink it).
21 And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people to thee, that thou hast brought in on them the greatest sin? (And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people do to thee, so that thou hast brought in on them this very great sin?)
22 To whom he answered, My lord, be not thou wroth (My lord, do not thou be angry), for thou knowest this people, that it is inclined, either ready, to evil;
23 they said to me, Make thou gods to us, that shall go before us, for we wot not, what hath befallen to this Moses, that led us out of the land of Egypt. (they said to me, Make thou gods for us, that shall go before us, for we know not, what hath befallen this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt.)
24 To whom I said, Who of you hath gold? They took (And so they brought what they had), and gave (it) to me, and I casted it forth into the fire, and this calf went out.
25 Therefore Moses saw the people, that it was made bare; for Aaron had spoiled it for the shame of the filth(hood) of making of the idol, and he had made the people naked among (their) enemies. (And so Moses saw that the people were made bare; for Aaron had plundered them for the shame of the filthhood of the making of the idol, and he had made the people look foolish before their enemies.)
26 And Moses stood in the gate of the tents (And Moses stood at the gate of the tents, or of the camp), and said, If any man is of the Lord, be he joined to me; and all the sons of Levi were gathered to him.
27 To which he said, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, A man put his sword upon his hip, go ye, and turn ye again from gate unto gate by the middle of the tents, and each man slay his brother, his friend, and [his] neighbour, which consented to this idolatry. (To whom he said, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Each man put his sword on his hip, and then go ye through the midst of the camp, from one gate to the other, and back again, and each man kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbour, yea, all who consented to this idolatry.)
28 And the sons of Levi did by the word of Moses, and as three thousand of men felled down in that day. (And the Levites obeyed Moses, and three thousand men fell down dead that day.)
29 And Moses said, Ye have hallowed your hands today to the Lord, each man in his son, and [his] brother, that blessing be given to you. (And Moses said, Today ye have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, each man against his son, and against his brother, and so a blessing hath been given to you.)
30 Soothly when the tother day was made, Moses spake to the people, (and said,) Ye have sinned the most sin (Ye have sinned this very great sin); I shall go up to the Lord, if in any manner I shall be able to beseech him for your felony.
31 And he turned again to the Lord, and said, Lord, I beseech thee, this people hath sinned a great sin, and they have made golden gods to them; (And he returned to the Lord, and said, Lord, I beseech thee, this people hath sinned a very great sin, and they have made gods out of gold for themselves;)
32 either forgive thou this guilt to them, either if thou doest not, do away me from thy book, which thou hast written. (and so either forgive thou them this guilt, or if thou shalt not, then do me away from thy book, which thou hast written.)
33 To whom the Lord answered, I shall do away from my book him that sinneth against me;
34 forsooth go thou, and lead this people, whither I spake to thee; mine angel shall go before thee; forsooth in the day of vengeance I shall visit also this sin of them (but on the day of vengeance, I shall punish them for their sin).
35 Therefore the Lord smote the people (And so the Lord struck the people with a plague), for the guilt of the calf, which Aaron (had) made.
2001 by Terence P. Noble