Bible in 90 Days
Appointing the Priests
29 “This is what you must do to ·appoint Aaron and his sons [L them to consecrate them] to serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two ·male sheep [rams] ·that have nothing wrong with them [L without blemish]. 2 Use ·fine [choice] wheat flour ·without yeast to make bread [to make unleavened bread], cakes ·without yeast [unleavened] mixed with olive oil, and wafers ·without yeast [unleavened] brushed with olive oil. 3 Put these in one basket, and bring them along with the bull and two ·male sheep [rams]. 4 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and wash them with water. 5 Take the clothes and dress Aaron in the inner robe [28:39–41] and the outer robe [28:31–35] of the ·holy vest [ephod; 28:6–14]. Then put on him the ·holy vest [ephod] and the ·chest covering [breastpiece; 28:15–28], and tie the ·holy vest [ephod] on him with its ·skillfully woven belt [embroidered waistband of the ephod]. 6 Put the turban on his head, and put the holy ·crown [diadem] on the turban. 7 Take the special olive oil and pour it on his head to ·make him a priest [L anoint him].
8 “Then bring his sons and put the inner robes on them. 9 ·Put [L Gird them with] the ·headbands [headdresses] on their heads, and tie ·cloth belts around their waists [L sashes on Aaron and his sons]. ·Aaron and his descendants [L They] will be priests in Israel, according to a ·rule that will continue from now on [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement]. This is how you will ·appoint Aaron and his sons as priests [ordain Aaron and his sons; L fill the hand of Aaron and his sons].
10 “Bring the bull to the front of the Meeting Tent, and Aaron and his sons must ·put [lay] their hands on the bull’s head [C a ritual of identification; the animal stood in the place of the offerer]. 11 Then ·kill [slaughter] the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 12 Use your finger to put some of the bull’s blood on the ·corners [L horns; 27:2] of the altar, and then pour the blood that is left at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar. 13 Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, as well as the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and ·burn them [L turn them into smoke] on the altar. 14 Take the bull’s meat, skin, and ·intestines [or dung], and burn them outside the camp. This is an ·offering to take away sin [sin offering; Lev. 4:1–5:13].
15 “Take one of the ·male sheep [rams], and have Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head. 16 ·Kill [Slaughter] it, and take its blood and ·sprinkle [dash] it on all four sides of the altar. 17 Then cut the ram into pieces and wash its inner organs and its legs, putting them with its head and its other pieces. 18 ·Burn [L Turn into smoke] the whole sheep on the altar; it is a burnt offering made by fire [Lev. 1] to the Lord. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
19 “Take the ·other male sheep [second ram], and have Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head [29:10]. 20 ·Kill [Slaughter] it and take some of its blood. Put the blood on the ·bottom [lobe] of the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet [Lev. 14:14; C the significance is unclear]. Then sprinkle the rest of the blood ·against all four sides of [L all around] the altar. 21 Take some of the blood from the altar, and mix it with the ·special oil used in appointing priests [L anointing oil]. Sprinkle this on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. ·This will show that Aaron [L Then he] and his sons and their clothes ·are given to my service [L will be holy/consecrated].
22 “Then take the fat from the ·male sheep [ram], the fat tail, and the fat that covers the inner organs. In addition, take the best part of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and the right thigh. (This is the ·male sheep to be used in appointing priests [ordination ram].)
23 “Then take the basket of ·bread that you made without yeast [unleavened bread], which you put before the Lord. From it take a loaf of bread, a cake made with olive oil, and a wafer. 24 Put all of these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and tell them to ·present them as an [L wave them as a wave] offering to the Lord [C a ritual whereby the offerer symbolically waves the offering before God but then uses it]. 25 Then take them from their hands and ·burn them [L turn them into smoke] on the altar with the whole burnt offering. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord; its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 26 Then take the breast of the ·male sheep used to appoint Aaron as priest [ordination ram], and ·present it before the Lord as an offering [L wave it as a wave offering before the Lord]. This part of the animal will be your ·share [portion]. 27 ·Set aside [Consecrate] the breast [L that was waved as a wave offering] and the thigh of the ·sheep that were used to appoint [L ordination ram that was elevated as an elevation offering for] Aaron and his sons as priests. These parts belong to them. 28 They are to be the ·regular share [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement] which the Israelites will always give to Aaron and his sons. It is the gift the Israelites must give to the Lord from their ·fellowship [or peace] offerings [Lev. 3].
29 “The ·holy [sacred; consecrated] clothes made for Aaron will belong to his ·descendants [sons] so that they can wear these clothes when they are ·appointed as priests [L anointed and ordained]. 30 Aaron’s son, who will become high priest after him, will come to the Meeting Tent to ·serve [minister] in the Holy Place. He is to wear these clothes for seven days.
31 “Take the ·male sheep used to appoint priests [ordination ram] and boil its meat in a place that is holy. 32 Then at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, Aaron and his sons must eat the meat of the ·sheep [ram] and the bread that is in the basket. 33 They should eat these offerings that were used to ·remove their sins [atone] and to ·make them holy when they were made priests [ordain and consecrate]. But no ·stranger [outsider] is to eat them, because they are holy things. 34 If any of the ·meat from that sheep [L ordination meat] or any of the bread is left the next morning, it must be burned. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.
35 “Do all these things that I commanded you to do to Aaron and his sons, and spend seven days ·appointing [ordaining] them. 36 Each day you are to offer a bull ·to remove the sins of [L as a sin offering of atonement for] Aaron and his sons so they will be given for service to the Lord. ·Make the altar ready for service to the Lord [L Offer a sin offering for the altar to make atonement for it], and also ·pour oil on it to make it holy [anoint it to consecrate it]. 37 Spend seven days making ·the altar ready for service to God [L atonement for the altar] and ·making it holy [consecrate it]. Then the altar will become very holy, and anything that touches it must be holy.
The Daily Sacrifices
38 “Every day ·from now on [regularly; continually], offer on the altar two lambs that are one year old. 39 Offer one lamb in the morning and the ·other [second] in the evening ·before dark [at twilight]. 40 ·In the morning, when you offer the [L For the] first lamb, offer also ·two quarts [L a tenth of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with ·one quart [L one fourth of a hin] of oil from ·pressed [or pounded] olives. Pour out a ·quart [L fourth of a hin] of wine as a drink offering. 41 Offer the second lamb ·in the evening [at twilight] with the same ·grain [or gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 3] and drink offering as you did in the morning. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord, and its smell is pleasing to him.
42 “·You must burn these things as an offering [L It is a burnt offering; Lev. 1] to the Lord ·every day [regularly; continuously], ·from now on [L throughout your generations], at the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord. ·When you make the offering, [L …where] I, the Lord, will meet you there and speak to you. 43 I will meet with the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel there, and that place will be holy because of my glory.
44 “So I will make the Meeting Tent and the altar ·holy [consecrated]; I will also make Aaron and his sons ·holy [consecrated] so they may serve me as priests. 45 I will ·live [dwell] with the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel and be their God. 46 And they will know that I am the Lord their God who ·led [brought] them out of Egypt so that I could ·live [dwell] with them. I am the Lord their God.
The Altar for Burning Incense
30 “Make an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 Make it square—·eighteen inches [L a cubit] long and ·eighteen inches [L a cubit] wide—and make it ·thirty-six inches [L two cubits] high. The ·corners that stick out like horns [L horns; 27:2] must be one piece with the altar. 3 ·Cover [L Overlay] its top, its sides, and its ·corners [L horns] with pure gold, and put a gold ·strip [molding] all around the altar. 4 Make two gold rings beneath the gold ·strip [molding] on opposite sides of the altar, and slide poles through them to carry the altar. 5 Make the poles from acacia wood and ·cover [overlay] them with gold. 6 Put the altar of incense in front of the curtain that is ·near [or above] the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; 25:10], in front of the ·lid that covers that Ark [mercy seat; atonement cover; 25:17–22]. There I will meet with you.
7 “Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on the altar every morning when he comes to ·take care of [trim; dress; put in good order] the oil lamps. 8 He must burn incense again ·in the evening [at twilight] when he lights the lamps, so incense will burn before the Lord ·every day [regularly; continually] ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. 9 Do not use this altar for offering ·any other [L strange; profane] incense [Lev. 10:1–7], or burnt offering [Lev. 1], or any kind of ·grain [or gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 3], or drink offering. 10 Once a year Aaron must make ·the altar ready for service to God by putting blood on its corners [atonement on its corners/horns]—the blood of the animal ·offered to remove sins [as an atoning sin offering]. He is to do this once a year ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. ·This altar belongs completely to the Lord’s service [L It is most holy/T the holy of holies to the Lord].”
The Tax for the Meeting Tent
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you ·count [register] the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel, every person must ·buy back [ransom; atone for] his life from the Lord so that no ·terrible things [disaster; plague] will happen to the people when you ·number [register] them. 13 Every person who is ·counted [registered] must pay ·one-fifth of an ounce of silver [L half a shekel]. (·This is set by using one-half of the Holy Place measure, which weighs two-fifths of an ounce [L …according to the shekel of the Holy Place which is twenty gerahs].) This amount is a ·gift [contribution] to the Lord. 14 Every person who is ·counted [registered] and is twenty years old or older must give this ·amount [gift; contribution] to the Lord. 15 A rich person must not give more than ·one-fifth of an ounce [L a half shekel], and a poor person must not give less. You are ·paying this to the Lord to buy back your lives [giving a gift/contribution to the Lord as a ransom/atonement for your life]. 16 ·Gather [Take] from the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel this ·money [silver] paid to ·buy back their lives [L atone; ransom], and ·spend [give] it on things for the ·service [work] in the Meeting Tent. This payment will remind the Lord that the ·Israelites’ [L sons/T children of Israel’s] lives have been ·bought back [ransomed; atoned].”
The Bronze Bowl
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze bowl, on a bronze stand, for washing. Put the bowl and stand between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water ·in the bowl [L there]. 19 Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet with the water from this bowl. 20 Each time they enter the Meeting Tent they must wash with water so they will not die. Whenever they approach the altar to ·serve as priests [minister] and offer a sacrifice to the Lord by fire, 21 they must wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is a ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement] for Aaron and his ·descendants [L seed] ·from now on [L throughout their generations].”
Oil for Appointing
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: ·twelve pounds [L five hundred (shekels)] of liquid myrrh, half that amount (that is, ·six pounds [L two hundred and fifty]) of sweet-smelling cinnamon, ·six pounds [L two hundred and fifty] of sweet-smelling cane, 24 and ·twelve pounds [L five hundred] of cassia. Weigh all these by the Holy Place ·measure [L shekel]. Also take ·four quarts [L a hin] of olive oil, 25 and ·mix [blend; L make] all these things like a perfume to make a holy olive oil. ·This special oil must be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God [L It is a holy anointing oil]. 26 ·Put this oil on [L Anoint] the Meeting Tent and the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony], 27 on the table and all its dishes, on the lampstand [25:31–40] and all its tools, and on the incense altar [30:1–6]. 28 Also, ·put the oil on [anoint] the altar for burnt offerings [27:1–8] and on all its tools, as well as on the bowl [30:17–21] and the stand under the bowl. 29 You will ·prepare all these things for service to God [consecrate/sanctify them], and they will be very holy. Anything that touches these things must be holy.
30 “·Put the oil on [Anoint] Aaron and his sons to ·give them for service to me [consecrate; sanctify them], that they may serve me as priests. 31 Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], ‘This is to be my holy olive oil ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. It is ·to be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God [L for anointing]. 32 Do not pour it on the bodies of ordinary people, and do not make perfume the same way you make this oil. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. 33 If anyone makes perfume like it or puts it on someone who is ·not a priest [not qualified; L strange], that person must be cut off from his people.’”
Incense
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take these sweet-smelling spices: resin, onycha, galbanum [C some identifications are uncertain], and pure frankincense. Be sure that you have equal amounts of each. 35 Make incense as a person who makes perfume would do. Add salt to it to keep it pure and holy. 36 Beat some of the incense into a fine powder, and put it in front of the ·Ark of the Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] in the Meeting Tent, where I will meet with you. ·You must use this incense powder only for its very special purpose [L It will be most holy to you]. 37 Do not make incense for yourselves the same way you make this incense. Treat it as holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like this to use as perfume must be cut off from his people.”
Bezalel and Oholiab Help
31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have ·chosen [L called by name] Bezalel son of Uri from the tribe of Judah. (Uri was the son of Hur.) 3 I have filled Bezalel with the ·Spirit [or spirit] of God and have given him the ·skill [wisdom], ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work. 4 He is able to ·design [plan] pieces to be made from gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut jewels and put them in metal, to ·carve [engrave] wood, and to do all kinds of work. 6 I have also ·chosen [L given him] Oholiab son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan to work with Bezalel. I have given ·skills [wisdom] to all the craftsmen, and they will be able to make all these things I have commanded you: 7 the Meeting Tent, the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony], the ·lid that covers [mercy seat; atonement cover] the Ark, and ·everything in [all the utensils of] the Tent. 8 This includes the table and ·everything on it [all its utensils], the pure gold lampstand and ·everything with it [all its utensils], the altar of incense, 9 the altar for burnt offerings and ·everything used with it [all its utensils], and the bowl and the stand under it. 10 They will make the woven clothes and the ·holy [sacred] clothes for Aaron and the clothes for his sons to wear when they serve as priests. 11 They will also make the special olive oil used ·in appointing people and things to the service of the Lord [L for anointing], and the sweet-smelling incense for the Holy Place.
“These workers will make all these things just as I have commanded you.”
The Day of Rest
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], ‘You must ·keep the rules about [L guard; keep] my Sabbaths, because they will be a sign [C reminders of the covenant; 9:13; 17:11] between you and me from now on. In this way you will know that I, the Lord, make you holy.
14 “‘·Make the Sabbath a holy day [L Keep/Guard the Sabbath for it is holy]. If anyone ·treats the Sabbath like any other day [profanes/desecrates the Sabbath] that person must be put to death; anyone who works on the Sabbath day must be cut off from his people [20:8–11]. 15 There are six days for working, but the seventh day is a day of rest, a day holy for the Lord. Anyone who works during the Sabbath day must be put to death. 16 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] must ·remember [keep; guard] the Sabbath day as an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] between them and me ·that will continue from now on [L throughout their generations]. 17 The Sabbath day will be a sign between me and the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] forever, because in six days I, the Lord, made the ·sky [heavens] and the earth. On the seventh day I did not work; I rested [Gen. 2:1–3].’”
18 When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] written on them, written by the finger of God.
The People Make a Gold Calf
32 The people saw that ·a long time had passed and Moses had not [L Moses delayed to] come down from the mountain. So they ·gathered [assembled] ·around [or against] Aaron and said, “[L This man] Moses ·led [brought] us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him. Make us ·gods [or a god; or an image of God] who will ·lead [L go before] us.”
2 Aaron said to ·the people [L them], “·Take [Pull] off the gold earrings that your wives, sons, and daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people ·took [pulled off] their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took ·the gold [L it] from ·the people [L their hands] and formed it ·with a tool [or in a mold] and made a ·statue [image] of a calf. Then the people said, “Israel, ·these are your gods [or this is your God; C either an idol to a false god or an inappropriate image for a false worship of the true God] who brought you out of the land of Egypt [1 Kin. 12:28]!”
5 When Aaron saw all this, he built an altar before the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a ·special feast to honor [festival for] the Lord.” 6 The people got up early the next morning and offered whole burnt offerings [Lev. 1] and ·fellowship [or peace] offerings [Lev. 3]. They sat down to eat and drink, and then they ·got up and sinned sexually [got up and amused themselves; T rose up to play; C a euphemism].
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down from this mountain, because your people, the people you brought out of the land of Egypt, have ·ruined themselves [acted in a debauched/perverse manner]. 8 They have quickly turned away from the ·things [path; way] I commanded them to do. They have made for themselves a calf ·covered with gold [L image], and they have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They have said, ‘Israel, ·these are your gods [or this is the God; 32:4] who brought you out of Egypt.’”
9 The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and I know that they are ·very stubborn [L a stiff-necked people]. 10 So now do not stop me. I am so angry with them that I am going to ·destroy [L consume] them. Then I will make ·you and your descendants [L you] a great nation [C echoing the promise to Abraham; Gen. 12:1–3].”
11 But Moses ·begged [tried to appease] the Lord his God and said, “Lord, ·don’t let your anger destroy [L why does your anger burn against…?] your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and ·strength [L a mighty hand]. 12 ·Don’t let [L Why should…?] the people of Egypt say, ‘The Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt for an evil purpose. He planned to kill them in the mountains and ·destroy [L wipe] them from the earth.’ So ·stop being angry [change your mind; relent], and don’t ·destroy [L bring harm on] your people. 13 Remember ·the men who served you [L your servants]—Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You promised with an oath to them and said, ‘I will make your ·descendants [seed] as many as the stars in the sky [Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 26:4]. I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised them, and ·it will be theirs [L they will inherit it] forever [Gen. 12:1–3].’” 14 So the Lord ·changed his mind [relented] and did not ·destroy [L bring harm on] the people as he had said he might.
15 Then Moses went down the mountain, and in his hands he had the two stone tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] on them. The ·commands [L tablets] were written on both sides of each stone, front and back. 16 God himself had made the tablets, and God himself had ·written the commands on [L engraved] the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “It sounds like war down in the camp.”
18 Moses answered:
“It is not a shout of victory;
it is not a cry of defeat.
It is the sound of singing that I hear.”
19 When Moses came close to the camp, he saw the gold calf and the dancing, and he became very angry. He threw down the stone tablets that he was carrying and broke them at the bottom of the mountain [C signifying the broken covenant]. 20 Then he took the calf that they had made and melted it in the fire. He ground it into powder. Then he ·threw [scattered] the powder into the water and forced the Israelites to drink it [C paralleling an ancient Near Eastern ritual for destroying a statue of a god].
21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you? Why did you ·cause them to do [L bring on them] such a terrible sin?”
22 Aaron answered, “Don’t be angry, ·master [sir]. You know that these people are always ready to do wrong. 23 They said to me, ‘[L This man] Moses ·led [brought] us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him. Make us ·gods [or a god; or an image of God] who will ·lead [L go before] us.’ 24 So I told them. ‘·Take off your gold jewelry [L Whoever has gold, pull it off].’ When they gave it to me, I threw it into the fire and out ·came [popped] this calf!”
25 Moses saw that the people were ·acting wildly [out of control]. Aaron had let them ·get out of control [act wildly] and become ·fools [the object of slander] in front of their enemies. 26 So Moses stood at the ·entrance [L gate] to the camp and said, “·Let anyone who wants to follow [L Whoever is for] the Lord come to me.” And all the ·people from the family of [L sons of] Levi gathered around Moses.
27 Then Moses said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: ‘Every man must put on his sword and go through the camp from ·one end to the other [L gate to gate]. Each man must kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” 28 The ·people from the family [L sons] of Levi obeyed Moses, and that day about three thousand of the Israelites died. 29 Then Moses said, “Today you have been ·given for service [ordained; C to the priesthood] to the Lord. You were willing to kill your own sons and brothers, and God has blessed you for this.”
30 The next day Moses told the people, “You have ·done [L sinned] a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe I can ·do something so your sins will be removed [make atonement for your sin].” 31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “How terribly these people have sinned! They have made for themselves ·gods [or a god; 32:4] from gold. 32 Now, please forgive them of this sin. If you will not, then ·erase [blot out] my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”
33 But the Lord told Moses, “I will ·erase [blot out] from my book the names of the people who sin against me. 34 So now, go. Lead the people where I have told you, and my ·angel [messenger] will ·lead [L go in front of] you. When the time comes to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 So the Lord ·caused terrible things to happen to [sent a plague on] the people because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must ·leave [L go up from] this place. Go to the land that I promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give that land to your ·descendants [L seed; Gen. 12:1–3].’ 2 I will send an ·angel [or messenger] ·to lead [L before] you, and I will ·force [drive] these people out of the land: the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3 Go up to a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; 3:8]. But I will not go with you, because I might ·destroy [consume] you on the way, since you are such a ·stubborn people [stiff-necked people].”
4 When the people heard this bad news, they ·became very sad [mourned], and none of them put on ·jewelry [ornaments; or festive dress]. 5 This was because the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], ‘You are a ·stubborn [L stiff-necked] people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I would destroy you. So take off all your ·jewelry [ornaments; or festive dress], and I will decide what to do with you.’” 6 So the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel ·took [stripped] off their ·jewelry [ormanents; or festive dress] at Mount ·Sinai [L Horeb; 3:1].
The Meeting Tent
7 Moses used to take a tent and ·set it up [pitch it] a long way outside the camp; he called it the “Meeting Tent.” Anyone who wanted to ·ask [seek] the Lord about something would go to the Meeting Tent outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, all the people would rise and stand at the entrances of their tents, watching him until he entered the ·Meeting Tent [L Tent]. 9 When Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud [13:21–22] would always come down and stay at the entrance of the Tent while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud at the entrance of the Tent, they stood and worshiped, each person at the entrance of his own tent.
11 The Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend [Num. 12:6–8]. Then Moses would return to the camp, but Moses’ young ·helper [assistant], Joshua son of Nun, did not leave the Tent.
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have told me to ·lead [L bring up] these people, but you did not say whom you would send with me. You have said to me, ‘I know you ·very well [L by name], and ·I am pleased with you [L you have found favor in my eyes].’ 13 If I have ·truly pleased you [L found favor in your eyes], show me your ·plans [path; way] so that I may know you and continue to ·please you [L find favor/grace in your eyes]. ·Remember [Consider] that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord answered, “·I myself [L My presence] will go with you, and I will give you ·victory [or rest].”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If ·you yourself don’t [L your presence does not] go with us, then don’t send us ·away [up] from this place. 16 ·If you don’t go with us, no one will know [L How else will it be known…?] that ·you are pleased with me [L I have found favor in your eyes] and with your people. These people and I will be no different from any other people on earth.”
17 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will do what you ask, because I know you ·very well [L by name], and ·I am pleased with you [L you have found favor/grace in my eyes].”
Moses Sees God’s Glory
18 Then Moses said, “Now, please show me your glory [C his manifest presence].”
19 The Lord answered, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will announce my name, the Lord, so you can hear it. I will show ·kindness [favor] to anyone to whom I want to show ·kindness [favor], and I will show ·mercy [compassion] to anyone to whom I want to show ·mercy [compassion]. 20 But you cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.
21 “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes that place, I will put you in a large ·crack [fissure; T cleft] in the rock and ·cover [screen] you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will ·take away [remove] my hand, and you will see my back. But my face must not be seen.”
Moses Gets New Stone Tablets
34 The Lord said to Moses, “·Cut [Hew out; Chisel] two more stone tablets like the ·first two [former], and I will write the same words on them that were on the ·first two [former] stones which you broke [32:15–16]. 2 Be ready tomorrow morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Stand before me there on the top of the mountain. 3 No one may come with you or even be seen any place on the mountain. Not even the flocks or herds may ·eat grass [graze] near that mountain.”
4 So Moses ·cut [hewed out] two stone tablets like the ·first ones [former]. Then early the next morning he went up Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, carrying the two stone tablets with him. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses, and the Lord called out his name: the Lord [L Yahweh; 3:14].
6 The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, “I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows ·mercy [compassion], who is ·kind [gracious], ·who doesn’t become angry quickly [patient], who has great ·love [loyalty] and faithfulness 7 and ·is kind [L guards/preserves loyalty] to thousands of people. The Lord forgives people for ·evil [iniquity], for ·sin [transgression], and for ·turning against him [sin], but he does not ·forget to punish guilty people [L clear]. He will punish not only the guilty people, but also their children, their grandchildren, ·their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren [L to the third and fourth generations; Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Nah. 1:3].”
8 Then Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped. 9 He said, “Lord, if ·you are pleased with me [L I have found favor in your eyes], please, [L Lord] go with us. I know that these are ·stubborn [L stiff-necked] people, but forgive our ·evil [iniquity] and our sin. Take us as your ·own people [L inheritance; possession].”
10 Then he said, “I am making this ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you. I will do ·miracles [wonders] in front of all your people—things that have never before been done for any other nation on earth—and the people with you will see my work. I, the Lord, will do ·wonderful [awesome] things for you. 11 ·Obey [Observe] the things I command you today, and I will ·force [drive] out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 12 ·Be careful [Watch/Guard yourself] that you don’t ·make an agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty] with the people who live in the land where you are going, because ·it will bring you trouble [L they will be a snare/trap in your midst]. 13 ·Destroy [Tear down] their altars, break their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah ·idols [poles; C objects sacred to the Canaanite goddess of fertility]. 14 Don’t worship any other god, because I, the Lord, ·the Jealous One [L whose name is Jealous], am a jealous God [20:5].
15 “Be careful that you don’t ·make an agreement [L cut a covenant] with the people who live in that land. When they ·worship [L whore after and sacrifice to] their gods, they will invite you to join them. Then you will eat their sacrifices. 16 If you ·choose [take] some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters ·worship [L whore after other] gods, they will lead your sons to ·do the same thing [L whore after their gods].
17 “Do not make gods of ·melted [cast] metal [20:4–6].
18 “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread [12:17–20]. For seven days you must eat ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread] as I commanded you. Do this ·during the month I have chosen, [L at the appointed time in] the month of Abib [13:4], because in ·that month [L the month of Abib] you came out of Egypt.
19 “·The firstborn of every mother [L Everything that first opens the womb] belongs to me, including every firstborn male animal that is born in your flocks and herds. 20 You may ·buy back [redeem; ransom] a donkey ·by paying for it with [L with] a lamb, but if you don’t want to ·buy back a donkey [L redeem; ransom], you must break its neck. You must ·buy back [redeem; ransom] all your firstborn sons [13:11–13].
“No one is to come before me ·without a gift [L empty-handed].
21 “You must work for six days, but on the seventh day you must rest—even during the ·planting [plowing] season and the harvest season [20:8–11].
22 “Celebrate the Feast of Weeks when you gather the first grain of the wheat harvest [23:16]. And celebrate the Feast of ·Shelters [L Ingathering] ·in the fall [L at the turn of the year; 23:17].
23 “Three times each year all your males must ·come [L appear] before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 I will ·force out [dispossess] nations ahead of you and ·expand [enlarge] the borders of your land. You will go before the Lord your God three times each year, and at that time no one will ·try to take [L covet] your land from you.
25 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me with ·anything containing yeast [leaven], and do not leave any of the sacrifice of the Feast of Passover until the next morning [12:10].
26 “Bring the ·best first crops [firstfruits; 23:19] that you harvest from your ground to the ·Tent [L house] of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk [23:19].”
27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, because with these words I have ·made an agreement [L cut a covenant] with you and Israel.”
28 Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, and during that time he did not eat food or drink water. And Moses wrote the words of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty]—the Ten ·Commandments [L Words]—on the stone tablets.
The Face of Moses Shines
29 Then Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the two stone tablets of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] in his hands. But he did not know that his face was shining because he had talked with the Lord [C reflecting God’s holiness and glory and demonstrating Moses’ authority]. 30 When Aaron and all the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel saw that Moses’ face was shining, they were afraid to go near him. 31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the ·leaders of the people [L men of the community/congregation/assembly] returned to Moses, and he talked with them. 32 After that, all the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel came near him, and he gave them all the commands that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses finished speaking to the people, he put a ·covering [veil] over his face. 34 Anytime Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, Moses took off the ·covering [veil] until he came out. Then Moses would come out and tell the Israelites what the Lord had commanded. 35 They would see that Moses’ face was shining. So he would ·cover [veil] his face again until the next time he went in to speak with the Lord [2 Cor. 3:12–18].
Rules About the Sabbath
35 Moses ·gathered [assembled] all the ·Israelite community [congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] together and said to them, “·These are the things [L This is the word/thing] the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 You are to work for six days, but the seventh day will be a holy ·day [Sabbath], a Sabbath of rest to honor the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. 3 On the Sabbath day you must not ·light [burn] a fire in any of your ·houses [dwellings].”
4 Moses said to all the ·Israelites [community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel], “This is ·what [L the word/thing] the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take ·an offering [tribute] for the Lord. Let everyone ·who is willing [whose heart moves them] bring this ·offering [tribute] to the Lord: gold, silver, bronze, 6 blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen, goat hair 7 and male sheepskins that are colored red. They may also bring ·fine leather [or sea cow/porpoise hides], acacia wood, 8 olive oil for the lamps, spices for the special olive oil used for ·appointing priests [anointing] and for the sweet-smelling incense, 9 onyx stones, and other jewels to be put on the ·holy vest [ephod; 28:6–14] and ·chest covering of the priests [breastpiece; 28:15–30].
10 “Let all the ·skilled workers [L wise of heart/mind] come and make everything the Lord commanded: 11 the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], its outer tent and its covering, the ·hooks [clasps], frames, crossbars, ·posts [pillars], and bases; 12 the ·Ark of the Agreement [L Ark; 25:10], its poles, ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover; 25:17–22], and the curtain ·in front of it [L for the screen]; 13 the table [25:23–30], and its poles, all ·the things that go with the table [L its tools/utensils], and the ·bread that shows we are in God’s presence [L Bread of the Presence]; 14 the ·lampstand [L Menorah; 25:31–40] for the light and all ·the things that go with it [its tools/utensils], the lamps, and olive oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense [30:1–6] and its poles, the ·special [L anointing] oil and the sweet-smelling incense, the ·curtain [L screen for the entrance,] for the entrance of the Meeting Tent; 16 the altar of burnt offering and its bronze ·screen [grating], its poles and all its ·tools [utensils], the bronze bowl and its base [30:17–21]; 17 the curtains around the courtyard, their ·posts [pillars] and bases, and the ·curtain [screen] at the ·entry [L gate] to the courtyard; 18 the pegs of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and of the courtyard and their ropes; 19 the ·special [elaborately sewn] clothes that the priest will wear in the Holy Place [28:1–43]. These are the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they ·serve [minister] as priests.”
20 Then all the ·people [L community; congregation; assembly] of ·Israel [L the sons/T children of Israel] went ·away [out] from Moses. 21 Everyone ·who wanted to give [L whose heart was favorable and whose spirit was willing] came and brought a ·gift [offering] to the Lord for making the Meeting Tent, all ·the things in the Tent [its service], and the ·special [L holy; sacred] clothes. 22 All the men and women who wanted to give brought gold jewelry of all kinds—pins, earrings, rings, and bracelets. They all ·presented their [L waved a wave offering of] gold to the Lord. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen, and anyone who had goat hair or male ·sheepskins [ramskins] colored red or ·fine leather [or sea cow/porpoise hides] brought them to the Lord. 24 Everyone who could give silver or bronze brought that as a ·gift [offering] to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood to be used in the work brought it. 25 Every ·skilled woman [L wise of heart/mind] used her hands to ·make [L spin] the blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen, and they brought what they had ·made [L spun]. 26 All the women who were ·skilled [wise] and ·wanted to help [L whose hearts were favorable] ·made thread of [L spun] the goat hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other jewels ·to put on the holy vest [L for the ephod; 28:6–14] and ·chest covering for the priest [breastpiece; 28:15–28]. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the sweet-smelling incense, the ·special [L anointing] oil, and the oil to burn in the lamps. 29 All the men and women of Israel ·who wanted [L whose hearts were favorable] to help brought ·gifts [L a free will offering] to the Lord for all the work the Lord had commanded Moses and the people to do.
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “Look, the Lord has ·chosen [L called by name] Bezalel son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 31 The Lord has filled Bezalel with the ·Spirit [or spirit] of God and has given him the ·skill [wisdom], ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work. 32 He is able to ·design [plan] pieces to be made of gold, silver, and bronze, 33 to cut stones and jewels and put them in metal, to ·carve [engrave] wood, and to do all kinds of work. 34 Also, the Lord has ·given [L placed in the heart of] Bezalel and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan, the ·ability [or desire] to teach others. 35 The Lord has ·given them [L filled them with] the skill to do all kinds of work. They are able to ·cut [engrave] designs in metal and stone. They can plan and ·sew designs [embroider] in the fine linen with the blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread. And they are alsoable to weave things.
36 So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every ·skilled [L wise of heart/mind] person will do the work the Lord has commanded, because he gave them the wisdom and understanding to do all the skilled work needed to build the Holy ·Tent [Place].”
2 Then Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other ·skilled [L wise of heart/mind] people to whom the Lord had given ·skills [L wisdom in their heart], and they came because ·they wanted [L their hearts were favorable] to help with the work. 3 They received from Moses everything the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel had brought as ·gifts [offerings] ·to build the Holy Tent [L for doing the work of the Holy Place]. The people continued to bring ·gifts [L free will offerings] ·each morning because they wanted to [morning after morning]. 4 So all the ·skilled [wise] workers left the work they were doing on the Holy ·Tent [L Place], 5 and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than we need to do the work the Lord commanded.”
6 Then Moses sent this command throughout the camp: “No man or woman should make anything else as a ·gift for the Holy Tent [offering for the Holy Place].” So the people were kept from giving more, 7 because what they had was already more than enough to do all the work.
The Holy Tent(A)
8 Then the ·skilled workers [L all the skilled/wise of heart] made the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. They made the ten curtains with linen and of blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] cloth, and they sewed designs of ·creatures with wings [L cherubim] on the curtains [C These deep blue curtains with cherubim represented heaven on earth]. 9 Each curtain was the same size—·forty-two feet [L twenty-eight cubits] long and ·six feet [L four cubits] wide. 10 Five of the curtains were ·fastened [bound; joined] together to make one set, and the other five were ·fastened [bound; joined] together to make another set. 11 Then they made loops of blue cloth along the edge of the end curtain on the first set of five, and they did the same thing with the other set of five. 12 There were fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the other curtain, with the loops opposite each other. 13 They made fifty gold ·hooks [clasps] to join the two curtains together so that the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] was joined together as one piece.
14 Then they made another tent of eleven curtains made of goat hair [26:7], to put over the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 15 All eleven curtains were the same size—·forty-five feet [L thirty cubits] long and ·six feet [L four cubits] wide. 16 The workers sewed [joined; bound] five curtains together into one set and six together into another set. 17 They made fifty loops along the edge of the outside curtain of one set and fifty loops along the edge of the outside curtain of the other set. 18 Then they made fifty bronze ·rings [hooks; clasps] to ·join [bind] the two sets of cloth together and make the tent one piece. 19 They made two more coverings for the outer tent—one made of ·male sheepskins colored red [or tanned rams’ skins; 26:14] and the other made of ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; 26:14].
20 Then they made upright frames of acacia wood for the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 21 Each frame was ·fifteen feet [L ten cubits] long and ·twenty-seven inches [L a cubit and a half] wide, 22 and there were two pegs side by side on each one. Every frame of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] was made this same way. 23 They made twenty frames for the south side of the Tent, 24 and they made forty silver bases that went under the twenty frames. There were two bases for every frame—one for each peg of each frame. 25 They also made twenty frames for the [L second side of the] north side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] 26 and forty silver bases—two to go under each frame. 27 They made six frames for the rear or west end of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] 28 and two frames for the corners at the rear of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 29 These two frames were doubled at the bottom and joined at the top with a metal ring. They did this for each of these corners. 30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two bases under each frame.
31 Then they made crossbars of acacia wood to connect the upright frames of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. Five crossbars held the frames together on one side of the Tent, 32 and five held the frames together on the other [L second] side. Also, five crossbars held the frames together on the west end, at the rear of the Tent. 33 They made the middle crossbar run along the entire length of each side and rear of the Tent. It was set halfway up the frames. 34 They made gold rings on the sides of the frames to hold the crossbars, and they ·covered [overlaid] the frames and the crossbars with gold.
35 Then they made the curtain of blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen. A skilled craftsman sewed designs of ·creatures with wings [cherubim; 37:7] on it. 36 They made four posts of acacia wood for it and ·covered [overlaid] them with gold. Then they made gold ·hooks [clasps] for the posts, as well as four silver bases in which to set the posts. 37 For the entrance to the Tent, they made a ·curtain [L screen] of blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen. ·A person who sewed well sewed designs on it […embroidered with needlework]. 38 Then they made five posts and ·hooks [clasps] for it. They covered the tops of the posts and their bands with gold, and they made five bronze bases for the posts.
The Ark of the Covenant(B)
37 Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood; it was ·forty-five inches [L two and a half cubits] long, ·twenty-seven inches [L one and a half cubits] wide, and twenty-seven inches [L one and a half cubits] high. 2 He ·covered [overlaid] it, both inside and out, with pure gold, and he put a gold ·strip [molding] around it. 3 He ·made [cast] four gold rings for it and attached them to its four feet, with two rings on ·each [one side and two rings on the other] side. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and ·covered [cast; overlay] them with gold. 5 He put the poles through the rings on each side of the Ark to carry it. 6 Then he made a ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] of pure gold that was ·forty-five inches [L two and a half cubits] long and ·twenty-seven inches [L one and a half cubits] wide. 7 Then Bezalel ·hammered gold to make two creatures with wings [L made two golden cherubim of hammered gold; C cherubim are powerful angelic creatures] and attached them to each end of the ·lid [cover; C the mercy seat]. 8 He made one ·creature [L cherubim] on one end of the lid and the ·other creature [L cherubim] on the other end. He attached them to the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] so that it would be one piece. 9 The ·creatures’ [L cherubim’s] wings were spread upward, covering the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover], and the ·creatures [L cherubim] faced each other across the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover].
The Table(C)
10 Then he made the table of acacia wood; it was ·thirty-six inches [L two cubits] long, ·eighteen inches [L one cubit] wide, and ·twenty-seven inches [L one and a half cubits] high. 11 He ·covered [overlaid] it with pure gold and put a gold ·strip [molding] around it. 12 He made a ·frame [rim] ·three inches [L a handbreadth] high ·that stood up all around the edge [all around it], and he put a gold ·strip [molding] around it. 13 Then he made four gold rings for the table and attached them to the four corners of the table where the four legs were. 14 The rings were put close to the ·frame [rim] around the top of the table, because they held the poles for carrying it. 15 The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were ·covered [overlaid] with gold. 16 He made of pure gold all the ·things [vessels] that were used on the table: the plates, bowls, cups, and jars used for pouring the drink offerings [Ezra 1:9–11; Dan. 1:2; 5:1–4].
The Lampstand(D)
17 Then he made the ·lampstand [L Menorah] of pure gold, hammering out its base and ·stand [shaft]. Its flower-like cups, buds, and petals were joined together in one piece with the base and ·stand [shaft; 25:31]. 18 Six branches went out from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 19 Each branch had three cups shaped like almond flowers, and each cup had a bud and a petal. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand was the same. 20 There were four more cups shaped like almond flowers on the lampstand itself, each with its buds and petals. 21 Three pairs of branches went out from the lampstand. A bud was under the place where each pair was attached to the lampstand. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand was the same. 22 The buds, branches, and lampstand were all one piece of pure, hammered gold. 23 He made seven pure gold lamps for this lampstand, and he made pure gold ·wick trimmers [snuffers] and trays. 24 He used about ·seventy-five pounds [L one talent] of pure gold to make the lampstand and all the things that go with it.
The Altar for Burning Incense(E)
25 Then he made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square—·eighteen inches [L one cubit] long and ·eighteen inches [L one cubit] wide—and it was ·thirty-six inches [L two cubits] high. Each ·corner that stuck out like a horn [horn; 27:2] was joined into one piece with the altar. 26 He ·covered [overlaid] the top and all the sides and the ·corners [horns] with pure gold, and he put gold ·trim [molding] around the altar 27 He made two gold rings and put them below the ·trim [molding] on opposite sides of it; these rings held the poles for carrying it. 28 He made the poles of acacia wood and ·covered [overlaid] them with gold.
29 Then he made the holy olive oil for ·appointing the priests [anointing] and the pure, sweet-smelling incense. He made them like a person who mixes perfumes.
The Altar for Burnt Offerings(F)
38 Then he built the altar for burnt offerings [Lev. 1] out of acacia wood. The altar was square—·seven and one-half feet [L five cubits] long and ·seven and one-half feet [L five cubits] wide—and it was ·four and one-half feet [L three cubits] high. 2 He made each corner stick out like a horn [27:2] so that the horns and the altar were joined together in one piece. Then he ·covered [overlaid] the altar with bronze. 3 He made all the ·tools [utensils] of bronze to use on the altar: the pots, shovels, ·bowls for sprinkling blood [L basins], meat forks, and ·pans for carrying the fire [firepans]. 4 He made a large bronze screen to hold the burning wood for the altar and put it inside the altar, under its ·rim [ledge], halfway up from the bottom. 5 He made bronze rings to hold the poles for carrying the altar, and he put them at the four corners of the screen. 6 Then he made poles of acacia wood and ·covered [overlaid] them with bronze. 7 He put the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar, to carry it. He made the altar of boards and left the inside hollow.
The Bronze Bowl(G)
8 He made the bronze ·bowl for washing [basin], and he built it on a bronze stand. He used the bronze from mirrors that belonged to the women who served at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
The Courtyard of the Holy Tent(H)
9 Then he made ·a wall of curtains to form a courtyard around the Holy Tent [the court]. On the south side the curtains were ·one hundred fifty feet [L one hundred cubits] long and were made of fine linen. 10 The curtains hung on silver hooks and bands, placed on twenty bronze ·posts [pillars] with twenty bronze bases. 11 On the north side the wall of curtains was also ·one hundred fifty feet [L one hundred cubits] long, and it hung on silver hooks and bands on twenty ·posts [pillars] with twenty bronze bases.
12 On the west side of the courtyard, the wall of curtains was ·seventy-five feet [L fifty cubits] long. It was held up by silver hooks and bands on ten ·posts [pillars] with ten bases. 13 The [L front of the] east side was also ·seventy-five feet [L fifty cubits] long. 14 On one side of the entry there was a wall of curtains ·twenty-two and one-half feet [L fifteen cubits] long, held up by three ·posts [pillars] and three bases. 15 On the other side of the entry there was also a wall of curtains ·twenty-two and one-half feet [L fifteen cubits] long, held up by three ·posts [pillars] and three bases. 16 All the curtains around the courtyard were made of fine linen. 17 The bases for the ·posts [pillars] were made of bronze. The hooks and the bands on the ·posts [pillars] were made of silver, and the tops of the ·posts [pillars] were ·covered [overlaid] with silver also. All the ·posts [pillars] in the courtyard had silver bands.
18 The ·curtain [screen] for the ·entry [gate] of the courtyard was made of blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen, ·sewn by a person who could sew well [embroidered with needlework]. The curtain was ·thirty feet [L twenty cubits] long and ·seven and one-half feet [L five cubits] high, the same height as the curtains around the courtyard. 19 It was held up by four ·posts [pillars] and four bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts were made of silver, and the tops on the ·posts [pillars] were ·covered [overlaid] with silver. 20 All the tent pegs for the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and for the curtains around the courtyard were made of bronze.
21 This is a ·list of the materials used to make [inventory; record of] the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the ·Holy Tent [L Tabernacle] ·where the Agreement was kept [L of the Covenant/Testimony/Treaty; C reference to the tablets of the Ten Commandments; ch. 20]. Moses ordered the Levites to make this list, ·and Ithamar son of Aaron was in charge of keeping it [L by the hand of Ithama son of Aaron]. 22 Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses. 23 Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan ·helped [L was with] him. He ·could cut designs into metal and stone; he was a designer and also skilled at sewing [L was an engraver, designer, and embroiderer of] the blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen.
24 The total amount of gold used to build the Holy ·Tent [Place] was ·presented [L offered as a wave offering] to the Lord. It weighed over ·2,000 pounds [L 29 talents and 730 shekels], as set by the Holy Place measure.
25 The silver was given by the ·members of the community [congregation; assembly] who were counted. It weighed ·7,550 pounds [L 100 talents and 1,775 shekels], as set by the Holy Place measure. 26 All the men twenty years old or older were counted. There were 603,550 men, and each ·man [head] had to pay ·one-fifth of an ounce [L a beka, that is half a shekel] of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure. 27 Of this silver, ·7,500 pounds [L 100 talents] were used to ·make [cast] the one hundred bases for the Holy Tent and for the curtain—·75 pounds of silver [L a talent] in each base. 28 They used ·50 pounds of silver [L 1775 shekels] to make the hooks for the ·posts [pillars] and to ·cover [overlay] the tops of the ·posts [pillars] and to make the bands on them.
29 The bronze which was ·presented [L offered as a wave offering] to the Lord weighed about ·5,000 pounds [70 talents and 2400 shekels]. 30 They used ·the bronze to make the bases at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to make the altar and the bronze ·screen [grating], and to make all the ·tools [utensils] for the altar. 31 ·This bronze was also used to make [L …and the] bases for the wall of curtains around the courtyard and bases for curtains at the ·entry [L gate] to the courtyard, as well as to make the tent pegs for the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and the pegs around the courtyard.
Clothes for the Priests
39 They used blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread to make woven clothes for the priests to wear when they ·served [ministered] in the Holy Place. They made the holy clothes for Aaron as the Lord had commanded Moses.
2 They made the ·holy vest [ephod] of gold, and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen [28:6–14]. 3 They hammered the gold into sheets and then cut it into long, thin strips. They worked the gold into the blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen. This was done ·by skilled craftsmen [or with a skilled design]. 4 They made the shoulder straps for the ·holy vest [ephod], which were attached to the top corners of it and tied together over each shoulder. 5 The skillfully ·woven belt [embroidered waistband] was made in the same way; it was joined to ·the holy vest [L it] as one piece. It was made of gold, and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen, the way the Lord commanded Moses.
6 They put gold [L filigree] around the onyx stones and then ·wrote [engraved] the names of the sons of Israel on these gems, ·as a person carves words and designs on a seal [like the engravings on a seal/signet]. 7 Then they attached the gems on the shoulder straps of the ·holy vest [ephod], as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. This was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
8 ·The skilled craftsmen [L They] made the ·chest covering [breastpiece] like the ·holy vest [ephod]; it was made of gold, and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen. 9 ·The chest covering [L It] was square—·nine inches [a span] long and ·nine inches [a span] wide—and it was ·folded double to make a pocket [L doubled]. 10 Then they put four rows of ·beautiful jewels [L stones] on it: In the first row there was a ·ruby [or carnelian], a ·topaz [or chrysolite], and a ·yellow quartz [or emerald]; 11 in the second there was a turquoise, a ·sapphire [or lapis], and an ·emerald [or moonstone]; 12 in the third there was a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 in the fourth there was a ·chrysolite [or beryl], an onyx, and a jasper [C identification is uncertain]. Gold [L filigree] was put around these ·jewels [stones] to attach them to the ·chest covering [breastpiece], 14 and the names of the sons of Israel were ·carved [engraved] on these twelve ·jewels [stones] as a person ·carves [engraves] a ·seal [signet]. Each ·jewel [stone] had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
15 They made chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope, for the ·chest covering [breastpiece]. 16 They made two gold pieces and two gold rings. They put the two gold rings on the two upper corners of the ·chest covering [breastpiece]. 17 Then they put two gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the ·chest covering [breastpiece], 18 and they fastened the other two ends of the chains to the two ·gold pieces [or settings]. They attached these gold pieces to the two shoulder straps in the front of the ·holy vest [ephod]. 19 They made two gold rings and put them at the lower corners of the ·chest covering [breastpiece] on the inside edge next to the ·holy vest [ephod]. 20 They made two more gold rings on the bottom of the shoulder straps in front of the ·holy vest [ephod], near the seam, just above the ·woven belt [embroidered waistband] of the ·holy vest [ephod]. 21 They used a blue ·ribbon [cord] and tied the rings of the ·chest covering [breastpiece] to the rings of the ·holy vest [ephod], connecting it to the ·woven belt [L embroidered waistband]. In this way the ·chest covering [breastpiece] would not ·swing out [get loose] from the ·holy vest [ephod]. They did all these things the way the Lord commanded.
22 Then they made the outer robe ·to be worn under the holy vest [L of the ephod]. It was woven only of blue cloth. 23 They made a ·hole [opening] in the center of the outer robe, with a woven collar ·sewn around it [L like a coat of mail; C the Hebrew is obscure] so it would not tear. 24 Then they made balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen and hung them around the bottom of the outer robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold and hung these around the bottom of the outer robe between the balls. 26 So around the bottom of the outer robe there was a bell and a pomegranate ball, a bell and a pomegranate ball. The priest wore this outer robe when he ·served as priest [ministered], just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 They ·wove [L made] inner robes of fine linen for Aaron and his sons, 28 and they made turbans, ·headbands [headdresses], and underclothes of fine linen. 29 Then they made the ·cloth belt [sash] of fine linen, and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread·, and designs were sewn onto it [embroidered with needlework], just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
30 They made a ·strip [rosette; medallion; plate; L flower] of pure gold, which is the holy ·crown [diadem], and ·carved [engraved] these words in the gold, as one might ·carve [engrave] on a ·seal [signet]: “Holy to the Lord.” 31 Then they tied ·this flat piece [a blue cord to it to fasten it] to the turban with a blue ribbon, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
32 So all the work on the [L Tabernacle of the] Meeting Tent was finished. The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 Then they brought the ·Holy Tent [L Tabernacle] to Moses: the Tent and all its furniture, hooks, frames, crossbars, ·posts [pillars], and bases; 34 the covering made of male ·sheepskins [ramskins] colored red, the covering made of ·fine leather [sea cow/porpoise hide], and the curtain ·that covered the entrance to the Most Holy Place [L for the screen]; 35 the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; 25:10], its poles and ·lid [the mercy seat/atonement cover; 25:17–22]; 36 the table [25:23–40], all its ·containers [utensils; tools], and the bread ·that showed they were in God’s presence [L of presence]; 37 the pure ·gold lampstand [L Menorah; 25:31–40] with its lamps in a row, all its ·tools [utensils], and the olive oil for the light; 38 the gold altar [C the incense altar; 30:1–6], the special olive oil used for ·appointing priests [anointing], the sweet-smelling incense, and the ·curtain that covered [screen at] the entrance to the Tent; 39 the bronze altar [27:1–8] and its ·screen [L bronze grating], its poles and all its ·tools [utensils], the bowl and its stand [30:17–21]; 40 the curtains for the courtyard with their ·posts [pillars] and bases, the ·curtain that covered the entry to [L screen for the gate of] the courtyard, the cords, pegs, and all the ·things [L utensils for service] in the Meeting Tent. 41 They brought the clothes for the priests to wear when they ·served [ministered] in the Holy ·Tent [Place]—the ·holy [sacred] clothes for Aaron the priest and the clothes for his sons, which they wore when they served as priests.
42 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had done all this work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses looked closely at all the work and saw they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Setting Up the Holy Tent
40 Then the Lord said to Moses: 2 “On the first day of the first month, set up the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], which is the Meeting Tent. 3 Put the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; 25:10] in it and ·hang the curtain in front of the Ark [L screen the Ark with a curtain]. 4 Bring in the table [25:23–30] and arrange ·everything on the table that should be there [L its setting]. Then bring in the ·lampstand [L Menorah; 25:31–40] and set up its lamps. 5 Put the gold altar for ·burning incense [L offering smoke; 30:1–6] in front of the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony], and put the ·curtain [screen] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle].
6 “Put the altar of burnt offerings [27:1–8] in front of the entrance of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Meeting Tent. 7 Put the bowl [30:17–21] between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in it. 8 Set up the courtyard ·around the Holy Tent [L all around], and put the ·curtain [screen] at the ·entry [L gate] to the courtyard.
9 “Use the ·special [anointing] olive oil and ·pour it on [L anoint] the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and everything in it, in order to ·give the Tent and all that is in it for service to the Lord [sanctify/consecrate it and all its utensils/tools]. They will be holy. 10 ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] the altar for burnt offerings and on all its ·tools [utensils]. ·Give the altar for service to God [Consecrate/Sanctify the altar], and it will be ·very holy [T a holy of holies]. 11 Then ·pour the special olive oil on [L anoint] the bowl and the base under it so that they will be ·given for service to God [consecrated; sanctified].
12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and wash them with water. 13 Then put the ·holy [sacred] clothes on Aaron. ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] him [Ps. 133], and ·give him for service to God [L consecrate/sanctify him] so that he may serve me as a priest. 14 Bring his sons and put the inner robes [28:39–41] on them. 15 ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] them in the same way that you ·appointed [L anointed] their father as priest so that they may also serve me as priests. ·Pouring oil on [L Anointing] them will make them a family of priests, they and their descendants ·from now on [L throughout their generations].” 16 Moses did everything that the Lord commanded him.
17 So the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] was set up on the first day of the first month during the second ·year after they left Egypt [L year]. 18 When Moses set up the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], he put the bases in place, and he put the frames on the bases. Next he put ·the crossbars through the rings of the frames [L in the poles] and set up the ·posts [pillars]. 19 After that, Moses spread ·the cloth over the Holy Tent [L the tent over the Tabernacle] and put the covering over it, just as the Lord commanded.
20 Moses put the ·stone tablets that had the Agreement written on them [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] into the Ark. He put the poles ·through the rings of [L on] the Ark and put the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] on it. 21 Next he brought the Ark into the ·Tent [Tabernacle] and hung the curtain to ·cover [screen] the Ark [L of the Testimony], just as the Lord commanded him.
22 Moses put the table in the Meeting Tent on the north side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] in front of the curtain. 23 Then he ·put [arranged] the bread ·on the table [L in rows] before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him. 24 Moses put the lampstand [L Menorah] in the Meeting Tent on the south side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] across from the table. 25 Then he put the lamps on the lampstand before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him.
26 Moses put the gold altar for burning incense in the Meeting Tent in front of the curtain. 27 Then he ·burned [L turned into smoke] sweet-smelling incense on it, just as the Lord commanded him. 28 Then he hung the ·curtain [screen] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [L Tabernacle].
29 He put the altar for burnt offerings [Lev. 1] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Meeting Tent, and offered a whole burnt offering and ·grain [L gift; tribute; Lev. 3] offerings on it, just as the Lord commanded him. 30 Moses put the bowl [30:17–21] between the Meeting Tent and the altar for burnt offerings, and he put water in it for washing. 31 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons used this water to wash their hands and feet [C cleansing rituals]. 32 They washed themselves every time they entered the Meeting Tent and every time they went near the altar for burnt offerings, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and the altar, and he put up the ·curtain [screen] at the entry to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
The Cloud over the Holy Tent
34 Then the cloud covered the Meeting Tent [C representing God’s presence], and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent [C representing his manifest presence]. 35 Moses could not enter the Meeting Tent, because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle].
36 When the cloud rose from the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Israelites would begin to travel, 37 but as long as the cloud ·stayed on the Holy Tent [L did not rise], they did not travel. They stayed in that place until the cloud rose. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] during the day, and there was a fire in the cloud at night. So all the ·Israelites [L house of Israel] could see the cloud while they traveled.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.