Chronological

The Altar of Incense

30 “You are to make an altar for burning incense. You are to make it of acacia wood. ² It is to be a square, one cubit^[a] long and one cubit^[b] wide, and it is to be two cubits^[c] high, with its horns of one piece with it. ³ You are to overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides all around, and its horns, and you are to make a molding of gold all around it.

⁴ “You are to make two gold rings for it under its molding. You are to make them on its two opposite sides, and they are to be holders for poles by which to carry it. ⁵ You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ You are to put the altar^[d] in front of the curtain that is over the Ark of the Testimony, in front of the Mercy Seat^[e] that is over the Testimony where I’ll meet with you. ⁷ Aaron is to offer fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he trims the lamps he is to offer it, ⁸ and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he is to offer it as a continual incense offering in the Lord’s presence throughout your generations. ⁹ You are not to offer strange incense, a burnt offering, or a grain offering on it, nor are you to pour out a libation on it. ¹⁰ Each year Aaron is to make atonement on its horns with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. He is to make atonement on it each year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

Offerings for the Tent

¹¹ The Lord told Moses, ¹² “When you take a census of the Israelis to register them, each is to give a ransom for himself^[f] to the Lord when they’re registered so there won’t be a plague among them when they’re registered. ¹³ This is what everyone who is registered^[g] is to give: half a shekel^[h] according to the shekel^[i] of the sanctuary (the shekel^[j] weighs 20 gerahs), half a shekel^[k] as a contribution to the Lord. ¹⁴ All who are registered, 20 years of age and older, are to give a contribution to the Lord. ¹⁵ The rich person is not to give more,^[l] nor is the poor person to give less^[m] than the half shekel,^[n] when you give a contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves.^{[o] 16} You are to take the atonement money from the Israelis and give it for the service of the Tent of Meeting, and it is to be a memorial for the Israelis in the Lord’s presence to make atonement for yourselves.”^[p]

The Bronze Basin

¹⁷ The Lord told Moses, ¹⁸ “You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze base for washing. You are to pace it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, put water in it,^{[q] 19} and Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and their feet from it. ²⁰ When they enter the Tent of Meeting or when they approach the altar to minister to make an offering by fire to the Lord, they are to wash with water so they don’t die. ²¹ They are to wash their hands and their feet so that they don’t die, and it is to be for them a perpetual ordinance for Aaron^[r] and his seed from generation to generation.”

The Anointing Oil

²² The Lord told Moses, ²³ “You are to take for yourself the finest spices: 500 shekels^[s]by weight of liquid myrrh, half as much fragrant cinnamon (250 shekels), 250 shekels of fragrant reeds, ²⁴ 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the shekel of the sanctuary—and a hin^[t] of olive oil. ²⁵ You are to make them into a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture made by a perfumer. It is to be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶ You are to use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony, ²⁷ the table and all its utensils, the lamp stand and its utensils, the altar of incense, ²⁸ the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin and its base. ²⁹ You are to consecrate them and they are to be most holy. Whatever touches them is to be holy. ³⁰ You are to anoint Aaron and his sons, and you are to consecrate them to serve as my priests. ³¹ You are to address the Israelis and tell them, ‘This is to be holy anointing oil for me from generation to generation. ³² It is not to be poured out on a person’s body,^[u] nor are you to make anything like it with similar formulations. It is holy, and it is to be holy to you. ³³ Anyone who mixes anything like it or who puts any of it on an unqualified person^[v] is to be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

³⁴ The Lord told Moses, “Take for yourself spices: stacte, onycha, galbanum, and spices with pure frankincense, all in equal amounts. ³⁵ You are to make it into a fragrant incense, expertly^[w] blended,^[x] pure, and holy. ³⁶ You are to grind some of it fine, and put some before the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting where I will meet with you. It is to be most holy to you. ³⁷ You are not to make the incense that you make in this formulation for your own use. It is to be holy to the Lord for you. ³⁸ Anyone who makes anything like it to use it as perfume is to be cut off from his people.”

Craftsmen for the Tent

31 The Lord told Moses, ² “Look, I’ve called^[y] Uri’s son Bezalel, grandson of Hur from Judah’s tribe ³ and I’ve filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and all kinds of craftsmanship ⁴ to create plans^[z] for work in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵ and for cutting stones to set them, for carving wood, and for doing all kinds of craftsmanship. ⁶ Along with him I’m appointing Ahisamach’s son Oholiab from the tribe of Dan, and I’ve given wisdom^[aa] to all who are skilled^[ab] so they can make everything that I’ve commanded you, ⁷ including the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony, the Mercy Seat^[ac] that is on it, all the furnishings of the tent— ⁸ the table and its furnishings, the lamp stand of pure gold,^[ad] all its furnishings, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar for burnt offerings, its furnishings, the basin, its base, ¹⁰ the woven garments, the holy garments of Aaron the priest, the garments of his sons as they serve as priests, ¹¹ the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them in accordance with everything that I commanded you.”

¹² The Lord told Moses, ¹³ “You are to tell the Israelis: ‘You are to certainly observe my Sabbaths because it’s a sign between me and you from generation to generation, so you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ¹⁴ You are to observe the Sabbath, because it’s holy for you. Whoever profanes it is certainly to die; indeed, whoever does work on it is to be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵ Work may be done for six days, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does work on the Sabbath is certainly to die. ¹⁶ The Israelis are to keep the Sabbath to make the Sabbath observance a perpetual covenant from generation to generation. ¹⁷ It is a sign forever between me and the Israelis, because the Lord made the heavens and the earth in six days, but on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

¹⁸ When he finished speaking with Moses^[ae] on Mount Sinai, he gave him^[af] the two Tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone written by the finger of God.

Aaron Makes the Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses took a long time to come down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and told him, “Come here and make us a god^[ag] who will go before us, because, as for this fellow Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”

² Aaron told them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.”

³ All the people tore off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to him. ⁴ He took them from them^[ah] and, using a tool, fashioned them into a molten calf.^[ai] The people^[aj] said, “This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it, and then he proclaimed, “Tomorrow is to be a festival to the Lord.” ⁶ They got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Then the people sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up to play.^[ak]

Moses Intercedes for Israel

⁷ The Lord told Moses, “Go down immediately,^[al] because your people whom you led out of Egypt have behaved corruptly. ⁸ They have been quick to turn aside from the way I commanded them, and they have made for themselves a molten calf. They have bowed down to it in worship, they have offered sacrifices to it, and they have said, ‘This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

⁹ Then the Lord told Moses, “I’ve seen these people and indeed they’re obstinate.^{[am] 10} Now let me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may consume them, but I’ll make a great nation of you.”

¹¹ But Moses implored the Lord his God: “Lord, why are you angry with your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a show of force?^{[an] 12} Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intention to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your anger and change your mind about the calamity against your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you swore by yourself as you told them, ‘I’ll increase the number of your descendants like the stars of the heavens, I’ll give your descendants all of this land about which I have spoken, and they are to possess^[ao] it forever.’”

¹⁴ So the Lord changed his mind about the calamity he had said he would bring on his people.

Moses Destroys the Golden Calf and the Tablets of the Law

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides. They were written on one side and the other. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God and the writing was God’s writing, inscribed on the tablets. ¹⁷ When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he told Moses, “The sound of war is coming from^[ap] the camp.”

¹⁸ Moses^[aq] said,

¹⁹ As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the base of the mountain. ²⁰ He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, and ground it into powder. He scattered it on the water and made the Israelis drink it. ²¹ Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought such great sin upon them?”

²² Aaron said, “Sir,^[ar] don’t be angry. You know the people—that they’re intent on evil. ²³ They told me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us because, as for this fellow Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’ ²⁴ So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold ornaments, tear them off.’ When they gave it to me, I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

The Descendants of Levi Punish the Guilty Israelis

²⁵ When Moses saw that the people were out of control—since Aaron had let them get out of control, something that incited ridicule from their enemies^[as]— ²⁶ he stood in the gate of the camp and called out: “Whoever is for the Lord come over^[at] to me,” and all the sons of Levi gathered around him. ²⁷ He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and each of you kill his brother and friend and neighbor.’”

²⁸ The descendants of Levi did just as Moses told them,^[au] and about 3,000 people died that day. ²⁹ Moses said, “You have been ordained^[av] to serve the Lord^[aw] today, and you have brought a blessing on yourselves today because every man opposed his son or brother.”^[ax]

Moses Again Intercedes for the People

³⁰ The next day Moses told the people, “You committed a great sin, and now I’ll go up to the Lord, and perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

³¹ Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Please, Lord, this people committed a great sin by making a god of gold for themselves. ³² Now, if you will, forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out of your book which you have written.”

³³ The Lord told Moses, “Whoever sins against me, I’ll blot him out of my book. ³⁴ Now, go, and lead the people where I told you, and now my angel will go before you, but on the day when I do punish, I’ll punish them for their sin.” ³⁵ Then the Lord sent a plague on the people because they made the calf (the one Aaron made).