The Daily Audio Bible

37 After this Bezalel built the covenant chest out of acacia wood. It was 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. ² He overlaid the entire thing, inside and out, with pure gold, and decorated it with gold trim all the way around it. ³ He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four corners—two rings on each side of the chest. ⁴ He made poles out of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. ⁵ He slid the poles through the rings on the sides of the chest in order to carry it without touching it. The poles were never to be removed.

⁶ He built a cover for the chest out of pure gold. It is known as the seat of mercy—where sins are atoned—and it was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. ⁷ He also fashioned two winged guardians out of hammered gold and placed them at both ends of the seat of mercy. ⁸ He placed one winged creature at each end of the seat of mercy. He had it made so that the winged guardians appeared as one solid piece with the cover. ⁹ The guardians faced one another with bowed heads, their wings spread so that they were reaching up and covering the seat of mercy.

¹⁰ Bezalel then built the table out of acacia wood—36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. ¹¹ He overlaid it with pure gold, and decorated it with gold trim around the edge. ¹² He put a three-inch-wide rim around it and placed gold trim around the rim. ¹³ Then he cast four gold rings and attached them to each of the table’s four corners at its four legs. ¹⁴ The rings were placed just beneath the rim so they could hold the poles in order to carry the table. ¹⁵ He made the poles out of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. ¹⁶ He had his artisans make different kinds of vessels for use at the table—platters, pans, pitchers, and bowls—out of pure gold for use with the offerings of incense and drink.

¹⁷ Then Bezalel fashioned a lampstand out of pure, hammered gold. He made its base, trunk, branches, decorative buds and blossoms, and lamp cups out of one solid piece. ¹⁸ Six branches extended from the trunk’s sides—three on one side and three on the other. ¹⁹ Each of the six branches had three decorative cups shaped like almond blossoms whose buds have just flowered. ²⁰ On the trunk of the lampstand, there were four cups, shaped like almond blossoms whose buds have just flowered. ²¹ A single almond bud sat beneath each pair of six branches extending out from the trunk of the lampstand. ²² All the buds and branches were crafted out of pure, hammered gold of one solid piece. ²³ Bezalel had his artisans make seven lamps, trays, and tongs out of pure gold. ²⁴ He made the lampstand and all its accessories out of 75 pounds of pure gold.

²⁵ Bezalel then built the altar of incense out of more acacia wood. He made it in the shape of a square—18 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 36 inches high. He carved the horns and the top of the altar out of one piece of wood. ²⁶ He overlaid the whole thing, the top, the sides, and the horns with pure gold and attached a gold trim around its edges. ²⁷ He fashioned two gold rings and attached them beneath the trim on the two opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry the altar. ²⁸ He made the poles out of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

²⁹ With the skill of a master perfumer, he blended the ingredients to make the sacred anointing oil and fragrant incense.

38 Bezalel made the altar for burnt offerings out of acacia wood. He made it square—seven and a half feet long by seven and a half feet wide—and four and a half feet high. ² He constructed it with horns on each of the four corners so that the top formed one piece and overlaid it with bronze. ³ He fashioned all the tools and accessories needed for the altar out of bronze—the buckets and shovels for the ashes, basins, forks, and fire pans. ⁴ He made a grate out of bronze and attached it beneath the ledge of the altar, halfway up from the base. ⁵ He cast four bronze rings and attached them at the four corners of the bronze grating in order to hold the poles. ⁶ He made poles out of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. ⁷ He then slid the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar so that it could be carried. He made the altar out of wooden planks and made it hollow so that it would be easier to move.

⁸ Bezalel made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors donated by the women who served at the entrance of the congregation tent.

⁹ Bezalel then made fabric panels out of finely woven linen to enclose the courtyard in front of the congregation tent. On the south side, he hung a series of panels for 150 feet ¹⁰ on 20 bronze posts set securely into 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands used to attach the panels to the posts were made out of silver. ¹¹ On the north side, he hung a series of panels for 150 feet on 20 bronze posts set securely into 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands used to attach them to the posts were made out of silver. ¹² On the west end, he hung panels for 75 feet on 10 bronze posts set securely into 10 bronze bases. The hooks and bands used to attach them to the posts were made out of silver. ¹³ For the front, which faced the east, he hung panels for 75 feet. ^14-15 On both sides of the entrance, he hung panels that were 22½ feet wide on three posts set into three bases. ¹⁶ All the fabric panels enclosing the courtyard were made of finely woven linen.

¹⁷ The bases for the posts were all crafted out of bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were all made out of silver, and the tops of each post were overlaid with silver. All the rings which attached the panels to the posts were made of silver.

¹⁸ The fabric screen that served as the entrance to the courtyard was made of finely woven linen richly embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. It was 30 feet long and seven and a half feet high, the same height as the rest of the panels around the court. ¹⁹ It was held up by four bronze posts set into four bronze bases. The hooks and the rings which attached the panels to the posts were crafted out of silver, and the tops of each post were overlaid with silver. ²⁰ Every peg which anchored the congregation tent and the courtyard enclosure to the ground was made out of bronze.

²¹ Here is an account of everything used to construct the congregation tent—the tent of witness—recorded exactly as Moses instructed. The Levites, under the supervision of Aaron’s son Ithamar, were in charge of keeping track of the materials. ²² Bezalel (son of Uri the son of Hur, a Judahite) built everything according to the instructions the Eternal One had given Moses. ²³ Oholiab (son of Ahisamach the Danite) assisted Bezalel. He was an expert engraver, designer, and embroiderer with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine linen.

²⁴ The total weight of gold donated by the Israelites and used in the construction of the congregation tent was about 2,200 pounds^[a] (according to the official standards used in the sanctuary). ²⁵ The total weight of silver collected from the people to be used for the congregation tent was about 7,600 pounds^[b] (according to the official standards used in the sanctuary). ²⁶ For every person counted in the census—603,550 men age 20 and older—this amounts to two-tenths of an ounce^[c] per person (according to the official standards used in the sanctuary). ²⁷ The 100 bases used for the sanctuary and for the veil were cast out of 7,500 pounds of silver, that is 75 pounds per base. ²⁸ He used the remaining silver, about 45 pounds, to make the hooks and bands for the posts and to overlay the tops of each post. ²⁹ The Israelites had also donated about 5,300 pounds of bronze.^{[d] 30} From it he crafted the bases at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating, all the tools for the altar, ³¹ the bases around the courtyard and the entrance, and all the tent pegs for the congregation tent and courtyard.

28 After the Sabbath, as the light of the next day, the first day of the week, crept over Palestine, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb to keep vigil. ² Earlier there had been an earthquake. A messenger of the Lord had come down from heaven and had gone to the grave. He rolled away the stone and sat down on top of it. ³ He veritably glowed. He was vibrating with light. His clothes were light, white like transfiguration, like fresh snow. ⁴ The soldiers guarding the tomb were terrified. They froze like stone.

⁵ The messenger spoke to the women, to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.

⁸ The women were both terrified and thrilled, and they quickly left the tomb and went to find the disciples and give them this outstandingly good news. ⁹ But while they were on their way, they saw Jesus Himself.

The women fell down before Him, kissing His feet and worshiping Him.

¹¹ As the women were making their way to the disciples, some of the soldiers who had been standing guard by Jesus’ tomb recovered themselves, went to the city, and told the chief priests everything that had happened—the earthquake just after dawn, the heavenly messenger, and his commission to the Marys. ¹² The chief priests gathered together all the elders, an emergency conference of sorts. They needed a plan. They decided the simplest course was bribery: they would pay off the guards ¹³ and order them to say that the disciples had come in the middle of the night and had stolen Jesus’ corpse while they slept. ¹⁴ The chief priests promised the soldiers they would run interference with the governor so that the soldiers wouldn’t be punished for falling asleep when they were supposed to be keeping watch. ¹⁵ The guards took the bribe and spread the story around town—and indeed, you can still find people today who will tell you that Jesus did not really rise from the dead, that it was a trick, some sort of sleight of hand.

¹⁶ The eleven disciples, having spoken to the Marys, headed to Galilee, to the mountain where they were to meet Jesus. ¹⁷ When the disciples saw Jesus there, many of them fell down and worshiped, as Mary and the other Mary had done. But a few hung back. They were not sure (and who can blame them?). ¹⁸ Jesus came forward and addressed His beloved disciples.