Old/New Testament
39 For the priests who served in the holy place, they decorated finely woven garments with blue, purple, and scarlet thread donated by the people. They also made the sacred garments Aaron was to wear, exactly as the Eternal One had instructed Moses.
2 Bezalel had Aaron’s vest of gold made out of finely woven linen embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 3 Craftsmen hammered gold into gold leaf, sliced it into individual threads, and interlaced them with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread as they embroidered intricate designs into the fine linens. 4 They also made two pieces for the shoulders of the vest that attached so that the front and back form one piece. 5 The vest’s waistband was skillfully made of the same materials—blue, purple, and scarlet thread on finely woven linen—and with a similar design made by skilled artisans exactly as the Eternal One had instructed Moses. 6 They prepared onyx stones, engraved them the same way signet rings are engraved, and set them in ornamental gold settings. 7 As the Eternal instructed Moses, he positioned the onyx stones on the shoulder pieces of Aaron’s vest as a memorial for the people of Israel before the Eternal One.
8 He then had skilled workers make the breast piece in the same style as the vest out of finely woven linen embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with gold. 9 They made it square by folding over the material to double it and created a pouch in it nine inches by nine inches. 10 They placed four rows of stones in it. The first row was ruby, topaz, and emerald; 11 the second row was turquoise, sapphire, and diamond; 12 the third row was jacinth, agate, and amethyst; 13 the fourth row was beryl, onyx, and jasper. They were all attached to the breast piece with ornamental gold settings. 14 The twelve stones stood for the twelve tribes of Israel. Each was engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. 15 They braided strands of pure gold into chains and attached them to the breast piece. 16 They fashioned two ornamental gold settings and two gold rings, and they placed the two rings on opposite ends of the breast piece. 17 Then they fastened the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the two ends of the breast piece. 18 They fastened the loose ends of the chains to the two ornamental gold settings at the front of Aaron’s vest on the shoulders. 19 Then they fashioned two more gold rings and attached them to the breast piece at the inside edge next to the vest. 20 They made two additional gold rings and attached them to the front of the vest below the shoulders near the seam just above the waistband. 21 They connected the rings on the breast piece to the rings on the vest using blue cord, so that it would be attached above the vest’s waistband and not come loose from the vest. They did all this exactly as the Eternal One had instructed Moses.
22 He then made the robe worn under the vest blue. 23 They made a hole for the head and formed a collar around the hole by lining it with extra material so that it might not tear. 24 All around the hem they stitched pomegranates out of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 25 They also fashioned bells out of pure gold and attached them all around the hem between the pomegranates. 26 They used an alternating pattern: bell, pomegranate, bell, pomegranate, and so on. They did this exactly as the Eternal One had instructed Moses.
27 They made tunics out of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons. 28 They made the turban, caps, and undergarments out of fine linen as well. 29 They also made the sash out of finely woven linen and embroidered it with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread. They did all this exactly as the Eternal One instructed Moses.
30 They made the medallion, the sacred emblem that set the high priest apart, out of pure gold and engraved it like a seal with the inscription, “Holy to the Eternal.” 31 They fastened it with a blue cord to the front of Aaron’s turban, exactly as the Eternal One instructed Moses.
32 All the work that went into the sanctuary of the congregation tent was finally finished. The Israelites did everything exactly as the Eternal One had instructed Moses.
33 Then the Israelites brought all they made to Moses. They brought the tent and all its furnishings, including its hooks, frame panels, crossbars, posts, and bases; 34 the layers of red-dyed rams’ skins and the sea-cow skin that covered the sanctuary; the veil shrouding the most holy place; 35 the covenant chest with its poles and the seat of mercy; 36 the table, its tools, the bread of the Presence; 37 the gold lampstand, its lamps and all its tools, the lamp oil; 38 the golden altar of incense, the anointing oil and the scented incense; the fabric screen for the tent’s entrance; 39 the bronze altar for burnt offerings, the bronze grating, its poles and tools, the basin and its stand; 40 the panels that enclose the courtyard, the posts and bases, the screen that covers the court’s entrance, the cords and pegs; and all the tools used in the sanctuary of the congregation tent, 41 the finely woven clothing for priests serving in the holy place, the sacred garments worn by Aaron the high priest, and the clothes his sons are to wear when they serve as priests as well. 42 The Israelites completed each part of the project exactly as the Eternal One had instructed Moses.
43 Moses inspected every piece of work they had completed, and he saw that they had done it all with excellence according to the specifications given to Him by the Eternal One. So Moses blessed them.
40 Then the Eternal One instructed Moses.
The last half of the Book of Exodus offers a picture of the relationship between God and humanity through powerful symbols. The amazing truth of all Scripture is reflected here: God resides in the midst of His people. In every detail of God’s directives—the ethical rules, the people’s offerings, the design of the congregation tent and its furnishings, God’s redemptive acts—God is announcing the central truth: He is present with His covenant people. So the physical elements of this covenant bear witness to deep, spiritual realities. God is in the process of repairing the world from the damage caused by sin and death; but to do so, He needs a people. This is why He chooses Israel and makes them different from everyone else. He needs agents on the ground devoted to liberating a world held hostage to lesser powers and feebler gods. But where will those people be formed and trained to be God’s effective agents? They will be shaped in the crucible of worship and obedience.
Eternal One: 2 When the first day of the first month arrives, erect the sanctuary of the congregation tent. 3 Place the covenant chest in there—as a witness to our agreement—and screen it from sight with the veil. 4 Move the table into place and arrange the utensils on it. Then move the lampstand into place and set up all its lamps. 5 Place the golden altar for incense in front of the covenant chest outside the veil, and install the curtain at the entrance to the congregation tent. 6 Set up the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the congregation tent. 7 Place the basin between the sanctuary of the congregation tent and the altar, and fill it with water. 8 Erect the posts and fabric panels around the courtyard, and hang the panel at the court’s entrance. 9 Anoint the tent and everything in it with the anointing oil. Consecrate it and all its furnishings, so that it will all be holy. 10 Anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its tools, and consecrate the altar so that it will be most holy. 11 Anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it as well. 12 Escort Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the sanctuary of the congregation tent and cleanse them with water. 13 Dress Aaron in the sacred garments, then anoint and sanctify him so that he may serve Me as high priest. 14 Next bring his sons forward and dress them in tunics. 15 Anoint them in the same way that you anointed their father, Aaron, so that they may serve Me as priests. With their anointing, they will enter the priesthood and remain priests forever for all their generations.
16 Moses did exactly as the Eternal One instructed him.
17 The congregation tent was erected on the first day of the first month of the second year after the exodus from Egypt. 18 Moses raised it. He began by laying down the bases, installing the frame panels, attaching the crossbars, and erecting the posts. 19 He covered the frame of the tent with the tent fabric and then covered that with other layers they made. He did this exactly as the Eternal One had instructed him.
20 He then placed the stone tablets—as a witness to their agreement—inside the covenant chest. He slid the poles through the rings on the chest and covered the chest with the seat of mercy, where sins are atoned. 21 He carried the covenant chest into the congregation tent and hung the veil to screen it from sight exactly as the Eternal One had instructed him. 22 He then placed the table on the northern end of the sanctuary of the congregation tent outside of the veil. 23 He arranged the bread on the table before the Eternal exactly as the Eternal One had instructed him. 24 He took the lampstand into the sanctuary of the congregation tent and set it up on the southern end, directly opposite the table. 25 He lit the lamps before the Eternal One, exactly as the Eternal One had instructed him. 26 He put the golden altar in front of the veil within the sanctuary 27 and burned fragrant incense on it, exactly as the Eternal One had instructed him. 28 He hung the screen at the entrance of the congregation tent. 29 He put the altar for burnt offering in front of the entrance to the sanctuary of the congregation tent, inside the courtyard. He offered burnt offerings and grain offerings on it exactly as the Eternal One had instructed him. 30-31 He put the basin between the sanctuary and the altar for burnt offerings and filled it with water so Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons could wash their hands and feet and cleanse themselves. 32 When they went into the congregation tent and when they came near the altar, they washed themselves exactly as the Eternal One had instructed Moses. 33 Moses then raised the posts and panels that enclosed the courtyard around the congregation tent and altar. He put up the screen at the court entrance. Moses completed the work.
The congregation tent faces the rising sun in the east. Its orientation along with the bronze and gold objects all around create a brilliant sight every morning.
34 At that moment, a cloud blanketed the congregation tent, and the glory of the Eternal filled the sanctuary. 35 Moses could not even go into the congregation tent because the cloud had enveloped it, and the glory of the Eternal filled the sanctuary. 36 Through all their wanderings in the desert, whenever the cloud lifted up from the congregation tent, the Israelites would break camp and set out. 37 But when the cloud covered the tent, they remained where they were and did not set out until once again the cloud lifted. 38 Through all their wanderings, the cloud of the Eternal stood over the congregation tent during the day and at night fire was lit for all the community of Israel to see.
23 So woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You hypocrites! You tithe from your luxuries and your spices, giving away a tenth of your mint, your dill, and your cumin. But you have ignored the essentials of the law: justice, mercy, faithfulness. It is practice of the latter that makes sense of the former. 24 You hypocritical, blind leaders. You spoon a fly from your soup and swallow a camel.
25 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You remove fine layers of film and dust from the outside of a cup or bowl, but you leave the inside full of greed and covetousness and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee—can’t you see that if you clean the inside of the cup, the outside will be clean too?
27 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like a grave that has been whitewashed. You look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside you are full of moldering bones and decaying rot. 28 You appear, at first blush, to be righteous, selfless, and pure; but on the inside you are polluted, sunk in hypocrisy and confusion and lawlessness.
29 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build monuments to your dead, you mouth pieties over the bodies of prophets, you decorate the graves of your righteous ancestors. 30 And you say, “If we had lived when our forefathers lived, we would have known better—we would not have joined them when they rose up against the prophets.” 31 Even when you are preening, you make plain that you descended from those who murdered our prophets. 32 So why don’t you finish what your forefathers started? 33 You are children of vipers, you belly-dragging snakes. You won’t escape the judgment of hell.
34 That is why I am sending you prophets and wise men, teachers of breadth and depth and substance. You will kill some of them and crucify others. You will flog others in your synagogues. You will pursue them from town to town. 35 And on your heads, stained through your hands and drenching your clothes, my friends, will be all the righteous blood ever shed on this earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah whom you murdered in the house of the Lord between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 I tell you: this generation will bear the blood of all that has gone before.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. You kill the prophets whom God gives you; you stone those God sends you. I have longed to gather your children the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you refuse to be gathered. 38 Surely you can see that God has already removed His blessing from the house of Israel. 39 I tell you this: you will not see Me again until you say, with the psalmist, “Anyone who comes in the name of the Eternal One will be blessed.”[a]
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.