Old/New Testament

36 “So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person will do the work the Lord has commanded. The Lord gave these people the wisdom and understanding to do all the skilled work needed to build the Holy Tent.”

² Then Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab and all the other skilled people to whom the Lord had given skills. And they came because they wanted to help with the work. ³ They received from Moses everything the people of Israel had brought as gifts to build the Holy Tent. The people continued to bring gifts each morning because they wanted to. ⁴ So all the skilled workers left the work they were doing on the Holy Tent. And they went to speak to Moses. They said, ⁵ “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.” So the people were kept from giving more. ⁷ What they had was already more than enough to do all the work.

The Holy Tent

⁸ Then the skilled workers made the Holy Tent. They made the ten pieces of blue, purple and red cloth. And they sewed designs of creatures with wings on the pieces. ⁹ Each piece was the same size. It was 42 feet long and 6 feet wide. ¹⁰ Five of the pieces were fastened together to make one set. The other five were fastened together to make another set. ¹¹ Then they made loops of blue cloth along the edge of the end piece on the first set of five. They did the same thing with the other set of five. ¹² There were 50 loops on one piece and 50 loops on the other piece. The loops were opposite each other. ¹³ Then they made 50 gold hooks to join the two pieces together. So the Holy Tent was joined together as one piece.

¹⁴ Then the workers made another tent of 11 pieces of cloth made of goat hair. This was to put over the Holy Tent. ¹⁵ All 11 pieces were the same size. They were 45 feet long and 6 feet wide. ¹⁶ The workers sewed five pieces together into one set. Then they sewed six together into another set. ¹⁷ They made 50 loops along the edge of the outside piece of one set. And they made 50 loops along the edge of the outside piece of the other set. ¹⁸ Then they made 50 bronze rings to join the two sets of cloth together and make the tent one piece. ¹⁹ Then they made two more coverings for the outer tent. One covering was made of male sheep skin colored red. The other covering was made of fine leather.

²⁰ Then they made upright frames of acacia wood. ²¹ Each board was 15 feet tall and 27 inches wide. ²² There were two pegs side by side on each frame. Every frame of the Holy Tent was made this same way. ²³ They made 20 frames for the south side of the Tent. ²⁴ Then they made 40 silver bases that went under the 20 frames. There were two bases for every frame—one for each peg of each board. ²⁵ They also made 20 frames for the north side of the Holy Tent. ²⁶ They made 40 silver bases—2 to go under each frame. ²⁷ They made 6 frames for the rear or west end of the Holy Tent ²⁸ and 2 frames for the corners at the rear of the Holy Tent. ²⁹ These 2 frames were joined together from the bottom to the top with a metal ring. They did this for each of these corners. ³⁰ So there were 8 frames and 16 silver bases—2 bases under each frame.

³¹ Then they made crossbars of acacia wood to connect the upright frames of the Holy Tent. Five crossbars held the frames together on one side of the Tent. ³² Five crossbars held the frames together on the other side. And five crossbars held the frames together on the west end, at the rear of the Tent. ³³ They made the 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. They passed the crossbars through the rings. They covered the frames and the crossbars with gold.

³⁵ Then they made the curtain with blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen. A skilled craftsman sewed designs of creatures with wings on it. ³⁶ They made four posts of acacia wood and covered them with gold. Then they made gold hooks for the posts. And they made four silver bases in which to set the posts. ³⁷ Then they made a curtain for the entrance to the Tent. They used blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen. A person who sewed well sewed designs on it. ³⁸ Then they made five posts and hooks 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

37 Bezalel made the Ark of the Covenant of acacia wood. The Ark of the Covenant was 45 inches long, 27 inches wide and 27 inches high. ² He covered the inside and outside of the Ark of the Covenant with pure gold. Then he put a gold strip around it. ³ He made four gold rings for it and attached them to its four feet. There were two rings on each side. ⁴ Then he made poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold. ⁵ He put the poles through the rings on each side of the Ark of the Covenant to carry it. ⁶ Then he made a lid of pure gold. It was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. ⁷ Then Bezalel hammered gold to make two creatures with wings. He attached them to each end of the lid. ⁸ He made one creature with wings on one end of the lid. He made the other creature with wings on the other end. He attached them to the lid so that it would be one piece. ⁹ The creatures’ wings were spread out over the lid. The creatures faced each other across the lid.

The Table

¹⁰ Then he made the table of acacia wood. The table was 36 inches long, 18 inches wide and 27 inches high. ¹¹ He covered the table with pure gold. He put a gold strip around it. ¹² Then he made a frame 3 inches high that stood up all around the edge. He put a gold strip around the frame. ¹³ Then he made four gold rings for the table. He attached them to the four corners of the table, where the four legs were. ¹⁴ The rings were put close to the frame around the top of the table. The rings held the poles that were used to carry the table. ¹⁵ The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood. They were covered with gold. ¹⁶ Then he made of pure gold all the things that were used on the table: the plates, bowls, cups and jars used for pouring the drink offerings.

The Lampstand

¹⁷ Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He hammered out its base and stand. Its flower-like cups, buds and petals were joined together in one piece with the base and stand. ¹⁸ There were three branches on one side of the lampstand and three branches on the other. ¹⁹ Each branch had three cups shaped like almond flowers. Each cup had a bud and a petal. ²⁰ There were four more cups shaped like almond flowers on the lampstand itself. Each cup had 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. ²² The buds, branches and lampstand were all one piece of pure, hammered gold. ²³ He made seven pure gold lamps for this lampstand. Then he made pure gold wick trimmers and trays. ²⁴ He used about 75 pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and all the things that go with it.

The Altar for Burning Incense

²⁵ Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood. The altar was square. It was 18 inches long, 18 inches wide and 36 inches high. Each corner stuck out like a horn. Each corner was joined into one piece with the altar. ²⁶ He covered the top and all the sides and the corners with pure gold. Then he put gold trim around the altar. ²⁷ He made two gold rings and put them below the trim on opposite sides of the altar. These rings held the poles for carrying the altar. ²⁸ He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.

²⁹ Then he made the holy olive oil for appointing the priests. He also made the pure, sweet-smelling incense. He made them like a person who mixes perfumes.

The Altar

38 Then he built the altar for burning offerings. He made the altar of acacia wood. The altar was square. It was 7½ feet long, 7½ feet wide and 4½ feet high. ² He made each corner stick out like a horn. The horns and the altar were joined together in one piece. Then he covered the altar with bronze. ³ He made all the tools of bronze to use on the altar: the pots, shovels, bowls for sprinkling blood, meat forks and pans for carrying the fire. ⁴ He made a large bronze screen to hold the burning wood for the altar. He put the screen inside the altar, under its rim, halfway up from the bottom. ⁵ He made bronze rings for holding the poles for carrying the altar. He put the rings at the four corners of the screen. ⁶ Then he made poles of acacia wood and covered them with bronze. ⁷ He put the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar. They were used for carrying the altar. He made the altar of boards and left the inside hollow.

The Bronze Bowl

⁸ He made the bronze bowl for washing. He built it on a bronze stand. He used the bronze of mirrors. These mirrors belonged to the women who served at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.

The Courtyard of the Holy Tent

⁹ Then he made a wall of curtains to form a courtyard around the Holy Tent. On the south side the curtains were 150 feet long and were made of fine linen. ¹⁰ The curtains hung on silver hooks and bands. These were on 20 bronze posts on 20 bronze bases. ¹¹ On the north side the wall of curtains was also 150 feet long. It hung on silver hooks and bands on 20 posts with 20 bronze bases.

¹² On the west side of the courtyard, the wall of curtains was 75 feet long. It was held up by silver hooks and bands on 10 posts and 10 bases. ¹³ The east side was 75 feet wide. ¹⁴ On one side of the entry there was a wall of curtains that was 22½ feet long. It was held up by 3 posts and 3 bases. ¹⁵ On the other side of the entry there was a wall of curtains 22½ feet long. It was held up by 3 posts and 3 bases. ¹⁶ All the curtains around the courtyard were made of fine linen. ¹⁷ The bases for the posts were made of bronze. The hooks and the bands on the posts were made of silver. The tops of the posts were covered with silver also. All the posts in the courtyard had silver bands.

¹⁸ The curtain for the entry of the courtyard was made of blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen. It was sewn by a person who could sew well. The curtain was 30 feet long and 7½ feet high. It was the same height as the curtains around the courtyard. ¹⁹ The curtain was held up by 4 posts and 4 bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts were made of silver. The tops on the posts were covered with silver. ²⁰ All the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and for the curtains around the courtyard were made of bronze.

²¹ This is a list of the metals used to make the Holy Tent. This is where the two flat stones with the Ten Commandments are kept. Moses ordered the Levites to make this list. Ithamar son of Aaron was in charge of keeping the list. ²² Bezalel son of Uri made everything the Lord commanded Moses. Uri was the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. ²³ Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan helped him. Oholiab could cut designs into metal and stone. He was a designer. He was also skilled at sewing the blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.

²⁴ The total amount of gold used to build the Holy Tent was presented to the Lord. It weighed over 2,000 pounds, as set by the Holy Place measure.

²⁵ The silver was given by the members of the community who were counted. It weighed 7,550 pounds, as set by the Holy Place measure. ²⁶ All the men 20 years old or older were counted. There were 603,550 men, and each man had to pay ⅕ ounce of silver. This is the weight as set by the Holy Place measure. ²⁷ Of this silver, 7,500 pounds was used to make the 100 bases. These bases were for the Holy Tent and for the curtain. There was 75 pounds of silver in each base. ²⁸ The other 50 pounds of silver was used to make the hooks for the posts. It was also used to cover the tops of the posts and to make the bands on the posts.

²⁹ The bronze which was presented to the Lord weighed about 5,000 pounds. ³⁰ They used the bronze to make the bases at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. They also used the bronze to make the altar and the bronze screen. And this bronze was used to make all the tools for the altar. ³¹ This bronze was also used to make bases for the wall of curtains around the courtyard. It was used for the bases for the curtains at the entry to the courtyard. And this bronze was used to make the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and curtains that surrounded the courtyard.

Jesus Accuses the Leaders

23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his followers. Jesus said, ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the law of Moses says. ³ So you should obey and follow whatever they tell you. But their lives are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they don’t do the things themselves. ⁴ They make strict rules and try to force people to obey them. But they themselves will not try to follow any of those rules.

⁵ “The reason they do good things is so other people will see them. They make the boxes^[a] of Scriptures that they wear bigger and bigger. And they make their special prayer clothes very long so that people will notice them. ⁶ Those Pharisees and teachers of the law love to have the most important seats at the feasts. And they love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. ⁷ They love people to show respect to them in the marketplaces. And they love to have people call them ‘Teacher.’

⁸ “But you must not be called ‘Teacher.’ You are all brothers and sisters together. You have only one Teacher. ⁹ And don’t call any person on earth ‘Father.’ You have one Father. He is in heaven. ¹⁰ And you should not be called ‘Master.’ You have only one Master, the Christ. ¹¹ He who serves you as a servant is the greatest among you. ¹² Whoever makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great.

¹³ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter. ¹⁴ [How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You take away widows’ houses, and you make long prayers so that people can see you. So you will have a worse punishment.]^[b]

¹⁵ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to find one person who will follow your ways. When you find that person, you make him more fit for hell than you are.

¹⁶ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You guide the people, but you are blind. You say, ‘If anyone swears by the Temple when he makes a promise, that means nothing. But if anyone swears by the gold that is in the Temple, then he must keep that promise.’ ¹⁷ You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple? The Temple makes that gold holy. ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar when he makes a promise, that means nothing. But if he swears by the gift on the altar, then he must keep his promise.’ ¹⁹ You are blind! Which is greater: the gift or the altar? The altar makes the gift holy. ²⁰ The person who swears by the altar is really using the altar and also everything on the altar. ²¹ And the person who uses the Temple to make a promise is really using the Temple and also everything in the Temple. ²² The person who uses heaven to make a promise is also using God’s throne and the One who sits on that throne.