The Altar of Incense

1“You are to make an altar for burning incense. You are to make it of acacia wood. 2It is to be a square, one cubita long and one cubitb wide, and it is to be two cubitsc high, with its horns of one piece with it. 3You 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. 5You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6You are to put the altard in front of the curtain that is over the Ark of the Testimony, in front of the Mercy Seate that is over the Testimony where I’ll meet with you. 7Aaron is to offer fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he trims the lamps he is to offer it, 8and 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. 9You 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. 10Each 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

11The LORD told Moses, 12“When you take a census of the Israelis to register them, each is to give a ransom for himselff to the LORD when they’re registered so there won’t be a plague among them when they’re registered. 13This is what everyone who is registeredg is to give: half a shekelh according to the shekeli of the sanctuary (the shekelj weighs 20 gerahs), half a shekelk as a contribution to the LORD. 14All who are registered, 20 years of age and older, are to give a contribution to the LORD. 15The rich person is not to give more,l nor is the poor person to give lessm than the half shekel,n when you give a contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves.o 16You 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

17The 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 19and Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and their feet from it. 20When 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. 21They 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 Aaronr and his seed from generation to generation.”

The Anointing Oil

22The LORD told Moses, 23“You are to take for yourself the finest spices: 500 shekelss by weight of liquid myrrh, half as much fragrant cinnamon (250 shekels), 250 shekels of fragrant reeds, 24500 shekels of cassia—all according to the shekel of the sanctuary—and a hint of olive oil. 25You are to make them into a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture made by a perfumer. It is to be a holy anointing oil. 26You are to use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony, 27the table and all its utensils, the lamp stand and its utensils, the altar of incense, 28the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin and its base. 29You are to consecrate them and they are to be most holy. Whatever touches them is to be holy. 30You are to anoint Aaron and his sons, and you are to consecrate them to serve as my priests. 31You are to address the Israelis and tell them, ‘This is to be holy anointing oil for me from generation to generation. 32It 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. 33Anyone who mixes anything like it or who puts any of it on an unqualified personv is to be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

34The LORD told Moses, “Take for yourself spices: stacte, onycha, galbanum, and spices with pure frankincense, all in equal amounts. 35You are to make it into a fragrant incense, expertlyw blended,x pure, and holy. 36You 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. 37You 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. 38Anyone who makes anything like it to use it as perfume is to be cut off from his people.”