The Altar of Incense

1“Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2Its length shall be a [†]cubit, and its width a cubit; it shall be square. And its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be [†]of the same piece. 3You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its [†]sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. 4You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on [†]opposite sides—and [†]they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6You shall put [†]this altar in front of the veil that is [†]near the ark of the testimony, in front of the [†]mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8When Aaron [†]trims the lamps [†]at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be continual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations. 9You shall not offer any strange incense on [†]this altar or burnt offering or grain offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to Yahweh.”

The Census and the Atonement Price

11Yahweh also spoke to Moses, saying, 12“When you take a [†]census of the sons of Israel [†]to number them, then each one of them shall give a price of atonement for [†]himself to Yahweh when you [†]number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you [†]number them. 13This is what everyone who [†]is numbered shall give: half a [†]shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty [†]gerahs), half a shekel as a [†]contribution to Yahweh. 14Everyone who [†]is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the [†]contribution to Yahweh. 15The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel when you give the [†]contribution to Yahweh to make atonement for your souls. 16And you shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a remembrance for the sons of Israel before Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls.”

The Laver for the Priestly Washing

17And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 18“You shall also make a laver of [†]bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; 20when they come into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to Yahweh. 21So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for [†]Aaron and his seed throughout their generations.”

The Holy Anointing Oil

22Moreover, Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23“But as for you, take for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh 500 shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250, 24and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a [†]hin. 25And You shall make [†]of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26And with it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. 29You shall also set them apart as holy, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and you shall set them apart as holy, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32It shall not be poured on [†]anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in [†]the same specifications; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a [†]layman [†]shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

34Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Take for yourself fragrances, stacte and onycha and galbanum, fragrances with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36You shall beat some of it very fine, and you shall put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in [†]the same specifications for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for Yahweh. 38Whoever shall make any like it, to [†]use as perfume, [†]shall be cut off from his people.”