New American Standard Bible 1995

New Living Translation

1"Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

1“Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense.

2"Its 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 one piece with it.

2Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high, with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself.

3"You 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.

3Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.

4"You 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.

4Make two gold rings, and attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying poles.

5"You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

5Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

6"You 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 ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you.

6Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant, in front of the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. I will meet with you there.

7"Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps.

7“Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar.

8"When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

8And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the LORD’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation.

9"You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.

9Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.

10"Aaron 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 the LORD."

10“Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the LORD’s most holy altar.” Money for the Tabernacle

11The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying,

11Then the LORD said to Moses,

12"When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them.

12“Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the LORD. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them.

13"This 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 the LORD.

13Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the LORD. (This payment is half a shekel, based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.)

14"Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD.

14All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the LORD.

15"The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves.

15When this offering is given to the LORD to purify your lives, making you right with him, the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give less.

16"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 memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves."

16Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the Tabernacle. It will bring the Israelites to the LORD’s attention, and it will purify your lives.” Plans for the Washbasin

17The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

17Then the LORD said to Moses,

18"You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.

18“Make a bronze washbasin with a bronze stand. Place it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water.

19"Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it;

19Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there.

20when they enter 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 the LORD.

20They must wash with water whenever they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the LORD and when they approach the altar to burn up their special gifts to the LORD—or they will die!

21"So 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 descendants throughout their generations."

21They must always wash their hands and feet, or they will die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants, to be observed from generation to generation.” The Anointing Oil

22Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

22Then the LORD said to Moses,

23"Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty,

23“Collect choice spices—12 1/2 pounds of pure myrrh, 6 1/4 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6 1/4 pounds of fragrant calamus,

24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.

24and 12 1/2 pounds of cassia —as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil.

25"You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.

25Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil.

26"With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,

26Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant,

27and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

27the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar,

28and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand.

28the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand.

29"You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy.

29Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.

30"You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me.

30“Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests.

31"You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.

31And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation.

32It shall not be poured on anyone's body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

32It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.

33Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.'"

33Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.’” The Incense

34Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.

34Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts.

35"With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.

35Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense.

36"You shall beat some of it very fine, and 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.

36Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy.

37"The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD.

37Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the LORD, and you must treat it as holy.

38"Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people."

38Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.”

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.