1 A nd thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense: of acacia-wood shalt thou make it;

“Make an altar for burning special perfume. Make it of acacia wood.

2 a cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof—square shall it be; and two cubits its height; of itself shall be its horns.

It will be as long and as wide as a man’s arm and as high as a man’s waist. Its horns will be of one piece with it.

3 A nd thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make upon it a border of gold round about.

Cover its top, all its sides and its horns with pure gold. And make a piece of gold to go around it.

4 A nd two rings of gold shalt thou make for it under its border; by its two corners shalt thou make, on the two sides thereof; and they shall be for receptacles for the staves, with which to carry it.

Then make two gold rings for the altar to put under this piece. Put one on each side of the altar so it can hold the long pieces of wood used for carrying it.

5 A nd thou shalt make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold.

Make the long pieces of acacia wood and cover them with gold.

6 A nd thou shalt put it in front of the veil which is before the ark of the testimony in front of the mercy-seat which is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

Put this altar in front of the curtain that is by the box of the Law, in front of the mercy-seat that is over the box of the Law. There I will meet with you.

7 A nd Aaron shall burn thereon fragrant incense: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn the incense.

Aaron will burn special perfume on it every morning when he takes care of the lamps.

8 A nd when Aaron lighteth the lamps between the two evenings, he shall burn the incense—a continual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations.

And when Aaron takes care of the lamps in the evening, he will burn special perfume. There will be a burning of special perfume before the Lord for all your people for all time.

9 Y e shall offer up no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor oblation; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon.

Do not give upon this altar any perfume, burnt gift or grain gift that is not holy. And do not pour out a drink gift on it.

10 A nd Aaron shall make atonement for its horns once in the year: with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement shall he make atonement for it, once in the year, throughout your generations: it is most holy to Jehovah.

Once a year Aaron will give a gift for sin on its horns to take away sin. He will give the blood of the sin gift to make it holy once a year for all your people for all time. It is most holy to the Lord.” Tax for the Meeting Tent

11 A nd Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses,

12 W hen thou shalt take the sum of the children of Israel according to those of them that are numbered, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah on their being numbered, that there be no plague among them on their being numbered.

“When you number the people of Israel, each one of them will pay a price for his life to the Lord. Then no trouble will come upon them when you number them.

13 T his shall they give—every one that passeth among them that are numbered—half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary,—twenty gerahs the shekel; a half shekel shall be the heave-offering for Jehovah.

Every one who is numbered will give one piece of silver, by the weight decided upon for the holy place. One piece of silver will be a gift to the Lord.

14 E very one that passeth among those that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give the heave-offering of Jehovah.

Every one who is numbered, twenty years old and older, will give the gift to the Lord.

15 T he rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when ye give the heave-offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

The rich will not pay more and the poor will not pay less than one piece of silver. It will be a gift to the Lord so you will be forgiven of sin.

16 A nd thou shalt take the atonement-money of the children of Israel, and devote it to the service of the tent of meeting; and it shall be a memorial to the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

Receive this money from the people of Israel and use it for the work of the meeting tent. Then it will be remembered before the Lord that the people of Israel gave a gift to take away their sin of being numbered.” The Pot of Brass for Washing

17 A nd Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses,

18 T hou shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water in it.

“Make a pot of brass for washing. Make its base of brass also. Put it between the meeting tent and the altar, and put water in it.

19 A nd Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet out of it.

Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet with water from it.

20 W hen they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they come near to the altar to serve, to burn an offering by fire to Jehovah.

When they go into the meeting tent, they will wash with water, so they will not die. And they will wash when they go near the altar to give a gift made by fire to the Lord.

21 A nd they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they may not die; and it shall be an everlasting statute for them, for him and for his seed throughout their generations.

They will wash their hands and their feet, so they will not die. It will always be a law for Aaron and his children forever.” The Holy Oil for Pouring

22 A nd Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses,

23 A nd thou, take best spices—of liquid myrrh five hundred, and of sweet cinnamon the half—two hundred and fifty, and of sweet myrtle two hundred and fifty,

“Take the best spices: a heavy weight of flowing myrrh, half that weight of sweet-smelling cinnamon and of sweet-smelling cane,

24 a nd of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin;

and a heavy weight of cassia, the weight decided upon by the holy place, and a large jar of olive oil.

25 a nd make of it an oil of holy ointment, a perfume of perfumery after the work of the perfumer: it shall be the holy anointing oil.

Mix these to make a holy oil for holy use, mixed like perfume made by an able workman. It will be a holy oil for holy use.

26 A nd thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony,

Pour it on the meeting tent and the box of the Law,

27 a nd the table and all its utensils, and the lamp-stand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

the table and all its objects, the lamp-stand and all its objects, the altar of special perfume,

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

the altar of burnt gifts and all its objects, and the washing pot and its base.

29 A nd thou shalt hallow them, that they may be most holy: whatever toucheth them shall be holy.

Set them apart so they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy.

30 A nd Aaron and his sons thou shalt anoint, and shalt hallow them, that they may serve me as priests.

Pour oil on Aaron and his sons. Set them apart so they may serve as religious leaders for Me.

31 A nd thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, A holy anointing oil shall this be unto me throughout your generations.

Say to the people of Israel, ‘This will be a holy oil to Me for all your people for all time.

32 U pon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make like it, after the preparation of it: it is holy—holy shall it be unto you.

It will not be poured on the flesh of man. And you will not mix any like it. It is holy. It will be holy to you.

33 W hoever compoundeth like it, or whoever putteth of it upon any strange thing, shall be cut off from his peoples.

Whoever mixes any like it, or puts any of it on a man who is not a religious leader, will be cut off from his people.’”

34 A nd Jehovah said to Moses, Take fragrant drugs—stacte, and onycha, and galbanum—fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be.

The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense. Take the same amount of each.

35 A nd thou shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy.

Mix them to make a special perfume, salted, pure and holy, the work of an able workman.

36 A nd thou shalt beat of it to powder, and put of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

Beat some of it very fine. And put some of it in front of the special box of the agreement in the meeting tent, where I will meet with you. It will be most holy to you.

37 A nd the incense that thou shalt make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah.

Do not mix this special perfume in the same way for yourselves. It will be holy for you to the Lord.

38 W hoever maketh like unto it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his peoples.

Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume will be cut off from his people.”