1 ¶ In the same manner thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon; of cedar wood shalt thou make it.

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

2 I ts length shall be a cubit and its width a cubit; it shall be square and its height two cubits; its horns shall be of the same.

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.

3 A nd thou shalt cover it with pure gold, its top and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou shalt make unto it a moulding of gold round about.

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.

4 A nd two golden rings shalt thou make to it under its moulding by its two corners on both sides for places for the staves to bear it with.

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.

5 A nd thou shalt make the staves of cedar wood and cover them with gold.

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

6 A nd thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the seat of reconciliation that is over the testimony, where I will testify unto thee of myself.

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.

7 A nd Aaron shall burn sweet incense thereon every morning; when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn it.

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

8 A nd when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense upon it continually before the LORD throughout your ages.

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

9 Y e shall offer no strange incense thereon nor burnt sacrifice nor present; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

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.

10 A nd Aaron shall make reconciliation upon the horns of it once a year with the blood of the reconciliation for sin; once a year shall he make reconciliation upon it throughout your ages; it shall be most holy unto the LORD.

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.”

11 ¶ And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying,

12 W hen thou takest the number of the sons of Israel after the sum of them, each one shall give a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou dost number them, that there be no mortality in them because of numbering them.

“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.

13 T his shall be given by every one that passes among those that are numbered: half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs); a half shekel shall be the offering to the LORD.

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.

14 A nyone that passes among those that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give the offering unto the LORD.

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

15 T he rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give the offering unto the LORD to make reconciliation for your souls.

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.

16 A nd thou shalt take the reconciliation money of the sons of Israel and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the testimony, and it shall be a memorial unto the sons of Israel before the LORD to reconcile your souls.

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.”

17 ¶ And the LORD spoke further unto Moses, saying,

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

18 T hou shalt also make a laver of brass, and its base also of brass, to wash with; and thou shalt place it between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar, and thou shalt put water in it.

“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.

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

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

20 W hen they go into the tabernacle of the testimony, they shall wash with water that they not die, or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn the offering unto the LORD that must be consumed by fire,

when 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.

21 t hey shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. And he and his seed shall have it as a perpetual statute throughout their generations.

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.” The Anointing Oil

22 ¶ The LORD spoke further unto Moses, saying,

Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

23 T hou must take unto thee of the principal spices: of excellent myrrh five hundred shekels and of aromatic cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of aromatic calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

“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,

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

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

25 a nd thou shalt make of it the oil of the holy anointing, a superior ointment, after the art of the apothecary, which shall be the oil of the holy anointing.

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

26 A nd thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the testimony with it and the ark of the testimony

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

27 a nd the table and all its vessels and the lampstand and its vessels and the altar of incense

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

28 a nd the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels and the laver and its base.

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

29 T hus thou shalt consecrate them, and they shall be most holy; whatever touches them shall be sanctified.

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

30 A nd thou shalt also anoint Aaron and his sons and sanctify them that they may be my priests.

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

31 A nd thou shalt speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, This shall be my oil of the holy anointing throughout your ages.

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

32 I t shall not be poured upon man’s flesh; neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it; it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.

It 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.

33 W hoever compounds any like it and puts any of it upon a stranger shall be cut off from his people.

Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’” The Incense

34 A nd the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee aromas, stacte and onycha and aromatic galbanum and pure frankincense, of each in equal weight.

Then 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.

35 A nd thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy;

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

36 a nd thou shalt beat some of it very small and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the testimony, where I will testify unto thee of myself. It shall be most holy unto you.

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.

37 A nd as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves another according to the composition thereof: it shall be holiness unto thee for the LORD.

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.

38 W hoever shall make another like unto that to smell it shall be cut off from his people.

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