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

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

2 I t 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.

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

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 T hen 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.

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

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

6 P ut 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.

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

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

8 A nd 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.

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

9 D o 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.

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 O nce 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

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 T he Lord said to Moses,

The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “ 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.

“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 E very 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.

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

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

15 T he 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.

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 R eceive 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

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 T he Lord said to Moses,

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

18 “ 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.

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

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

20 W hen 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.

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 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

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 T he Lord said to Moses,

Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

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

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

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

25 M ix 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.

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 P our it on the meeting tent and the box of the Law,

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

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

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

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

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

29 S et them apart so they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy.

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

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

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

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

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

32 I t 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.

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 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.’”

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

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

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

36 B eat 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.

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 D o not mix this special perfume in the same way for yourselves. It will be holy for you to 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 makes any like it to use as perfume will be cut off from his people.”

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