Exodus 38-40

New International Reader's Version

The Altar for Burnt Offerings

38 The workers built the altar for burnt offerings out of acacia wood. It was four feet six inches high and seven feet six inches square. ² They made a horn stick out from each of its four upper corners. They covered the altar with bronze. ³ They made all its tools out of bronze. They made its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and pans for carrying ashes. ⁴ They made a bronze grate for the altar. They put the grate halfway up the altar on the inside. ⁵ They made a bronze ring for each of the four corners of the grate. ⁶ They made poles out of acacia wood. They covered them with bronze. ⁷ They put the poles through the rings. The poles were on two sides of the altar for carrying it. The workers made the altar out of boards. They left it hollow.

The Large Bowl for Washing

⁸ The workers made the large bronze bowl and its bronze stand. They made them out of bronze mirrors. The mirrors belonged to the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The Courtyard

⁹ Next, the workers made the courtyard. The south side was 150 feet long. It had curtains made out of finely twisted linen. ¹⁰ The curtains had 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The posts had silver hooks and bands on them. ¹¹ The north side was also 150 feet long. Its curtains had 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The posts had silver hooks and bands on them.

¹² The west end was 75 feet wide. It had curtains with ten posts and ten bases. The posts had silver hooks and bands on them. ¹³ The east end, toward the sunrise, was also 75 feet wide. ¹⁴ Curtains 22 feet six inches long were on one side of the entrance to the courtyard. They were hung on three posts. Each post had a base. ¹⁵ Curtains 22 feet six inches long were also on the other side of the entrance. They were hung on three posts. Each post had a base. ¹⁶ All the curtains around the courtyard were made out of finely twisted linen. ¹⁷ The bases for the posts were made out of bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were made out of silver. Their tops were covered with silver. So all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.

¹⁸ The curtain for the courtyard entrance was made out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and finely twisted linen. A person who sewed skillfully made it. It was 30 feet long. Like the curtains of the courtyard, it was seven feet six inches high. ¹⁹ It had four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were made out of silver. Their tops were covered with silver. ²⁰ All the tent stakes of the holy tent were made out of bronze. So were all the stakes of the courtyard around it.

The Amounts of the Metals Used

²¹ Here are the amounts of the metals used for the holy tent, where the tablets of the covenant law were kept. Moses commanded the Levites to record the amounts. The Levites did the work under the direction of Ithamar. Ithamar was the son of Aaron the priest. ²² Bezalel, the son of Uri, made everything the Lord had commanded Moses. Uri was the son of Hur. Bezalel was from the tribe of Judah. ²³ Oholiab, the son of Ahisamak, helped Bezalel. Oholiab was from the tribe of Dan. He could carve things and make patterns. And he could sew skillfully with blue, purple and bright red yarn and on fine linen. ²⁴ The total weight of the gold from the wave offering was more than a ton. It was weighed out in keeping with the standard weights used in the sacred tent. The gold was used for all the work done in connection with the sacred tent.

²⁵ The silver received from the men in the community who were listed and counted weighed almost four tons. It was weighed out in keeping with the weights used in the sacred tent. ²⁶ It amounted to a fifth of an ounce for each person. It was weighed out in keeping with the weights used in the sacred tent. The silver was received from the men who had been listed and counted. All of them were 20 years old or more. Their total number was 603,550. ²⁷ The four tons of silver were used to make the bases for the holy tent and for the curtain. The 100 bases were made from the four tons. Each base used more than 75 pounds of silver. ²⁸ The workers used 45 pounds to make the hooks for the posts, to cover the tops of the posts, and to make their bands.

²⁹ The bronze from the wave offering weighed two and a half tons. ³⁰ The workers used some of it to make the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting. They used some for the bronze altar for burnt offerings and its bronze grate and all its tools. ³¹ They used some for the bases for the courtyard around the holy tent. They used some for the bases for the courtyard entrance. And they used the rest to make all the tent stakes for the holy tent and the courtyard around it.

The Clothes for the Priests

39 The workers made clothes from the blue, purple and bright red yarn. The clothes were worn by the priests who served in the holy tent. The workers also made sacred clothes for Aaron. They made them just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Linen Apron

² The workers made the linen apron. They made it out of thin gold wire, and of blue, purple and bright red yarn, and of finely twisted linen. ³ They hammered out thin sheets of gold. They cut it into thin wire. Then they sewed it into the blue, purple and bright red yarn and fine linen. Skilled workers made it. ⁴ The workers made shoulder straps for the apron. The straps were joined to two of its corners. ⁵ Its skillfully made waistband was made like the apron. The waistband was part of the apron itself. It was made out of thin gold wire, and out of blue, purple and bright red yarn, and out of finely twisted linen. The workers made it just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶ They put the onyx stones in fancy gold settings. They carved the names of the sons of Israel on the stones. They did it the way a jewel cutter would carve them. ⁷ Then they connected them to the shoulder straps of the linen apron. The stones stood for the sons of Israel and were a constant reminder for them. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Chest Cloth

⁸ Skilled workers made the chest cloth. They made it like the linen apron. They used thin gold wire, and blue, purple and bright red yarn, and finely twisted linen. ⁹ The chest cloth was nine inches square. It was folded in half. ¹⁰ The workers put four rows of valuable jewels on it. Carnelian, chrysolite and beryl were in the first row. ¹¹ Turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald were in the second row. ¹² Jacinth, agate and amethyst were in the third row. ¹³ And topaz, onyx and jasper were in the fourth row. The workers put them in fancy gold settings. ¹⁴ They used a total of 12 stones. There was one stone for each of the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was carved with the name of one of the 12 tribes.

¹⁵ The workers made braided chains out of pure gold for the chest cloth. They made them like ropes. ¹⁶ They made two fancy gold settings and two gold rings. They connected them to two corners of the chest cloth. ¹⁷ They joined the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the chest cloth. ¹⁸ They joined the other ends of the chains to the two settings. They joined them to the shoulder straps on the front of the linen apron. ¹⁹ The workers made two gold rings. They connected them to the other two corners of the chest cloth. They put them on the inside edge next to the apron. ²⁰ Then they made two more gold rings. They connected them to the bottom of the shoulder straps on the front of the apron. They put them close to the seam. They put them right above the waistband of the apron. ²¹ They tied the rings of the chest cloth to the rings of the apron with blue cord. That connected it to the waistband. Then the chest cloth would not swing out from the linen apron. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

More Clothes for the Priests

²² The workers made the outer robe of the linen apron completely out of blue cloth. The cloth was made by a skillful person. ²³ The workers made an opening in the center of the robe. They made an edge like a collar around the opening. Then it couldn’t tear. ²⁴ They made pomegranates out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and finely twisted linen. They sewed them around the hem of the robe. ²⁵ They made bells out of pure gold. They sewed them around the hem between the pomegranates. ²⁶ They sewed a bell between every two pomegranates all around the hem of the robe. Aaron had to wear the robe when he served as priest. That’s what the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁷ The workers made inner robes out of fine linen for Aaron and his sons. The linen cloth was made by a skillful person. ²⁸ The workers also made the turban out of fine linen. And they made the caps and the underwear out of finely twisted linen. ²⁹ The belt was made out of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and bright red yarn. A person who sewed skillfully made it. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰ They made the plate out of pure gold. It was a sacred crown. On the plate, they carved the words

Set Apart for the Lord.

³¹ Then they tied the plate to the turban with a blue cord. They did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Holy Tent Is Completed

³² So all the work on the holy tent, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³³ Then they brought the holy tent to Moses along with everything that belonged to it. Here are the things they brought:

⁴² The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³ Moses looked over the work carefully. He saw that the workers had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses gave them his blessing.

Moses Sets Up the Holy Tent

40 Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Set up the holy tent, the tent of meeting. Set it up on the first day of the first month. ³ Place in it the ark where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. Hide the ark with the curtain. ⁴ Bring in the table for the holy bread. Arrange the loaves of bread on it. Then bring in the lampstand. Set up its lamps. ⁵ Place the gold altar for burning incense in front of the ark where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. Put up the curtain at the entrance to the holy tent.

⁶ “Place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the holy tent, the tent of meeting. ⁷ Place the large bowl between the tent of meeting and the altar. Put water in the bowl. ⁸ Set up the courtyard around the holy tent. Put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.

⁹ “Get the anointing oil. Anoint the holy tent and everything in it. Set apart the holy tent and everything that belongs to it. Then it will be holy. ¹⁰ Anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its tools. Set apart the altar. Then it will be a very holy place. ¹¹ Anoint the large bowl and its stand. Set them apart.

¹² “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting. Wash them with water. ¹³ Dress Aaron in the sacred clothes. Anoint him and set him apart. Then he will be able to serve me as priest. ¹⁴ Bring his sons and dress them in their inner robes. ¹⁵ Anoint them just as you anointed their father. Then they will be able to serve me as priests. They will be anointed to do the work of priests. That work will last for all time to come.” ¹⁶ Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁷ So the holy tent was set up. It was the first day of the first month in the second year. ¹⁸ Moses set up the holy tent. He put the bases in place. He put the frames in them. He put in the crossbars. He set up the posts. ¹⁹ He spread the holy tent over the frames. Then he put the coverings over the tent. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him.

²⁰ He got the tablets of the covenant law. He placed them in the ark. He put the poles through its rings. And he put the cover on it. The cover was the place where sin is paid for. ²¹ Moses brought the ark into the holy tent. He hung the curtain to hide the ark where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him.

²² Moses placed the table for the holy bread in the tent of meeting. It was on the north side of the holy tent outside the curtain. ²³ He arranged the loaves of bread on it in the sight of the Lord. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him.

²⁴ Moses placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting. It stood across from the table on the south side of the holy tent. ²⁵ He set up the lamps in front of the Lord. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him.

²⁶ Moses placed the gold altar for burning incense in the tent of meeting. He placed it in front of the curtain. ²⁷ He burned sweet-smelling incense on it. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him.

²⁸ Then Moses put up the curtain at the entrance to the holy tent. ²⁹ He set the altar for burnt offerings near the entrance to the holy tent, the tent of meeting. He sacrificed burnt offerings and grain offerings on it. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him.

³⁰ Moses placed the large bowl between the tent of meeting and the altar. He put water in the bowl for washing. ³¹ Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. ³² They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar. They did it as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³³ Then Moses set up the courtyard around the holy tent and altar. He put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses completed the work.

The Glory of the Lord

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting. The glory of the Lord filled the holy tent. ³⁵ Moses couldn’t enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it. The glory of the Lord filled the holy tent.

³⁶ The Israelites continued their travels. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the holy tent, they started out. ³⁷ But if the cloud didn’t lift, they did not start out. They stayed until the day it lifted. ³⁸ So the cloud of the Lord was above the holy tent during the day. Fire was in the cloud at night. All the Israelites could see the cloud during all their travels.