Bible in 90 Days

Aaron and His Sons Set Apart

29 “This is what you will do to set them apart to serve as religious leaders for Me. Take one young bull and two rams that are perfect. ² Have bread without yeast, and bread mixed with oil, and hard bread made without yeast and spread with oil. Make them of fine grain flour. ³ Put them in one basket. Then bring them in the basket with the bull and the two rams. ⁴ Bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the meeting tent, and wash them with water. ⁵ Take the clothing and dress Aaron in the long coat, the clothing over the linen vest, the linen vest, and the breast-piece. Put on him the well-made belt of the linen vest. ⁶ Put the covering on his head, and the holy crown on the head covering. ⁷ Then take the oil for holy use and pour it on his head to set him apart for My work. ⁸ Bring his sons and dress them with long coats. ⁹ Put belts on Aaron and his sons. Tie head coverings on them. And they will be religious leaders by law for all time. So you will set apart Aaron and his sons for My work.

¹⁰ “Then bring the bull in front of the meeting tent. Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the bull. ¹¹ Then kill the bull before the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. ¹² Take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger. Then pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³ Take all the fat that covers the inside parts, and the part that is on the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. ¹⁴ But the flesh of the bull, its skin, and its waste you will burn away from the tents. It is a sin gift.

¹⁵ “Then take one of the rams and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁶ Kill the ram and take its blood and put it around the altar. ¹⁷ Cut the ram into pieces. Wash its inside parts and its legs. And put them with its pieces and its head. ¹⁸ Burn the whole ram on the altar for a burnt gift in worship to the Lord. It is a pleasing smell, a gift by fire to the Lord.

¹⁹ “Then take the other ram and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the ram’s head. ²⁰ Kill the ram and put some of its blood on the bottom of Aaron’s right ear, on the bottom of his sons’ right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Put the rest of the blood around the altar. ²¹ Take some of the blood from the altar and some of the special oil. Put some on Aaron and his sons and their clothing. So Aaron and his clothing and his sons and their clothing will be set apart and made holy. ²² Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inside parts, the part that is on the liver, the two kidneys with their fat, and the fat that is on the right thigh. For it is a ram used to set apart those who work for Me. ²³ And take one loaf of bread, and one loaf of bread mixed with oil, and one piece of hard bread from the basket of bread without yeast that is set before the Lord. ²⁴ Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons. They will wave them for a wave gift before the Lord. ²⁵ Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar for a burnt gift in worship. It is a pleasing smell before the Lord. It is a gift by fire to the Lord.

²⁶ “Take the breast of Aaron’s ram used to set him apart. Wave it as a wave gift before the Lord. And it will be your share. ²⁷ Then set apart the breast of the wave gift and the thigh that was waved and given from the ram used to set apart those who work for Me. One was for Aaron and one for his sons. ²⁸ It will be for Aaron and his sons as their share forever from the people of Israel. For it is the religious leaders’ share to be given by the people of Israel from their peace gifts. It is their gift to the Lord.

²⁹ “The holy clothing of Aaron will be for his sons after him. They will wear them when the oil for holy use is poured on them and they are set apart for My work. ³⁰ The son who takes his place as religious leader will wear them seven days as he goes into the meeting tent to serve in the holy place.

³¹ “Take the ram used to set apart those who work for Me and boil its flesh in a holy place. ³² Aaron and his sons will eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the meeting tent. ³³ They will eat those things that were used in worship when they were forgiven of their sin and when they were set apart for My work. But one who is not a religious leader may not eat them, because they are holy. ³⁴ If any of the meat or bread used to set apart those who work for Me is left until morning, it must be burned. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.

³⁵ “Do to Aaron and his sons all I have told you. For seven days you will set them apart for My work. ³⁶ Give a bull each day for a sin gift, to take away sin. Make the altar clean by taking sin away from it and pour special oil on it to set it apart for Me. ³⁷ For seven days give gifts upon the altar to take away sin and set it apart for Me. Then the altar will be most holy. And whatever touches the altar will be holy.

The Gifts Given Each Day

³⁸ “Now this is what you will give on the altar: Two lambs one year old, given every day. ³⁹ Give one lamb in the morning, and the other lamb in the evening. ⁴⁰ With the first lamb give a jar of fine flour mixed with a half jar of beaten oil, and a half jar of wine to be poured out. ⁴¹ Give the other lamb in the evening. Do it with a grain gift and a gift to pour out as in the morning. It has a pleasing smell, a gift by fire to the Lord. ⁴² For all time to come this burnt gift is to be given at the door of the meeting tent before the Lord. There I will meet with you and speak to you. ⁴³ I will meet there with the people of Israel. It will be set apart by My shining-greatness. ⁴⁴ I will set apart the meeting tent and the altar. And I will set apart Aaron and his sons to work as religious leaders for Me. ⁴⁵ I will live among the people of Israel and will be their God. ⁴⁶ They will know that I am the Lord their God, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt to live among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar for Special Perfume

30 “Make an altar for burning special perfume. Make it of acacia wood. ² 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 Cover its top, all its sides and its horns with pure gold. And make a piece of gold to go around it. ⁴ 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 Make the long pieces of acacia wood and cover them with gold. ⁶ 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 Aaron will burn special perfume on it every morning when he takes care of the lamps. ⁸ 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 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 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 The Lord said to Moses, 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. ¹³ 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 Every one who is numbered, twenty years old and older, will give the gift to the Lord. ¹⁵ 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 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 The Lord said to Moses, 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. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet with water from it. ²⁰ 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 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 The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Take the best spices: a heavy weight of flowing myrrh, half that weight of sweet-smelling cinnamon and of sweet-smelling cane, ²⁴ and a heavy weight of cassia, the weight decided upon by the holy place, and a large jar of olive oil. ²⁵ 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 Pour it on the meeting tent and the box of the Law, ²⁷ the table and all its objects, the lamp-stand and all its objects, the altar of special perfume, ²⁸ the altar of burnt gifts and all its objects, and the washing pot and its base. ²⁹ Set them apart so they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy. ³⁰ Pour oil on Aaron and his sons. Set them apart so they may serve as religious leaders for Me. ³¹ Say to the people of Israel, ‘This will be a holy oil to Me for all your people for all time. ³² 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 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 The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense. Take the same amount of each. ³⁵ Mix them to make a special perfume, salted, pure and holy, the work of an able workman. ³⁶ 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 Do not mix this special perfume in the same way for yourselves. It will be holy for you to the Lord. ³⁸ Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume will be cut off from his people.”

Builders of the Meeting Tent

31 The Lord said to Moses, ² “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the family of Judah. ³ I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding, much learning, and all kinds of special work. ⁴ He will plan good work in gold, silver and brass, ⁵ in cutting stones to set, and in cutting wood, for all kinds of good work. ⁶ And see, I have given Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the family of Dan to help him. I have put wisdom in the hearts of all who are wise, so they may make all that I have told you: ⁷ the meeting tent, the box of the Law, the mercy-seat upon it, and all the objects of the tent, ⁸ the table and its objects, the pure gold lamp-stand with all its objects, the altar of special perfume, ⁹ the altar of burnt gifts with all its objects, the washing pot and its base, ¹⁰ the well-made clothing, the holy clothing for Aaron the religious leader, the clothing for his sons for their work as religious leaders, ¹¹ the oil for holy use, and the sweet-smelling perfume for the holy place. Have them do all I have told you.”

The Day of Rest

¹² The Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Keep My Days of Rest. For this is something special between Me and you for all your people forever. So you may know that I am the Lord Who sets you apart for Myself. ¹⁴ You will keep the Day of Rest, for it is holy to you. Every one who does what is sinful on this day will be put to death for sure. Whoever does any work on this day will be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵ Work may be done for six days. But the seventh day is a Day of Rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Day of Rest will be put to death for sure. ¹⁶ So the people of Israel will keep the Day of Rest as a special day for all their people for all time, as an agreement forever.’ ¹⁷ It is something special between Me and the people of Israel forever. For the Lord made heaven and earth in six days. But He stopped working and rested on the seventh day.”

¹⁸ When the Lord had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two stone writings of the Law, pieces of stone written on by the finger of God.

The Gold Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses was staying a long time before coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron, and said, “Come, make a god for us who will go in front of us. For we do not know what has become of Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt.” ² Aaron said to them, “Take the objects of gold from the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took the gold objects from their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took the gold from their hands, worked on it with a sharp tool, and by melting it, made it into a calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” ⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it. Aaron said to all the people, “Tomorrow will be a special supper to the Lord.” ⁶ So the next day they got up early and gave burnt gifts and peace gifts. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play.

⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down. For your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have turned to sin. ⁸ They have been quick to turn aside from the way I have told them. They have melted gold and made a calf for themselves. They have worshiped it, have given gifts to it, and have said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’” ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and see, they are a strong-willed people. ¹⁰ Now let Me alone, so My anger may be against them and I may destroy them. But I will make you into a great nation.”

¹¹ Then Moses begged the Lord his God, saying, “O Lord, why are you very angry against Your people whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the earth’? Turn from Your anger and change Your mind about destroying Your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, who were your servants. You promised them by Yourself, saying, ‘I will make your children become as many as the stars of the heavens. And I will give all this land I have spoken about to your children. It will be theirs forever.’” ¹⁴ So the Lord changed His mind about the things He said He would do to His people.

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two stone writings of the Law in his hand. The stones were written on both sides, on one side and the other. ¹⁶ The stone writings were God’s work. The writing was God’s writing cut into the stones. ¹⁷ When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they made noise, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war at the tents.” ¹⁸ But Moses said, “It is not the sound of winning, or the sound of losing. It is the sound of singing I hear.” ¹⁹ As soon as Moses came near the tents, he saw the calf and the dancing. Moses became very angry. He threw the stone writings from his hands and broke them at the base of the mountain. ²⁰ And he took the calf they had made and burned it with fire, ground it to dust, spread it over the top of the water, and made the people of Israel drink it.

²¹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you to make you bring such great sin upon them?” ²² Aaron said, “Do not let my lord be angry. You know the people yourself and how sinful they are.

²³ They said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go in front of us. For we do not know what has become of Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt.’ ²⁴ And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them take it off.’ So they gave it to me. I threw it into the fire and out came this calf.”

²⁵ Moses saw that Aaron had let the people go wild and become a shame to those who hated them. ²⁶ So Moses stood in the gate of the place where they had set up their tents and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi came together around him. ²⁷ He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh. And go from one end of the tents to the other, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did as Moses said. About 3,000 men fell that day. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “Today you have set yourselves apart for the Lord. For each man has been against his son and against his brother, so the Lord may bring good to you today.”

³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned. Now I am going up to the Lord. It might be that I can have your sin forgiven.” ³¹ Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O, this people have sinned. They have made a god of gold for themselves. ³² But now, if You will, forgive their sin. If not, then take my name out of Your book which You have written.” ³³ The Lord said to Moses, “I will put out of My book whoever has sinned against Me. ³⁴ But go now. Lead the people where I told you. See, My angel will go before you. But in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” ³⁵ Then the Lord sent trouble upon the people, because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

Israel Leaves Mount Sinai

33 The Lord said to Moses, “Go away from this place, you and the people you have brought out of the land of Egypt. Go to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your children.’ ² I will send an angel before you. And I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ³ Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a strong-willed people and I might destroy you on the way.” ⁴ When the people heard this bad news, they were filled with sorrow. None of them wore his objects of gold or silver. ⁵ For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a strong-willed people. If I go with you even for just a little time, I would destroy you. So take off your objects of gold and silver that I may know what to do with you.’” ⁶ So the people of Israel took off all their objects of gold and silver at Mount Horeb.

Moses Meets with the Lord

⁷ Now Moses used to take the tent and set it up far away from the other tents. He called it the meeting tent. Anyone who wanted to meet with the Lord would go away from the other tents to the meeting tent. ⁸ When Moses went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand at the doors of their tents. And they would watch Moses until he went into the meeting tent. ⁹ Whenever Moses went into the meeting tent, the cloud would come down and stand at the door of the tent. And the Lord would speak with Moses. ¹⁰ When all the people saw the cloud standing at the door of the meeting tent, they would stand up and worship, each at his tent door. ¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the other tents, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not leave the meeting tent.

God’s Promise to Be with His People

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Lead this people!’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You said, ‘I have known you by name. You have found favor in My eyes.’ ¹³ So I pray to You, if I have found favor in Your eyes, let me know Your ways. Then I may know You and find favor in Your eyes. And keep in mind that this nation is Your people.” ¹⁴ The Lord said, “I Myself will go with you. I will give you rest.” ¹⁵ Then Moses said to Him, “If You Yourself do not go with us, do not have us leave this place. ¹⁶ For how will it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your eyes, unless You go with us? Then I and Your people will be different from all the other people on the earth.”

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, “I will do what you have said. For you have found favor in My eyes, and I have known you by name.” ¹⁸ Moses said, “I pray to You, show me Your shining-greatness!” ¹⁹ And God said, “I will have My goodness pass in front of you. I will make the name of the Lord known in front of you. I will have loving-kindness and loving-pity for anyone I want to.” ²⁰ But He said, “You cannot see My face. For no man can see Me and live!” ²¹ Then the Lord said, “See, there is a place beside Me. You stand there on the rock. ²² While My shining-greatness is passing by, I will put you in the large crack of the rock. And I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will take My hand away and you will see My back. But My face will not be seen.”

Moses Makes New Pieces of Stone

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two pieces of stone like the first ones. And I will write on the stones the words that were on the first stones which you broke. ² So be ready in the morning. Come up in the morning to Mount Sinai. And stand before Me on the top of the mountain. ³ No one is to come up with you. Do not let anyone be seen on the whole mountain. Even the sheep and the cattle may not eat in front of the mountain.” ⁴ So Moses cut two pieces of stone like the first ones. Then he got up early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord told him. And he took the two pieces of stone in his hand. ⁵ The Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses as he called upon the name of the Lord. ⁶ Then the Lord passed by in front of him, saying, “The Lord, the Lord God, with loving-pity and loving-favor, slow to anger, filled with loving-kindness and truth, ⁷ keeping loving-kindness for thousands, forgiving wrong-doing and sin. But He will not let the guilty go without being punished. He brings the sin of fathers down upon the children, even the great-grandchildren.” ⁸ Moses was quick to put his face to the ground and worship. ⁹ And Moses said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in Your eyes, I pray, let the Lord go with us, even if the people are strong-willed. Forgive our wrong-doing and our sin. And take us for Your own.”

The Agreement Made Alive Again

¹⁰ Then God said, “See, I am going to make an agreement. I will do powerful works in front of all your people which have never been done on earth among any nation. All the people with whom you live will see the work of the Lord. For what I am going to do with you will fill people with fear. ¹¹ Be sure to do what I am telling you this day. See, I am going to drive out of your way the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ¹² Take care to make no agreement with the people of the land where you are going. It would be a trap to you. ¹³ Instead you are to tear down their altars, break their objects of worship, and cut down their false gods. ¹⁴ For you must not worship any other god. For the Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. ¹⁵ So do not make an agreement with the people of the land. Or when they follow their desire with their gods and give gifts to their gods, they would ask you to eat of their gift used in worship. ¹⁶ And you would marry your sons to their daughters who follow their gods. And they would lead your sons to follow their gods also. ¹⁷ Do not make any gods for yourself.

¹⁸ “Keep the special supper of bread without yeast. Eat bread without yeast for seven days as I told you, at the time set aside for it in the month of Abib. For you came out of Egypt in the month of Abib. ¹⁹ Every first-born belongs to Me, and all your male animals, the first-born from cattle and sheep. ²⁰ But the life of a first-born donkey should be paid for with the blood of a lamb. If you do not pay for its life, you should break its neck. Pay for the life of all your first-born sons with the blood of a lamb. No one is to come before Me without a gift.

²¹ “Work six days, but rest on the seventh day. Rest even during plowing time and gathering time. ²² Have the special supper of weeks at the first gathering of grain. Have the special supper of gathering time at the end of the year. ²³ Three times a year all your males are to come before the Lord God, the God of Israel. ²⁴ For I will drive nations out of your way and give you more land. No man will desire to have your land when you go to show yourselves before the Lord your God.

²⁵ “Do not give the blood of My gift together with bread made with yeast. Do not leave any of the gift of the special supper of the Passover until morning. ²⁶ Bring the first of the first-fruits of your ground into the house of the Lord your God. Do not boil the meat of a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

²⁷ The Lord said to Moses, “Write these words. For by these words I have made an agreement with you and with Israel.” ²⁸ Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the stones the words of the agreement, the Ten Great Laws.

Moses Goes Down from Mount Sinai

²⁹ Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two stone writings in his hand. He did not know that the skin of his face was shining because of his speaking with the Lord. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, they saw that the skin of his face was shining. They were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the people returned to him. And Moses spoke to them. ³² After this all the people of Israel came near. Moses told them to do all the Lord had said to him on Mount Sinai. ³³ When Moses had finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a piece of cloth. ³⁴ But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take off the face covering until he came out. Then he would tell the people of Israel what the Lord had said for them to do. ³⁵ The people of Israel saw that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would put the covering over his face again until he went in to speak with the Lord.

The Seventh Day—a Holy Day

35 Then Moses gathered together all the people of Israel, saying, “These are the things that the Lord has told you to do. ² Work may be done for six days. But the seventh day will be a holy day for you, a Day of Rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on this day will be put to death. ³ Do not make a fire in any of your tents on the Day of Rest.”

Gifts for the Meeting Tent

⁴ Moses said to all the people of Israel, “This is what the Lord has told you to do. ⁵ Take from among you a gift to the Lord. Whoever has a willing heart, let him bring the Lord’s gift: gold, silver and brass, ⁶ and blue, purple and red cloth, fine linen, cloth made from goat hair, ⁷ rams’ skins made red, badgers’ skins and acacia wood, ⁸ lamp oil, spices for the oil for holy use and for the sweet-smelling perfume, ⁹ onyx stones and stones to be set for the linen vest and the breast-piece.

Parts of the Meeting Tent

¹⁰ “Let every able workman among you come and make all that the Lord has told us to make: ¹¹ the meeting tent, its tent and its covering, its hooks, its wood pieces, its cross-pieces, its pillars and their bases, ¹² the special box of the agreement and the long pieces of wood for carrying it, the mercy-seat, the curtain to hang in front of it, ¹³ the table and the long pieces of wood for carrying it, all its objects, and the holy bread to set before the Lord. ¹⁴ Also the able workmen are to make: the lamp-stand for the light, and its lamps and oil for the light, ¹⁵ the altar of special perfume and the long pieces of wood for carrying it, the oil for holy use, the sweet-smelling perfume, and the curtain for the door of the meeting tent. ¹⁶ Also they are to make: the altar of burnt gifts with its brass net and long pieces of wood for carrying it, all its objects, the washing pot and its base, ¹⁷ the curtains of the open space, its pillars and its bases, and the curtain for the gate of the open space. ¹⁸ Also the able workmen are to make: the nails of the meeting tent and the nails of the open space and their ropes, ¹⁹ the well-made clothing for working in the holy place, the holy clothing for Aaron the religious leader, and the clothing for his sons as they work as religious leaders.”

People Bring Their Gifts

²⁰ Then all the people of Israel went away from Moses. ²¹ And every one whose heart or spirit moved him brought the Lord’s gift to be used for the meeting tent, for all its work, and for the holy clothing. ²² Then all the men and women who wanted to give brought objects of gold that had been worn on their clothing, ears, fingers and arms. Every man gave a gift of gold to the Lord. ²³ And every one who had blue, purple and red cloth, fine linen, cloth made from goats’ hair, rams’ skins made red, and badgers’ skins, brought them. ²⁴ Every one who could give a gift of silver or brass brought it as a gift to the Lord. Every one who had acacia wood to be used for the work, brought it. ²⁵ All the able women made cloth with their hands. They brought the blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen they had made. ²⁶ All the able women whose hearts moved them made cloth from goat hair. ²⁷ The leaders brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set for the linen vest and the breast-piece, ²⁸ and the spice and the oil for the light, and the oil for holy use, and for the sweet-smelling perfume. ²⁹ The people of Israel who wanted to brought gifts to the Lord. Every man and woman, whose heart moved them, brought what the Lord had told them through Moses.

Workmen Called by God

³⁰ Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the family of Judah. ³¹ The Lord has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, understanding, much learning, and in all work. ³² So he can make plans for working in gold, silver and brass, ³³ and cut stones to be set, cut wood, and do good work of every kind. ³⁴ The Lord has given him the power to teach also, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the family of Dan. ³⁵ He has made them able to do every work: writing words in stone, gold, silver and brass, planning, sewing beautiful work on blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen, making cloth, and all kinds of work done by able workmen.

36 “Bezalel and Oholiab will do the work, together with every workman whom the Lord has made able and understands how to do all the work in the building of the holy place. They will do all that the Lord has said.”

The People Bring More Than Enough

² Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every workman whom the Lord had made able, every one whose heart moved him to come to do the work. ³ They received from Moses all the gifts the people of Israel had brought for the work of building the holy place. And they kept bringing gifts because they wanted to every morning. ⁴ All the able workmen came who were doing all the work on the holy place. Each man came from the work he had been doing. ⁵ They said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the work the Lord told us to do.” ⁶ So Moses made it be known to all the people, saying, “No man or woman is to give any more gifts for the holy place.” So the people were kept from bringing any more. ⁷ For the things they had were enough for doing all the work. There was more than enough.

Building of the Tent

⁸ All the able men among those who were doing the work made the meeting tent with ten curtains. They made them of fine linen and blue, purple and red cloth, with cherubim sewed into them by an able workman. Bezalel made them. ⁹ Each curtain was as long as fourteen long steps and as wide as two long steps, all of them the same. ¹⁰ He joined five curtains to each other. And the other five curtains he joined to each other. ¹¹ He took small pieces of blue cloth, longer than they were wide. He sewed both ends to the side of the last curtain in the first row. Then he did the same on the side of the last curtain in the second row. ¹² He put fifty of these pieces on the one curtain. And he put fifty on the side of the other curtain, so that the pieces met each other. ¹³ He made fifty hooks of gold. Then he joined the curtains together with the hooks so the meeting tent was as one.

¹⁴ He made curtains of goat hair for a covering over the meeting tent. He made eleven curtains in all. ¹⁵ Each curtain was as long as fifteen long steps, and as wide as two long steps, all of them the same. ¹⁶ He joined five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. ¹⁷ He took fifty small pieces of cloth, longer than they were wide. He sewed both ends of each to the side of the last curtain in the first row. Then he sewed fifty pieces onto the side of the last curtain in the second row. ¹⁸ He made fifty hooks of brass. And he put the hooks through the sewed pieces of cloth and joined the tent together as one. ¹⁹ He made a covering for the tent out of rams’ skins made red, and a covering of badgers’ skins over this. ²⁰ Then he made the pillars of acacia wood for the meeting tent. ²¹ Each piece of wood was as long as five long steps, and as wide as one step. ²² He made two joining pieces in each piece of wood for joining them together. He did this for all the pieces of wood of the meeting tent. ²³ He made twenty pieces of wood for the south side of the meeting tent. ²⁴ He made forty silver bases under the twenty pieces of wood, two bases under each piece of wood. ²⁵ Then he made twenty pieces of wood for the north side of the meeting tent. ²⁶ And he made forty silver bases, with two bases under each piece of wood. ²⁷ He made six pieces of wood for the back or west side of the meeting tent. ²⁸ He made two pieces of wood for the back corners. ²⁹ They were together at the bottom, and joined at the top with one ring. They were made the same for the two corners. ³⁰ There were eight pieces of wood, with sixteen silver bases, two under each piece of wood.

³¹ He made long, straight pieces of acacia wood, five for the pieces of wood on one side of the meeting tent, ³² and five for the pieces of wood on the other side of the meeting tent. Then he made five for the pieces of wood at the back of the meeting tent, the west side. ³³ He made the long, straight cross-piece for the center to pass through from end to end. ³⁴ He covered the pieces of wood with gold. He made rings of gold to hold the long, straight pieces of wood. And he covered these pieces of wood with gold.

³⁵ He made the curtain of blue and purple and red cloth and fine linen. He made it with cherubim sewed into it by an able workman. ³⁶ He hung it on four pillars of acacia wood covered with gold. Their hooks were made of gold and he made four silver bases for it. ³⁷ He made a curtain for the door of the meeting tent out of blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen, the work of an able workman. ³⁸ He made five pillars with their hooks and covered their tops with gold. But he made their five bases of brass.

Making the Special Box of the Agreement

37 Bezalel made the special box of the agreement of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits tall. ² He covered it inside and out with pure gold. And he made a piece of gold to put on it all around. ³ He made four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet. He put two rings on one side of it and two rings on the other side. ⁴ He made long pieces of acacia wood and covered them with gold. ⁵ Then he put the long pieces of wood through the rings on the sides of the special box to carry it. ⁶ He made a mercy-seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide. ⁷ He made two cherubim out of beaten gold at the two ends of the mercy-seat. ⁸ He made one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end. He made the cherubim and the mercy-seat of one piece. ⁹ The cherubim had their wings spread up over the mercy-seat. Their faces were toward each other, and toward the mercy-seat. ¹⁰ Then he made a table of acacia wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one and a half cubits tall. ¹¹ He covered it with pure gold and made a gold piece around it. ¹² He made a piece around it as wide as a hand. And he put gold on the side of this piece all around. ¹³ He made four rings of gold for it. He put them on the four corners that were on the table’s four legs. ¹⁴ The rings were close to the sides, to hold the long pieces of wood used to carry the table. ¹⁵ He made the long pieces of acacia wood and covered them with gold. The table was carried with these. ¹⁶ He made of pure gold its plates, its pots and its jars, for pouring gifts of drink.

Making the Lamp-Stand

¹⁷ Then he made the lamp-stand of pure gold and the base of the lamp-stand of beaten gold. Its cups, its buds and its flowers were all made of one piece with it. ¹⁸ Six branches went out of its sides, three branches of the lamp-stand out of one side, and three branches out of its other side. ¹⁹ Three cups were made to look like almond flowers, each with bud and flower, on one branch, and three on the next branch. This was done for all six branches going out of the lamp-stand. ²⁰ In the lamp-stand there were four cups made to look like almond flowers, with their buds and flowers. ²¹ A bud was under each of the six branches going out of the lamp-stand. ²² Their buds and their branches were of one piece with it. All of it was one piece of pure, beaten gold. ²³ He made its seven lamps, the tools for putting out the light, and its dishes of pure gold. ²⁴ He made it and all its objects out of a piece of gold about half the weight of a man.

Making the Altar

²⁵ Then he made the altar for burning special perfume of acacia wood. It was one cubit long, one cubit wide, and as high as a man’s waist. Its horns were of one piece with it. ²⁶ He covered its top, all its sides and its horns with pure gold. And he made a piece of gold to go around it. ²⁷ Then he made two gold rings to put under this piece. He put one on the altar’s left side and one on its right side to hold the long pieces of wood used for carrying it. ²⁸ He made the long pieces of acacia wood and covered them with gold.

Making the Holy Oil and Special Perfume

²⁹ And he made the holy oil for pouring, and the pure, sweet-smelling perfume of spices, the work of an able workman.

Making the Altar for Burnt Gifts

38 Then he made the altar for burnt gifts of acacia wood. It was as long and as wide as three steps, and as tall as a man’s chest. ² He made horns on its four corners of one piece with it and covered it with brass. ³ He made all the objects of the altar, its pails, its tools for picking up the ashes, its pots, meat-hooks and fire-holders of brass. ⁴ He made a net for it of brass. It was put under the altar and it came up half-way. ⁵ He put four rings of brass at the four corners of the net to hold the long pieces of wood. ⁶ He made the long pieces of wood out of acacia wood and covered them with brass. ⁷ He put the long pieces of wood through the rings on each side of the altar for carrying it. He made the altar with pieces of wood so it was empty inside.

Making the Pot of Brass for Washing

⁸ He made the pot for washing and its base of brass. They were made from the mirrors of the women servants who worked at the door of the meeting tent. ⁹ Then he made the open space for the holy tent. On the south side were curtains for the open space. They were made of fine linen, as long as fifty long steps. ¹⁰ They hung from twenty pillars with twenty brass bases. The hooks of the pillar and their rings were made of silver. ¹¹ And on the north side there were curtains as long as fifty long steps, and twenty pillars with twenty brass bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made of silver. ¹² On the west side there were curtains as long as twenty-five long steps. They had ten pillars with ten bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made of silver. ¹³ The east side was as wide as twenty-five long steps. ¹⁴ The curtains for one side of the gate were as long as seven steps. They had three pillars with three bases. ¹⁵ And on the other side there were curtains as long as seven steps, with three pillars and three bases. ¹⁶ All the curtains around the open space were made of fine linen. ¹⁷ The bases for the pillars were made of brass. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made of silver. Their tops were covered with silver. And the pillars were joined with silver. ¹⁸ The curtain for the gate of the open space was the work of an able workman. It was made of blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen. It was as long as ten long steps, and as high as a man raises his hand, to go with the curtains around the open space. ¹⁹ Its four pillars and their bases were made of brass. Their hooks and rings were made of silver. And their tops were covered with silver. ²⁰ All the nails of the meeting tent and the open space were made of brass.

The Parts Are Weighed

²¹ This is the number of the things for the meeting tent, the meeting tent of the Law, as they were given by the mouth of Moses, for the work of the Levites, under the leading of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the religious leader. ²² Bezalel, the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the family of Judah, made all that the Lord had told Moses. ²³ With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the family of Dan. He was an able workman who cut words in stone, gold or silver, and in sewing blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen.

²⁴ All the gold used for the work of the holy tent, the gold given as a gift in worship, weighed as much as twelve men. ²⁵ The silver given by the people weighed as much as forty men. ²⁶ Each one of the men who were twenty years old and older, added up to 603,550 men, gave only a small weight of silver. ²⁷ One hundred heavy weights of silver were used for making the bases for the holy tent and for the curtain in front of the most holy place. One hundred bases were made from the heavy weights of silver. ²⁸ And from the heavy weights of silver he made hooks and joining parts for the pillars, and also covered their tops. ²⁹ The brass that was given weighed as much as thirty men. ³⁰ With it he made the base for the door of the meeting tent, the brass altar and its brass net, and all the objects of the altar. ³¹ He also made bases all around the open space and the base for the gate of the open space, and all the nails of the meeting tent and all around the open space.

Making the Clothes of the Religious Leader

39 They used the blue, purple and red cloth for the well-made clothing for those working in the holy place. They made the holy clothing for Aaron, just as the Lord had told Moses.

Making the Linen Vest

² Bezalel made the linen vest of gold and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen. ³ They beat the gold into plates. Then they cut them into strings to be sewed in with the blue, purple and red cloth and the fine linen, the work of an able workman. ⁴ They made shoulder pieces for the linen vest, joined at its two top ends. ⁵ The well-made belt on it was made of the same gold, and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen, just as the Lord had told Moses. ⁶ They set the onyx stones into beautiful pieces of gold. The names of Israel’s sons were cut in the stones like the writing on a ring by an able workman. ⁷ They were put on the shoulder pieces of the linen vest, to help them remember the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had told Moses.

Making the Breast-Piece

⁸ Bezalel made the breast-piece, the work of an able workman. It was like the work of the linen vest, of gold, and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen. ⁹ It was as long as it was wide, with one half laid over the other. It was made as long and as wide as a man’s fingers can spread. ¹⁰ They put four rows of stones on it. The first row was a ruby, a topaz and an emerald. ¹¹ The second row was a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond. ¹² The third row was a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst. ¹³ And the fourth row was a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They were set in beautiful pieces of gold. ¹⁴ Each of the twelve stones had written on it the name of one of the sons of Israel. Each name spoke of one of the twelve family groups. ¹⁵ They made chains for the breast-piece, like ropes of pure gold. ¹⁶ And they made two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breast-piece. ¹⁷ They joined the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breast-piece. ¹⁸ They joined the other two ends of the two chains to the beautiful gold pieces that hold the two stones at the shoulders, joining them in the front. ¹⁹ They made two gold rings to put on the two ends of the breast-piece, on the inside next to the linen vest. ²⁰ Then they made two gold rings and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the linen vest in front, near where they join. They were above the belt of the linen vest. ²¹ They tied the rings of the breast-piece to the rings of the linen vest with a blue rope. So the breast-piece could not come loose from the linen vest, just as the Lord had told Moses.

Making Other Pieces of Clothes

²² Then he made the long piece of clothing all of blue. ²³ There was an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening it was sewed like the opening on heavy battle-clothes, so it could not be torn. ²⁴ They made pomegranates of blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen, to put all around the bottom of this clothing. ²⁵ They made bells of pure gold. And they put the bells between the pomegranates all around the bottom of the clothing. ²⁶ They put a bell and then a pomegranate all around the bottom of this clothing. It was for the work of the Lord, and was just as the Lord had told Moses.

²⁷ They made the long coats of fine linen for Aaron and his sons. ²⁸ They made the beautiful head coverings of fine linen and the clothing that covered the flesh from the belt to the legs. ²⁹ And they made the wide belt of fine linen and blue, purple and red cloth which was the work of an able workman, just as the Lord had told Moses. ³⁰ They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold. And they cut in it like the writings on a ring: “Holy to the Lord.” ³¹ They joined it to the front of the head covering with a blue rope, just as the Lord had told Moses.

The Work Finished

³² So all the work of the holy tent, the meeting tent, was finished. The sons of Israel did all that the Lord had told Moses. ³³ They brought the meeting tent to Moses, the tent and all its objects, its hooks, all kinds of pieces of wood, pillars and bases. ³⁴ They brought the covering of rams’ skins made red, the covering of badgers’ skins, and the curtain to hang in front of the most holy place. ³⁵ They brought the special box of the agreement, its long pieces of wood for carrying it and its mercy-seat, ³⁶ the table and all its objects, the bread to be put before the Lord, ³⁷ the pure gold lamp-stand with its lamps, all its objects and the oil for the light. ³⁸ They brought the gold altar, the oil for holy use, the sweet-smelling perfume, and the curtain for the door of the meeting tent. ³⁹ They brought the brass altar, its brass net, its long pieces of wood for carrying it and all its objects, the washing pot and its stand, ⁴⁰ the curtains for the open space, its pillars and bases, the curtain for the gate of the open space, its ropes and nails, and all the tools for the work of the meeting tent. ⁴¹ They brought the clothing for the work in the holy place, the holy clothing for Aaron the religious leader, and the clothing of his sons for their work as religious leaders. ⁴² So the people of Israel did all the work just as the Lord had told Moses. ⁴³ Moses looked at all the work and saw they had done it just as the Lord had said. So Moses gave thanks and prayed that good would come to them.

Putting Up the Meeting Tent and Setting It Apart

40 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Set up the holy tent, the meeting tent, on the first day of the first month. ³ Put the special box of the Law there. And hang the curtain in front of it. ⁴ Bring in the table and set its objects on it. Bring in the lamp-stand and light its lamps. ⁵ Set the gold altar of special perfume in front of the box of the Law. Hang the curtain for the door of the meeting tent. ⁶ Set the altar of burnt gifts in front of the door of the holy tent, the meeting tent. ⁷ Set the washing pot between the meeting tent and the altar and put water in it. ⁸ Hang the curtains all around the open space and hang the curtain at the gate of the open space. ⁹ Then take the oil and pour it upon the meeting tent and all that is in it. Set it apart with all its objects, and it will be holy. ¹⁰ Pour the oil upon the altar of burnt gifts and all its objects. Set the altar apart, and it will be most holy. ¹¹ Pour the oil upon the washing pot and its stand, to set it apart.

¹² “Then bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the meeting tent. And wash them with water. ¹³ Put the holy clothing on Aaron. Then pour oil upon him and set him apart to work for Me as a religious leader. ¹⁴ Bring his sons and put long coats on them. ¹⁵ Then pour oil upon them as you have done to their father, so they may serve Me as religious leaders. Pouring oil upon them will make them ready to be religious leaders, they and all their children-to-come.”

¹⁶ Moses did all that the Lord told him to do. ¹⁷ On the first day of the first month of the second year, the meeting tent was set up. ¹⁸ Moses set up the meeting tent, laid the bases, set up its pieces of wood, put in its cross-pieces and set up its pillars. ¹⁹ He spread the covering over the meeting tent. And he put the top covering over it, just as the Lord had told Moses. ²⁰ Then he took the Law and put it into the special box. He put the long pieces of wood on the special box of the agreement. And he put the mercy-seat on top of the special box. ²¹ He brought the special box into the meeting tent and hung the curtain. He put the curtain in front of the special box of the agreement, just as the Lord had told Moses. ²² Then he put the table in the meeting tent, on the north side of the tent, outside the curtain. ²³ He set the bread in its place on the table before the Lord, just as the Lord had told Moses. ²⁴ Then he put the lamp-stand in the meeting tent, away from the table, on the south side of the tent. ²⁵ He set up the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had told Moses. ²⁶ He put the gold altar in the tent of meeting, in front of the curtain. ²⁷ And he burned sweet-smelling perfume on it, just as the Lord had told Moses. ²⁸ Then he hung the curtain at the door of the meeting tent. ²⁹ He set the altar of burnt gifts in front of the door of the meeting tent. And he gave the burnt gift and the grain gift on it, just as the Lord had told Moses. ³⁰ He put the washing pot between the tent of meeting and the altar, with water in it for washing. ³¹ Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet there. ³² They washed when they came into the tent of meeting and when they came near the altar, just as the Lord had told Moses. ³³ He made the open space all around the meeting tent and the altar. And he hung the curtain for the gate of the open space. So Moses finished the work.

The Cloud over the Meeting Tent

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the meeting tent. The shining-greatness of the Lord filled the holy tent.

³⁵ Moses was not able to go into the meeting tent because the cloud had rested upon it and the shining-greatness of the Lord filled the holy tent. ³⁶ When the cloud was lifted from the meeting tent, the people of Israel would go on their way through all their traveling days. ³⁷ But when the cloud was not lifted, they did not move on until the day when it was lifted. ³⁸ For the cloud of the Lord rested on the meeting tent during the day. And fire was in the cloud during the night. It was seen by all the people of Israel as they traveled.