Exodus 19:1-34:30

Legacy Standard Bible

Israel at Sinai

19 ^(A)In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on this day they came into the wilderness of ^(B)Sinai. ² Then they set out from ^(C)Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of ^(D)the mountain.

³ Now Moses went up to God, and ^(E)Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ⁴ ‘^(F)You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I lifted you up on ^(G)eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ⁵ So now then, ^(H)if you will indeed listen to My voice and ^(I)keep My covenant, then you shall be ^(J)My treasured possession among all the peoples, for ^(K)all the earth is Mine; ⁶ and you shall be to Me ^(L)a kingdom of priests and ^(M)a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

^7 (N)So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words which Yahweh had commanded him. ^8 (O)And all the people answered together and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh. ⁹ Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in ^(P)a thick cloud, so that the ^(Q)people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to Yahweh.

¹⁰ Yahweh also said to Moses, “Go to the people and ^(R)set them apart as holy today and tomorrow, and let them ^(S)wash their garments; ¹¹ and let them be ready for the third day, for on ^(T)the third day Yahweh will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² And you shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘^[a]Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; ^(U)whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. ¹³ No hand shall touch him, but ^(V)he shall surely be stoned or surely ^[b]shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to ^(W)the mountain.” ¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and set the people apart as holy, and they washed their garments. ¹⁵ And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

^16 (X)So it happened on the third day, when it was morning, that there were ^[c]thunder and lightning flashes and a ^[d]thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the ^[e]foot of the mountain.

Yahweh Descends on Mount Sinai

^18 (Y)Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because Yahweh descended upon it ^(Z)in fire; and its smoke ascended like ^(AA)the smoke of a furnace, and ^(AB)the whole mountain trembled violently. ¹⁹ And the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder; then Moses spoke and ^(AC)God answered him with ^[f]thunder. ^20 (AD)And Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go down, ^[g]warn the people, lest ^(AE)they break through to Yahweh to see, and many of them ^[h]perish. ²² Also let the ^(AF)priests who come near to Yahweh set themselves apart as holy, lest Yahweh break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to Yahweh, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You ^[i]warned us, saying, ‘^(AG)Set bounds about the mountain, and set it apart as holy.’” ²⁴ Then Yahweh said to him, “^[j]Go down and come up again, ^(AH)you and Aaron with you; but do not let the ^(AI)priests and the people break through to come up to Yahweh, lest He break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Commandments of Yahweh

20 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

^18 (BG)And all the people perceived the ^[o]thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and the people perceived it, and they shook and stood at a distance. ^19 (BH)Then they said to Moses, “Speak ^[p]to us yourself, and we will listen; but let not God speak ^[q]to us, lest we die.” ²⁰ And Moses said to the people, “^(BI)Do not be afraid; for God has come in order ^(BJ)to test you, and in order that ^(BK)the fear of Him may ^[r]be with you, so that you may not sin.” ²¹ So the people stood at a distance, but Moses came near ^(BL)the dense gloom where God was.

²² Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that ^(BM)I have spoken ^[s]to you from heaven. ^23 (BN)You shall not make other gods besides Me; ^(BO)gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. ²⁴ You shall make ^(BP)an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your ^(BQ)burnt offerings and your ^(BR)peace offerings, ^(BS)your sheep and your oxen; in every place ^(BT)where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ And if you make an altar of stone for Me, ^(BU)you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it. ²⁶ And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that ^(BV)your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’

Judgments About Slaves

21 “Now these are the ^(BW)judgments which you are to set before them:

² “If you buy ^(BX)a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. ³ If he comes ^[t]alone, he shall go out ^[u]alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out ^[v]alone. ⁵ But ^(BY)if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ ⁶ then his master shall bring him to ^[w]God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. Then his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

⁷ “^(BZ)And if a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to ^[x]go free ^(CA)as the male slaves ^[y]do. ⁸ If she is ^[z]displeasing in the eyes of her master ^[aa]who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his treachery to her. ⁹ And if he designates her for his son, he shall do to her according to the custom of daughters. ¹⁰ If he takes for himself another woman, he may not reduce her ^[ab]food, her clothing, or ^(CB)her conjugal rights. ¹¹ And if he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

Judgments About Personal Injuries

¹² “^(CC)He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. ^13 (CD)But ^[ac]if he did not lie in wait for him, but ^(CE)God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. ^14 (CF)If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him by deceit, you shall take him even from My altar, that he may die.

¹⁵ “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

¹⁶ “^(CG)He who ^[ad]kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

¹⁷ “^(CH)And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

¹⁸ “And if men contend with each other and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but ^[ae]remains in bed, ¹⁹ if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for ^[af]his loss of time, and ^[ag]he shall take care of him until he is completely healed.

²⁰ “And if a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies ^[ah]at his hand, he shall surely ^[ai]be punished. ²¹ But if for a day or two he is able to stand, no punishment shall be taken; ^(CI)for he is his ^[aj]property.

²² “And if men struggle with each other and ^[ak]strike a woman with child so that ^[al]she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband ^[am]will set for him, and he shall ^(CJ)pay ^[an]as the judges decide. ²³ But if there is any further injury, ^(CK)then you shall pay life for life, ^24 (CL)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound.

²⁶ “And if a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and ruins it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye. ²⁷ And if he ^[ao]knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

²⁸ “And if an ox gores a man or a woman ^[ap]to death, ^(CM)the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. ²⁹ If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it puts a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. ³⁰ If a ransom is ^[aq]demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is ^[ar]demanded of him. ³¹ Whether it gores a son or ^[as]a daughter, it shall be done to him according to ^[at]the same judgment. ³² If the ox gores a male or female slave, ^[au]the owner shall give his or her master ^[av](CN)thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

³³ “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall ^[aw]give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

³⁵ “And if one man’s ox ^[ax]hurts another’s so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox. ³⁶ Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.

Judgments About Property Rights

22 “^[ay]If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and ^(CO)four sheep for the sheep.

² “^[az]If the ^(CP)thief is ^[ba]caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. ³ But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be ^(CQ)sold for his theft. ⁴ If what he stole is actually found alive in his hand, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, ^(CR)he shall pay double.

⁵ “If a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

⁶ “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, so that stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, he who started the fire shall surely make restitution.

⁷ “^(CS)If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is ^[bb]caught, he shall pay double. ⁸ If the thief is not ^[bc]caught, then the owner of the house shall ^[bd]appear before ^[be](CT)the judges to determine whether he ^[bf]laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. ⁹ For every ^[bg]breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the ^[bh]case of both parties shall come before ^[bi](CU)the judges; he whom ^[bj]the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

¹⁰ “If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is injured or is driven away while no one is looking, ¹¹ then an ^(CV)oath before Yahweh shall be made by the two of them ^[bk]that he has not ^[bl]laid hands on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution. ¹² But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. ¹³ Now if it is all torn to pieces, let him bring it as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.

¹⁴ “If a man ^[bm]borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution. ¹⁵ But if its owner is with it, he shall not make restitution; if it is hired, it came for its hire.

Various Judgments

¹⁶ “^(CW)If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. ¹⁷ If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall ^[bn]pay money equal to the ^(CX)dowry for virgins.

¹⁸ “You shall not allow a ^(CY)sorceress to live.

¹⁹ “^(CZ)Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.

²⁰ “^(DA)And he who sacrifices to ^[bo]any god, other than to Yahweh alone, shall be ^[bp]devoted to destruction.

²¹ “^(DB)You shall not mistreat a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. ^22 (DC)You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. ²³ And if you indeed afflict him, and ^(DD)if he earnestly cries out to Me, ^(DE)I will surely hear his cry; ²⁴ and My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, ^(DF)and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

²⁵ “^(DG)If you lend money to My people, to the afflicted ^[bq]among you, you are not to ^[br]act as a creditor to him; you shall not ^[bs]charge him ^(DH)interest. ²⁶ If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak ^(DI)as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun sets, ²⁷ for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his ^[bt]body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall be that ^(DJ)when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for ^(DK)I am gracious.

²⁸ “You shall not ^[bu](DL)curse God, ^(DM)nor curse a ruler of your people.

²⁹ “^(DN)You shall not delay the offering from ^[bv]the fullness of your harvest and the juice of your wine vat. ^(DO)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ^30 (DP)And you shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; ^(DQ)on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

³¹ “^(DR)You shall be holy men to Me, therefore ^(DS)you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

23 “^(DT)You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a ^(DU)malicious witness. ² You shall not follow ^[bw]the masses in doing evil, nor shall you ^[bx]testify in a case so as to turn aside after ^[by]the masses in order to ^[bz](DV)cause justice to be turned aside; ^3 (DW)nor shall you ^[ca]be partial to a poor man in his case.

⁴ “^(DX)If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. ^5 (DY)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.

⁶ “^(DZ)You shall not cause the justice due to your needy brother to be turned aside in his case. ^7 (EA)Keep far from a ^[cb]false charge, and ^(EB)do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for ^(EC)I will not justify the guilty.

⁸ “^(ED)And you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and ^[cc]subverts the cause of the ^[cd]just.

⁹ “^(EE)And you shall not oppress a sojourner, since you yourselves know the soul of a sojourner, for you also were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Judgments About Work and Rest

¹⁰ “^(EF)Now you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its produce, ¹¹ but on the seventh year you shall let it ^[ce]rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. Thus you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove.

¹² “^(EG)Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall ^[cf]rest so that your ox and your donkey may ^[cg]rest, and the son of your maidservant, as well as your sojourner, may refresh themselves. ¹³ Now ^(EH)concerning everything which I have said to you, beware; and ^(EI)do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard ^[ch]from your mouth.

Judgments About National Feasts

¹⁴ “^(EJ)Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. ¹⁵ You shall keep ^(EK)the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the ^(EL)month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And ^[ci](EM)none shall appear before Me empty-handed. ¹⁶ Also you shall keep ^(EN)the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year ^(EO)when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. ^17 (EP)Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁸ “^(EQ)You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; ^(ER)nor is the fat of My ^[cj]feast to remain overnight until morning.

¹⁹ “You shall bring ^(ES)the choice first fruits of your ground into the house of Yahweh your God.

“^(ET)You shall not boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.

Yahweh Will Drive Out Israel’s Enemies

²⁰ “Behold, I am going to send ^(EU)an angel before you to keep you along the way and ^(EV)to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹ Keep watch of yourself before him and listen to his voice; ^(EW)do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since ^(EX)My name is in him. ²² But if you truly listen to his voice and do all that I speak, then ^(EY)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ^23 (EZ)For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will annihilate them. ^24 (FA)You shall not worship their gods, you shall not serve them, and you shall not do according to their deeds; ^(FB)but you shall utterly pull them down and shatter their ^(FC)sacred pillars in pieces. ^25 (FD)But you shall serve Yahweh your God, ^[ck]and He will bless your bread and your water; and ^(FE)I will remove sickness from your midst. ²⁶ There shall be no one miscarrying or ^(FF)barren in your land; ^(FG)I will fulfill the number of your days. ²⁷ I will ^(FH)send My terror ahead of you and ^(FI)throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will ^(FJ)make all your enemies ^[cl]turn their backs to you. ²⁸ And I will send ^(FK)hornets ahead of you so that they will ^(FL)drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. ^29 (FM)I will not drive them out before you in a single year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. ³⁰ I will drive them out before you ^(FN)little by little, until you become fruitful and take the land as an inheritance. ^31 (FO)And I will set your boundary from the ^[cm]Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the ^[cn]River; ^(FP)for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will ^(FQ)drive them out from before you. ^32 (FR)You shall cut no covenant with them ^(FS)or with their gods. ^33 (FT)They shall not live in your land, lest they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, ^(FU)it will surely be a snare to you.”

Yahweh Cuts His Covenant with Israel

24 Then He said to Moses, “^(FV)Come up to Yahweh, you and Aaron, ^(FW)Nadab and Abihu and ^(FX)seventy of the elders of Israel, and you all shall worship at a distance. ² Moses alone, however, shall come near to Yahweh, but they shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

³ Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of Yahweh and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “^(FY)All the words which Yahweh has spoken we will do!” ^4 (FZ)And Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh. Then he arose early in the morning and built an ^(GA)altar ^[co]at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, ^(GB)and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to Yahweh. ^6 (GC)And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he ^[cp]sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ Then he took ^(GD)the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “^(GE)All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” ⁸ So ^(GF)Moses took the blood and ^[cq]sprinkled it on the people and said, “Behold ^(GG)the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has cut with you ^[cr]in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ Then Moses went up ^[cs]with Aaron, ^(GH)Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and ^(GI)they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet ^[ct](GJ)there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, ^[cu]as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and ^(GK)they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

¹² Now Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and ^[cv]remain there, and ^(GL)I will give you the stone tablets ^[cw]with the ^[cx]law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” ¹³ So Moses arose ^[cy]with ^(GM)Joshua his ^[cz]attendant, and Moses went up to ^(GN)the mountain of God. ¹⁴ But to the elders he said, “^(GO)Remain here for us until we return to you. And behold, ^(GP)Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever ^[da]has a legal matter, let him approach them.” ¹⁵ Then Moses went up to the mountain, and ^(GQ)the cloud covered the mountain. ^16 (GR)And the glory of Yahweh dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He ^(GS)called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. ^17 (GT)And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was like a ^(GU)consuming fire on the mountain top, in the eyes of the sons of Israel. ¹⁸ Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud ^[db]as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain ^(GV)forty days and forty nights.

Contributions for the Sanctuary

25 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(GW)Speak with the sons of Israel so that they take a ^[dc]contribution for Me; ^(GX)from every man whose heart is willing you shall take My ^[dd]contribution. ³ And this is the ^[de]contribution which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze, ^4 [df](GY)blue, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, ^6 (GZ)oil for lighting, ^(HA)spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones, and setting stones for the ^(HB)ephod and for the ^[dg](HC)breastpiece. ⁸ And let them ^(HD)make a sanctuary for Me, ^(HE)that I may dwell among them. ^9 (HF)According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall make it.

The Ark of the Testimony

¹⁰ “^(HG)And they shall make an ark of acacia wood two and a half ^[dh]cubits ^[di]long, and one and a half cubits ^[dj]wide, and one and a half cubits ^[dk]high. ¹¹ You shall ^(HH)overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding ^[dl]around it. ¹² You shall cast four gold rings for it and ^[dm]fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³ You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ The ^(HI)poles shall ^[dn]remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. ¹⁶ You shall ^(HJ)put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.

¹⁷ “You shall ^(HK)make a ^[do]mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half ^[dp]cubits ^[dq]long and one and a half cubits ^[dr]wide. ¹⁸ You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work ^[ds]at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ Make one cherub ^[dt]at one end and one cherub ^[du]at the other end; from one piece you shall make the mercy seat with the cherubim at its two ends. ^20 (HL)The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be toward the mercy seat. ^21 (HM)You shall put the mercy seat ^[dv]on top of the ark, and ^(HN)in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. ^22 (HO)There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from ^(HP)between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all which I will command you for the sons of Israel.

Bread of the Presence

²³ “^(HQ)You shall make a table of acacia wood, two ^[dw]cubits ^[dx]long and one cubit ^[dy]wide and one and a half cubits ^[dz]high. ²⁴ You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold ^(HR)border around it. ²⁵ You shall make for it a rim of a ^[ea]handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. ²⁶ You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. ²⁷ The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. ²⁹ You shall make its ^[eb](HS)dishes and its pans and its jars and its offering bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ You shall set ^(HT)the bread of the ^[ec]Presence on the table before Me ^[ed]at all times.

The Golden Lampstand

³¹ “^(HU)Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand, its base, and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its ^[ee]bulbs, and its flowers shall be ^[ef]of the same piece. ^32 (HV)Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its ^[eg]other side. ^33 (HW)Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a ^[eh]bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the ^[ei]other branch, a ^[ej]bulb and a flower—so for the six branches going out from the lampstand; ³⁴ and ^(HX)in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its ^[ek]bulbs and its flowers. ^35 (HY)And a ^[el]bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a ^[em]bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a ^[en]bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. ^36 (HZ)Their ^[eo]bulbs and their branches shall be ^[ep]of the same piece; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. ³⁷ Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and ^(IA)they shall ^[eq]mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. ³⁸ And its tongs and ^[er]their trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ It shall be made from a ^[es]talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. ^40 (IB)And see that you make them ^(IC)after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

Instructions for Making the Tabernacle

26 “^(ID)Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and ^[et]blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer. ² The length of each curtain shall be ^[eu]twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four ^[ev]cubits; all the curtains shall have ^[ew]the same measurements. ³ Five curtains shall be ^[ex]joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be ^[ey]joined to one another. ⁴ And you shall make loops of ^[ez]blue on the edge of the ^[fa]outermost curtain in the one set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second ^[fb]set. ⁵ You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the ^[fc]edge of the curtain that is in the second ^[fd]set; the loops shall be opposite each other. ⁶ You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and you shall ^[fe]join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the ^[ff]tabernacle will be a unit.

⁷ “Then ^(IE)you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. ⁸ The length of each curtain shall be ^[fg]thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have ^[fh]the same measurements. ⁹ And you shall ^[fi]join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain ^[fj]at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the ^[fk]curtain that is outermost in the one ^[fl]set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second ^[fm]set.

¹¹ “You shall make fifty clasps of ^[fn]bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and ^[fo]join the tent together so that it will be one unit. ¹² The ^[fp]overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other to cover it. ^14 (IF)You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins ^[fq]dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

¹⁵ “Then you shall make ^(IG)the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. ¹⁶ Ten cubits shall be the length of ^[fr]each board, and one and a half cubits the width of each board. ¹⁷ There shall be two ^[fs]tenons for each board, ^[ft]fitted to one another; thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards ^[fu]for the south side. ¹⁹ You shall make forty ^(IH)bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two tenons, and two bases under another board for its two tenons; ²⁰ and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, ²¹ and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board. ²² For the ^[fv]rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. ²³ You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the ^[fw]rear. ²⁴ They shall be ^[fx]separated beneath, but together at their completion ^[fy]at its top, ^[fz]at the first ring; thus it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. ²⁵ There shall be eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.

²⁶ “Then you shall make ^(II)bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the boards of the ^[ga]other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the ^[gb]rear side to the west. ²⁸ The middle bar in the ^[gc]center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. ²⁹ You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ Then you shall erect the tabernacle ^(IJ)according to its ^[gd]plan which you have been shown in the mountain.

³¹ “You shall make ^(IK)a veil of ^[ge]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer. ³² You shall ^[gf]hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also being of gold, on four bases of silver. ³³ You shall ^[gg]hang up the veil under the clasps, and you shall bring in ^(IL)the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall separate for you ^(IM)the holy place and the Holy of Holies. ^34 (IN)You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Holy of Holies. ^35 (IO)You shall set the table outside the veil and the ^(IP)lampstand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

³⁶ “^(IQ)You shall make a screen for the doorway of the tent of ^[gh]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a ^[gi]weaver. ^37 (IR)You shall make five pillars of acacia for the screen and overlay them with gold, their hooks also being of gold; and you shall cast five bases of ^[gj]bronze for them.

The Bronze Altar

27 “And you shall make ^(IS)the altar of acacia wood, five ^[gk]cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. ² You shall make ^(IT)its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be ^[gl]of the same piece, and you shall overlay it with ^[gm]bronze. ³ You shall make its pots for removing its ashes, and its shovels and its bowls and its flesh hooks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. ⁴ You shall make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings ^[gn]at its four corners. ⁵ You shall put it beneath, under the ledge of the altar, so that the net will reach halfway down the altar. ⁶ You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ Its poles shall be inserted into the rings, so that the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar ^(IU)when it is carried. ⁸ You shall make it hollow with planks; ^(IV)as it was shown to you in the mountain, so they shall make it.

The Court of the Tabernacle

⁹ “You shall make ^(IW)the court of the ^[go]tabernacle. ^[gp]On the south side there shall be hangings for the court of fine twisted linen ^[gq]one hundred cubits long for one side; ¹⁰ and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their ^[gr]bands shall be of silver. ¹¹ Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver. ¹² For the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten bases. ¹³ The width of the court on the east side toward the sunrise shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ The hangings for the one ^[gs]side of the gate shall be ^[gt]fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁵ And for the ^[gu]other ^[gv]side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁶ And as for the gate of the court there shall be a screen of ^[gw]twenty cubits, of ^[gx]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a ^[gy]weaver, with their four pillars and their four bases. ¹⁷ All the pillars around the court shall be furnished with silver bands with their hooks of silver and their bases of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their bases of bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

²⁰ “And you shall command the sons of Israel, that they bring you ^(IX)clear oil of beaten olives for the ^[gz]light, to make a lamp ^[ha]burn continually. ²¹ In the ^(IY)tent of meeting, outside ^(IZ)the veil which is before the testimony, ^(JA)Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh; it shall be a perpetual ^(JB)statute throughout their generations ^[hb]for the sons of Israel.

The Priests’ Garments

28 “Now as for you, ^(JC)bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priests to Me—Aaron, ^(JD)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. ² You shall make ^(JE)holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ³ You shall speak to all those ^[hc](JF)wise at heart ^(JG)whom I have filled with ^[hd]the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to set him apart as holy, in order for him to minister as priest to Me. ⁴ These are the garments which they shall make: a ^[he](JH)breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, in order for him to minister as priest to Me. ⁵ They shall take ^(JI)the gold and the ^[hf]blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen.

⁶ “They shall also make ^(JJ)the ephod of gold, of ^[hg]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of the skillful designer. ⁷ It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, that it may be joined. ⁸ The skillfully woven band, which is on it, shall be like its workmanship, ^[hh]of the same material: of gold, of ^[hi]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. ⁹ You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the second stone, according to their birth. ^11 [hj]As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them all around in filigree settings of gold. ¹² You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall ^(JK)bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders ^(JL)for remembrance. ^13 (JM)You shall make filigree settings of gold, ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them a twisted work of cords, and you shall put the chains of cords on the filigree settings.

¹⁵ “^(JN)You shall make a ^[hk]breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful designer; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of ^[hl]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen you shall make it. ¹⁶ It shall be square, having been folded double, a ^[hm]span ^[hn]in length and a ^[ho]span in width. ¹⁷ You shall ^[hp]mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; ¹⁸ and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹⁹ and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be ^[hq]set in gold settings. ²¹ The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a signet, each ^(JO)according to his name for the twelve tribes. ²² You shall make on the ^[hr]breastpiece chains of a twisted work of cords in pure gold. ²³ You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and you shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. ²⁴ You shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. ²⁵ You shall put the two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and you shall put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. ²⁶ You shall make two rings of gold and shall place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod. ²⁷ You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. ²⁸ They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a ^[hs]blue cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod. ²⁹ Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he comes into the holy place, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually. ^30 (JP)You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the ^[ht](JQ)Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he comes in before Yahweh; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before Yahweh continually.

³¹ “^(JR)You shall make the robe of the ephod entirely of ^[hu]blue. ³² There shall be an opening ^[hv]at its top in the middle of it; around the edge of its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn. ³³ You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: ³⁴ a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. ³⁵ It shall be on Aaron ^[hw]when he ministers; and its sound shall be heard when he comes into the holy place before Yahweh and when he goes out, so that he will not die.

³⁶ “You shall also make ^(JS)a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘^(JT)Holy to Yahweh.’ ³⁷ You shall ^[hx]fasten it on a ^[hy]blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. ³⁸ It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall ^[hz](JU)take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel set apart as holy, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall continually be on his forehead, that ^(JV)they may be accepted before Yahweh.

³⁹ “You shall weave ^(JW)the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a ^[ia]weaver.

⁴⁰ “For Aaron’s sons you shall make ^(JX)tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make ^[ib](JY)caps for them, for glory and for beauty. ⁴¹ You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall ^(JZ)anoint them and ^[ic]ordain them and set them apart as holy, that they may minister to Me as priests. ⁴² You shall make for them ^(KA)linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh; they shall ^[id]reach from the loins even to the thighs. ⁴³ They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tent of meeting or ^(KB)when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur ^[ie]guilt and die. ^(KC)It shall be a perpetual statute to him and to his seed after him.

Setting Apart the Priests

29 “^(KD)Now this is ^[if]what you shall do to them to set them apart as holy to minister as priests to Me: take one bull from the herd and two rams without blemish, ² and ^(KE)unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers ^[ig]spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour. ³ And you shall put them in one basket and bring them near in the basket along with the bull and the two rams. ⁴ Then ^(KF)you shall bring Aaron and his sons near to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ⁵ And you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the ^(KG)tunic and ^(KH)the robe of the ephod and ^(KI)the ephod and ^(KJ)the ^[ih]breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully ^(KK)woven band of the ephod; ⁶ and you shall set the ^(KL)turban on his head and put ^(KM)the holy crown on the turban. ⁷ Then you shall take ^(KN)the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. ⁸ And you shall bring his sons near and put ^(KO)tunics on them. ⁹ You shall gird them with ^(KP)sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind ^[ii]caps on them, and they shall have ^(KQ)the priesthood by a perpetual statute. So you shall ^[ij](KR)ordain Aaron and his sons.

Slaughtering the Offerings

¹⁰ “Then you shall bring the bull near before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall ^(KS)lay their hands on the head of the bull. ¹¹ You shall slaughter the bull before Yahweh at the doorway of the tent of meeting. ¹² You shall ^(KT)take some of the blood of the bull and put it on ^(KU)the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³ You shall ^(KV)take all the fat that covers the entrails and the ^[ik]lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and you shall offer them up in smoke on the altar. ¹⁴ But ^(KW)the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

¹⁵ “^(KX)You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram; ¹⁶ and you shall slaughter the ram, and you shall take its blood and splash it around on the altar. ¹⁷ Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them ^[il]with its pieces and ^[im]its head. ¹⁸ You shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to Yahweh: ^(KY)it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Yahweh.

¹⁹ “Then ^(KZ)you shall take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. ²⁰ You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and splash the rest of the blood around on the altar. ²¹ Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the ^(LA)anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him; so he and his garments shall be set apart as holy, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

²² “You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails and the ^[in]lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ^[io]ordination), ²³ and one cake of bread and ^(LB)one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is set before Yahweh; ²⁴ and you shall put ^[ip]all these ^[iq]in the ^[ir]hands of Aaron and ^[is]in the ^[it]hands of his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before Yahweh. ^25 (LC)You shall take them from their hands and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before Yahweh; it is an offering by fire to Yahweh.

²⁶ “Then you shall take ^(LD)the breast of Aaron’s ram of ^[iu]ordination and wave it as a wave offering before Yahweh; and it shall be your portion. ²⁷ You shall set apart as holy the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the ^[iv]contribution offering which was waved and which was ^[iw]raised up as a contribution from the ram of ^[ix]ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons. ²⁸ It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual statute from the sons of Israel, for it is a ^[iy]contribution offering; and it shall be a ^[iz]contribution offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their ^[ja]contribution offering to Yahweh.

²⁹ “^(LE)The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, ^[jb]that in them they may be anointed and ordained. ³⁰ For seven days the one of his sons who is priest in his stead shall put them on when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.

Yahweh Will Meet and Speak to Israel

³¹ “You shall take the ram of ^[jc]ordination and ^(LF)boil its flesh in a holy place. ³² Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting. ³³ Thus ^(LG)they shall eat ^[jd]those things by which atonement was made ^[je]to ordain them, ^[jf]to set them apart as holy; but a ^[jg](LH)layman shall not eat them, because they are holy. ^34 (LI)If any of the flesh of ^[jh]ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

³⁵ “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ^[ji]ordain them through ^(LJ)seven days. ^36 (LK)Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall ^[jj]purify the altar when you make atonement ^[jk]for it, and ^(LL)you shall anoint it to set it apart as holy. ³⁷ For seven days you shall make atonement ^[jl]for the altar and set it apart as holy; then ^(LM)the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

³⁸ “Now ^(LN)this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. ³⁹ The ^(LO)one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second lamb you shall offer ^[jm]at twilight; ⁴⁰ and there shall be ^[jn]one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a ^[jo]hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with the one lamb. ⁴¹ The second lamb you shall offer ^[jp]at twilight, and you shall offer with it ^[jq]the same grain offering and ^[jr]the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Yahweh. ⁴² It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, ^(LP)where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. ⁴³ I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be set apart as holy by My glory. ⁴⁴ I will set the tent of meeting and the altar apart as holy; I will also set Aaron and his sons apart as holy to minister as priests to Me. ^45 (LQ)I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. ⁴⁶ They shall know that ^(LR)I am Yahweh their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am Yahweh their God.

The Altar of Incense

30 “Moreover, you shall make ^(LS)an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. ² Its length shall be a ^[js]cubit, and its width a cubit; it shall be square. And its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be ^[jt]of the same piece. ³ You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its ^[ju]sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. ⁴ You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on ^[jv]opposite sides—and ^[jw]they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. ⁵ You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ You shall put ^[jx]this altar in front of the veil that is ^[jy]near the ark of the testimony, in front of the ^[jz](LT)mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁷ Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. ⁸ When Aaron ^[ka]trims the lamps ^[kb]at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be continual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations. ⁹ You shall not offer any strange incense on ^[kc]this altar or burnt offering or grain offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. ¹⁰ Aaron shall ^(LU)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 Yahweh.”

The Census and the Atonement Price

¹¹ Yahweh also spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “When you take ^(LV)a ^[kd]census of the sons of Israel ^[ke]to number them, then each one of them shall give ^(LW)a price of atonement for ^[kf]himself to Yahweh when you ^[kg]number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you ^[kh]number them. ¹³ This is what everyone who ^[ki]is numbered shall give: half a ^[kj]shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (^(LX)the shekel is twenty ^[kk]gerahs), half a shekel as a ^[kl]contribution to Yahweh. ¹⁴ Everyone who ^[km]is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the ^[kn]contribution to Yahweh. ¹⁵ The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel when you give the ^[ko]contribution to Yahweh to make atonement for your souls. ¹⁶ And 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 remembrance for the sons of Israel before Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls.”

The Laver for the Priestly Washing

¹⁷ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸ “You shall also make ^(LY)a laver of ^[kp]bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing; and you shall ^(LZ)put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. ¹⁹ And Aaron and his sons shall ^(MA)wash their hands and their feet from it; ²⁰ when they come into 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 Yahweh. ²¹ So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and ^(MB)it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for ^[kq]Aaron and his seed throughout their generations.”

The Holy Anointing Oil

²² Moreover, Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ “But as for you, take for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh 500 shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250, ²⁴ and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a ^[kr]hin. ²⁵ And you shall make ^[ks]of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be ^(MC)a holy anointing oil. ²⁶ And with it ^(MD)you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, ²⁷ and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, ²⁸ and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. ²⁹ You shall also set them apart as holy, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. ^30 (ME)And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and you shall set them apart as holy, that they may minister as priests to Me. ³¹ And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. ³² It shall not be poured on ^[kt]anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in ^[ku]the same specifications; ^(MF)it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. ^33 (MG)Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a ^[kv]layman ^[kw](MH)shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

³⁴ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Take for yourself fragrances, stacte and onycha and galbanum, fragrances with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. ³⁵ With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. ³⁶ You shall beat some of it very fine, and you shall put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting ^(MI)where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. ³⁷ The incense which you shall make, ^(MJ)you shall not make in ^[kx]the same specifications for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for Yahweh. ^38 (MK)Whoever shall make any like it, to ^[ky]use as perfume, ^[kz]shall be cut off from his people.”

Bezalel and Oholiab

31 ^(ML)And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the ^(MM)son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³ And I have ^(MN)filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in discernment, in knowledge, and in all kinds of ^[la]craftsmanship, ⁴ to devise artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in ^[lb]bronze, ⁵ and in the cutting of stones ^[lc]for settings, and in the carving of wood, in order for him to work in all kinds of ^[ld]craftsmanship. ⁶ And behold, I Myself have ^[le]appointed with him ^(MO)Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are ^[lf]wise at heart I have put ^[lg]wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you: ^7 (MP)the tent of meeting, and ^(MQ)the ark of testimony, and ^(MR)the ^[lh]mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, ^8 (MS)the table also and its ^[li]utensils, and the ^(MT)pure gold lampstand with all its ^[lj]utensils, and ^(MU)the altar of incense, ^9 (MV)the altar of burnt offering also with all its ^[lk]utensils, and ^(MW)the laver and its stand, ¹⁰ the ^[ll](MX)woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to minister as priests; ^11 (MY)the anointing oil also, and the ^(MZ)fragrant incense for the holy place, they shall make them according to all that I have commanded you.”

The Sign of the Sabbath

¹² Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹³ “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘^(NA)You shall surely keep My sabbaths; for this is ^(NB)a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Yahweh who makes you holy. ¹⁴ Therefore you shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy to you. ^(NC)Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. ^15 (ND)Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a ^(NE)sabbath of complete rest, holy to Yahweh; ^(NF)whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. ¹⁶ So the sons of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to ^[lm]celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant.’ ^17 (NG)It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; ^(NH)for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”

¹⁸ When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses ^(NI)the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, ^(NJ)written by the finger of God.

The Golden Calf

32 Then the people saw that Moses ^(NK)delayed to come down from the mountain. So the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Arise, ^(NL)make us ^[ln]gods who will go before us; as for ^(NM)this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ² And Aaron said to them, “^(NN)Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ And he took this from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a ^(NO)molten calf; and they said, “^[lo]These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” ⁵ And Aaron looked and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.” ⁶ So the next day they rose early and ^(NP)offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and ^(NQ)the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up ^(NR)to play.

⁷ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go! Go down at once, for your people, whom ^(NS)you brought up from the land of Egypt, have ^(NT)corrupted themselves. ⁸ They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. ^(NU)They have made for themselves a molten calf and have worshiped it and ^(NV)have sacrificed to it and said, ‘^[lp](NW)These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” ^9 (NX)And Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are ^(NY)a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now then ^(NZ)let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may consume them; and ^(OA)I will make you a great nation.”

¹¹ Then ^(OB)Moses entreated ^[lq]the favor of Yahweh his God and said, “O Yahweh, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? ¹² Why should ^(OC)the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent concerning doing harm to Your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You ^(OD)swore by Yourself, and You said to them, ‘I will ^(OE)multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and ^(OF)all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’” ^14 (OG)So Yahweh relented concerning the harm which He said He would do to His people.

^15 (OH)Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain. And the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand, ^(OI)tablets which were written on both ^[lr]sides; they were written on one side and the other. ¹⁶ Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷ Then Joshua heard the sound of the people ^[ls]as they shouted. And he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.” ¹⁸ But he said,

¹⁹ Now it happened, as soon as ^[lt]Moses came near the camp, that ^(OJ)he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and ^(OK)he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them ^[lu]at the foot of the mountain. ^20 (OL)Then he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

²¹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?” ²² And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, ^(OM)that they are ^[lv]prone to evil. ²³ Indeed ^(ON)they said to me, ‘Make ^[lw]gods for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ²⁴ And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and ^(OO)I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

²⁵ Now Moses saw that the people were ^[lx]out of control—for Aaron had ^(OP)let them ^[ly]get out of control to be a derision among ^[lz]their enemies— ²⁶ so Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. ²⁷ And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Every man among you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother and every man his friend and every man his ^[ma]neighbor.’” ²⁸ So ^(OQ)the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “^[mb]Be ordained today to Yahweh—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

³⁰ Now it happened on the next day, that Moses said to the people, “^(OR)You yourselves have ^[mc]committed a great sin; but now I am going up to Yahweh, perhaps I can ^(OS)make atonement for your sin.” ³¹ Then Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Alas, this people has ^[md]committed a great sin, and they have made ^[me](OT)gods of gold for themselves. ³² But now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out from Your ^(OU)book which You have written!” ³³ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, ^(OV)I will blot him out of My book. ³⁴ But now go, guide the people ^(OW)where I told you. Behold, ^(OX)My angel shall go before you; nevertheless ^(OY)in the day when I ^[mf]punish, ^(OZ)I will ^[mg]punish them for their sin.” ^35 (PA)Then Yahweh smote the people because of ^(PB)what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

Moses and the Tent of Meeting

33 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go! Go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which ^(PC)I swore to Abraham, ^(PD)to Isaac, and ^(PE)to Jacob, saying, ‘^(PF)To your seed I will give it.’ ² And I will send ^(PG)an angel before you, and ^(PH)I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ³ Go up to a land ^(PI)flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst because you are ^(PJ)a stiff-necked people, lest ^(PK)I consume you on the way.”

⁴ Then the people heard this ^[mh]sad word and ^(PL)went into mourning; and none of them put on his ornaments. ⁵ So Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are ^(PM)a stiff-necked people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would consume you. So now, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.’” ⁶ So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

⁷ Now Moses used to take ^(PN)the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And ^(PO)everyone who sought Yahweh would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. ⁸ And it happened whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. ⁹ And it happened whenever Moses entered the tent, that ^(PP)the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; ^(PQ)and ^[mi]Yahweh would speak with Moses. ¹⁰ And all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent. And all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. ¹¹ Thus ^(PR)Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. Then ^[mj]Moses would return to the camp, and ^(PS)his attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Moses and the Glory of Yahweh

¹² Then Moses said to Yahweh, “See, You say to me, ‘^(PT)Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know ^(PU)whom You will send with me. ^(PV)Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ ¹³ So now, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, ^(PW)let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. ^(PX)See also, that this nation is Your people.” ¹⁴ And He said, “^(PY)My presence shall go with you, and ^(PZ)I will give you rest.” ¹⁵ Then he said to Him, “^(QA)If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. ¹⁶ Indeed, how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that ^(QB)we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the ^[mk]earth?”

¹⁷ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; ^(QC)for you have found favor in My sight, and I have known you by name.” ^18 (QD)Then ^[ml]Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” ¹⁹ And He said, “^(QE)I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you; and ^(QF)I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” ²⁰ But He said, “You cannot see My face, ^(QG)for no man can see Me and live!” ²¹ Then Yahweh said, “Behold, there is a place ^[mm]by Me, and ^(QH)you shall stand there on the rock; ²² and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and ^(QI)cover you with My hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove My hand, and you shall see My back, but ^(QJ)My face shall not be seen.”

Stone Tablets like the Former Ones

34 Now Yahweh said to Moses, “Carve out for yourself ^(QK)two stone tablets like the former ones, and ^(QL)I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. ² So be prepared by morning, and come up in the morning to ^(QM)Mount Sinai, and ^[mn]present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. ^3 (QN)And no man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen ^[mo]anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain.” ⁴ So he carved out ^(QO)two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. ^5 (QP)Then Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood there with him, and ^[mp]He called upon the name of Yahweh. ⁶ Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and called out, “Yahweh, Yahweh God, ^(QQ)compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and ^[mq]truth; ⁷ who ^(QR)keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He ^(QS)will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, ^(QT)visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” ⁸ And Moses made haste ^[mr](QU)to bow low toward the earth and worship. ⁹ And he said, “^(QV)If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though ^[ms](QW)they are a stiff-necked people, and ^(QX)pardon our iniquity and our sin, and ^(QY)take us as Your own inheritance.”

Yahweh Cuts a Covenant with Israel

¹⁰ Then ^[mt]God said, “Behold, ^(QZ)I am going to cut a covenant. Before all your people ^(RA)I will do wondrous deeds which have not been created in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people ^[mu]among whom you live will see the working of Yahweh, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to do with you.

¹¹ “^[mv]Be sure to keep what I am commanding you this day: behold, ^(RB)I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ^12 (RC)Beware lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. ^13 (RD)But rather, you are to tear down their altars and shatter their sacred pillars and cut down their ^[mw](RE)Asherim ¹⁴ —for ^(RF)you shall not worship any other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— ¹⁵ lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and ^(RG)sacrifice to their gods, and one of them ^(RH)invite you ^[mx]to eat of his sacrifice, ¹⁶ and ^(RI)you take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. ^17 (RJ)You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

¹⁸ “You shall keep ^(RK)the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For ^(RL)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the appointed time in the ^(RM)month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

¹⁹ “^(RN)The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, even of all your male livestock, the first offspring from ^[my]cattle and sheep. ^20 (RO)And you shall redeem with a lamb the ^[mz]first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem ^(RP)all the firstborn of your sons. ^[na](RQ)None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

²¹ “You shall work ^(RR)six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest. ²² And you shall celebrate ^(RS)the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. ^23 (RT)Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. ²⁴ For I will ^(RU)dispossess nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before Yahweh your God.

²⁵ “^(RV)You shall not ^[nb]offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, ^(RW)and the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover shall not ^[nc]be left over until morning.

²⁶ “You shall bring ^(RX)the very first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of Yahweh your God.

“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

²⁷ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “^(RY)Write ^[nd]down these words, for in accordance with these words I have cut ^(RZ)a covenant with you and with Israel.” ²⁸ So he was there with Yahweh ^(SA)forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And ^[ne](SB)he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, ^(SC)the Ten ^[nf]Commandments.

The Shining Face of Moses

²⁹ Now it happened when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the ^(SD)two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that ^(SE)the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. ³⁰ Then Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and ^(SF)they were afraid to come near him.