Exodus 19:1 - Leviticus 11:31

New Century Version

Israel Camps at Sinai

19 Exactly three months after the Israelites had left Egypt, they reached the Desert of Sinai. ² When they left Rephidim, they came to the Desert of Sinai and camped in the desert in front of the mountain. ³ Then Moses went up on the mountain to God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Say this to the family of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘Every one of you has seen what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw how I carried you out of Egypt, as if on eagle’s wings. And I brought you here to me. ⁵ So now if you obey me and keep my agreement, you will be my own possession, chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you will be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ You must tell the Israelites these words.”

⁷ So Moses went down and called the elders of the people together. He told them all the words the Lord had commanded him to say. ⁸ All the people answered together, “We will do everything he has said.” Then Moses took their answer back to the Lord.

⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud and speak to you. The people will hear me speaking with you and will always trust you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and have them spend today and tomorrow preparing themselves. They must wash their clothes ¹¹ and be ready by the day after tomorrow. On that day I, the Lord, will come down on Mount Sinai, and all the people will see me. ¹² But you must set a limit around the mountain that the people are not to cross. Tell them not to go up on the mountain and not to touch the foot of it. Anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death ¹³ with stones or shot with arrows. No one is allowed to touch him. Whether it is a person or an animal, he will not live. But the trumpet will make a long blast, and only then may the people go up on the mountain.”

¹⁴ After Moses went down from the mountain to the people, he made them prepare themselves for service to God, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ Then Moses said to the people, “Be ready in three days. Do not have sexual relations during this time.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud on the mountain. There was a very loud blast from a trumpet, and all the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord came down on it in fire. The smoke rose from the mountain like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook wildly. ¹⁹ The sound from the trumpet became louder. Then Moses spoke, and the voice of God answered him.

²⁰ When the Lord came down on top of Mount Sinai, he called Moses to come up to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people that they must not force their way through to see me. If they do, many of them will die. ²² Even the priests, who may come near me, must first prepare themselves. If they don’t, I, the Lord, will punish them.”

²³ Moses told the Lord, “The people cannot come up on Mount Sinai, because you yourself told us, ‘Set a limit around the mountain, and set it apart as holy.’”

²⁴ The Lord said to him, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you, but don’t allow the priests or the people to force their way through. They must not come up to the Lord, or I will punish them.”

²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them these things.

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves.

³ “You must not have any other gods except me.

⁴ “You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land. ⁵ You must not worship or serve any idol, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. If you hate me, I will punish your children, and even your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. ⁶ But I show kindness to thousands who love me and obey my commands.

⁷ “You must not use the name of the Lord your God thoughtlessly; the Lord will punish anyone who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember to keep the Sabbath holy. ⁹ Work and get everything done during six days each week, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the Lord your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your animals, or the foreigners living in your cities. ¹¹ The reason is that in six days the Lord made everything—the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. On the seventh day he rested. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother so that you will live a long time in the land that the Lord your God is going to give you.

¹³ “You must not murder anyone.

¹⁴ “You must not be guilty of adultery.

¹⁵ “You must not steal.

¹⁶ “You must not tell lies about your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You must not want to take your neighbor’s house. You must not want his wife or his male or female slaves, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸ When the people heard the thunder and the trumpet, and when they saw the lightning and the smoke rising from the mountain, they shook with fear and stood far away from the mountain. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.”

²⁰ Then Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, because God has come to test you. He wants you to respect him so you will not sin.”

²¹ The people stood far away from the mountain while Moses went near the dark cloud where God was. ²² Then the Lord told Moses to say these things to the Israelites: “You yourselves have seen that I talked with you from heaven. ²³ You must not use gold or silver to make idols for yourselves; do not worship these gods in addition to me.

²⁴ “Make an altar of dirt for me, and sacrifice on it your whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and your cattle. Worship me in every place that I choose, and I will come and bless you. ²⁵ If you use stones to make an altar for me, don’t use stones that you have shaped with tools. When you use any tools on them, you make them unsuitable for use in worship. ²⁶ And you must not go up to my altar on steps, or people will be able to see under your clothes.”

Laws for Living

21 Then God said to Moses, “These are the laws for living that you will give to the Israelites:

² “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years. In the seventh year you are to set him free, and he will have to pay nothing. ³ If he is not married when he becomes your slave, he must leave without a wife. But if he is married when he becomes your slave, he may take his wife with him. ⁴ If the slave’s master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the woman and her children will belong to the master. When the slave is set free, only he may leave.

⁵ “But if the slave says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children, and I don’t want to go free,’ ⁶ then the slave’s master must take him to God. The master is to take him to a door or doorframe and punch a hole through the slave’s ear using a sharp tool. Then the slave will serve that master all his life.

⁷ “If a man sells his daughter as a slave, the rules for setting her free are different from the rules for setting the male slaves free. ⁸ If the master wanted to marry her but then decided he was not pleased with her, he must let one of her close relatives buy her back. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has treated her unfairly. ⁹ If the man who bought her promises to let the woman marry his son, he must treat her as a daughter. ¹⁰ If the man who bought her marries another woman, he must not keep his first wife from having food or clothing or sexual relations. ¹¹ If he does not give her these three things, she may go free, and she owes him no money.

Laws About Injuries

¹² “Anyone who hits a person and kills him must be put to death. ¹³ But if a person kills someone accidentally, God allowed that to happen, so the person must go to a place I will choose. ¹⁴ But if someone plans and murders another person on purpose, put him to death, even if he has run to my altar for safety.

¹⁵ “Anyone who hits his father or his mother must be put to death.

¹⁶ “Anyone who kidnaps someone and either sells him as a slave or still has him when he is caught must be put to death.

¹⁷ “Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁸ “If two men argue, and one hits the other with a rock or with his fist, the one who is hurt but not killed might have to stay in bed. ¹⁹ Later if he is able to get up and walk around outside with his walking stick, the one who hit him is not to be punished. But he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time, and he must support the injured man until he is completely healed.

²⁰ “If a man beats his male or female slave with a stick, and the slave dies on the spot, the owner must be punished. ²¹ But if the slave gets well after a day or two, the owner will not be punished since the slave belongs to him.

²² “Suppose two men are fighting and hit a pregnant woman, causing the baby to come out. If there is no further injury, the man who caused the accident must pay money—whatever amount the woman’s husband says and the court allows. ²³ But if there is further injury, then the punishment that must be paid is life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.

²⁶ “If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye, and the eye is blinded, the man is to free the slave to pay for the eye. ²⁷ If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free the slave to pay for the tooth.

²⁸ “If a man’s bull kills a man or woman, you must kill that bull by throwing stones at it, and you should not eat the bull. But the owner of the bull is not guilty. ²⁹ However, suppose the bull has hurt people in the past and the owner, though warned, did not keep it in a pen. Then if it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned to death, and the owner must also be put to death. ³⁰ But if the family of the dead person accepts money, the one who owned the bull may buy back his life, but he must pay whatever is demanded. ³¹ Use this same law if the bull kills a person’s son or daughter. ³² If the bull kills a male or female slave, the owner must pay the master the price for a new slave, or twelve ounces of silver, and the bull must also be stoned to death.

³³ “If a man takes the cover off a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and another man’s ox or donkey comes and falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit must pay the owner of the animal for the loss. The dead animal will belong to the one who pays.

³⁵ “If a man’s bull kills another man’s bull, they must sell the bull that is alive. Both men will get half of the money and half of the bull that was killed. ³⁶ But if a person’s bull has hurt other animals in the past and the owner did not keep it in a pen, that owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal is his.

Property Laws

22 “If a man steals a bull or a sheep and kills or sells it, he must pay back five bulls for the one bull he stole and four sheep for the one sheep he stole.

^2-4 “The robber who is caught must pay back what he stole. If he owns nothing, he must be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. If the stolen animal is found alive with the robber, he must give the owner two animals for every animal he stole, whether it was a bull, donkey, or sheep.

“If a thief is killed while breaking into a house at night, the one who killed him is not guilty of murder. But if this happens during the day, he is guilty of murder.

⁵ “If a man lets his farm animal graze in his field or vineyard, and it wanders into another man’s field or vineyard, the owner of the animal must pay back the loss from the best of his crop.

⁶ “Suppose a man starts a fire that spreads through the thornbushes to his neighbor’s field. If the fire burns his neighbor’s growing grain or grain that has been stacked, or if it burns his whole field, the person who started the fire must pay for what was burned.

⁷ “Suppose a man gives his neighbor money or other things to keep for him and those things are stolen from the neighbor’s house. If the thief is caught, he must pay back twice as much as he stole. ⁸ But if the thief is never found, the owner of the house must make a promise before God that he has not stolen his neighbor’s things.

⁹ “Suppose two men disagree about who owns something—whether ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or something else that is lost. If each says, ‘This is mine,’ each man must bring his case to God. God’s judges will decide who is guilty, and that person must pay the other man twice as much as the object is worth.

¹⁰ “Suppose a man asks his neighbor to keep his donkey, ox, sheep, or some other animal for him, and that animal dies, gets hurt, or is taken away, without anyone seeing what happened. ¹¹ That neighbor must promise before the Lord that he did not harm or kill the other man’s animal, and the owner of the animal must accept his promise made before God. The neighbor does not have to pay the owner for the animal. ¹² But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must pay the owner for it. ¹³ If wild animals killed it, the neighbor must bring the body as proof, and he will not have to pay for the animal that was killed.

¹⁴ “If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it gets hurt or dies while the owner is not there, the one who borrowed it must pay the owner for the animal. ¹⁵ But if the owner is with the animal, the one who borrowed it does not have to pay. If the animal was rented, the rental price covers the loss.

Laws and Relationships

¹⁶ “Suppose a man finds a woman who is not pledged to be married and has never had sexual relations with a man. If he tricks her into having sexual relations with him, he must give her family the payment to marry her, and she will become his wife. ¹⁷ But if her father refuses to allow his daughter to marry him, the man must still give the usual payment for a bride who has never had sexual relations.

¹⁸ “Put to death any woman who does evil magic.

¹⁹ “Put to death anyone who has sexual relations with an animal.

²⁰ “Destroy completely any person who makes a sacrifice to any god except the Lord.

²¹ “Do not cheat or hurt a foreigner, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

²² “Do not cheat a widow or an orphan. ²³ If you do, and they cry out to me for help, I certainly will hear their cry. ²⁴ And I will be very angry and kill you in war. Then your wives will become widows, and your children will become orphans.

²⁵ “If you lend money to one of my people who is poor, do not treat him as a moneylender would. Charge him nothing for using your money. ²⁶ If your neighbor gives you his coat as a promise for the money he owes you, you must give it back to him by sunset, ²⁷ because it is the only cover to keep his body warm. He has nothing else to sleep in. If he cries out to me for help, I will listen, because I am merciful.

²⁸ “You must not speak against God or curse a leader of your people.

²⁹ “Do not hold back your offering from the first of your harvest and the first wine that you make. Also, you must give me your firstborn sons. ³⁰ You must do the same with your bulls and your sheep. Let the firstborn males stay with their mothers for seven days, and on the eighth day you must give them to me.

³¹ “You are to be my holy people. You must not eat the meat of any animal that has been killed by wild animals. Instead, give it to the dogs.

Laws About Fairness

23 “You must not tell lies. If you are a witness in court, don’t help a wicked person by telling lies.

² “You must not do wrong just because everyone else is doing it. If you are a witness in court, you must not ruin a fair trial. You must not tell lies just because everyone else is. ³ If a poor person is in court, you must not take his side just because he is poor.

⁴ “If you see your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering away, you must return it to him. ⁵ If you see that your enemy’s donkey has fallen because its load is too heavy, do not leave it there. You must help your enemy get the donkey back on its feet.

⁶ “You must not be unfair to a poor person when he is in court. ⁷ You must not lie when you accuse someone in court. Never allow an innocent or honest person to be put to death as punishment, because I will not treat guilty people as if they were innocent.

⁸ “You must not accept money from a person who wants you to lie in court, because such money will not let you see what is right. Such money makes good people tell lies.

⁹ “You must not mistreat a foreigner. You know how it feels to be a foreigner, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Laws for the Sabbath

¹⁰ “For six years you are to plant and harvest crops on your land. ¹¹ Then during the seventh year, do not plow or plant your land. If any food grows there, allow the poor people to have it, and let the wild animals eat what is left. You should do the same with your vineyards and your orchards of olive trees.

¹² “You should work six days a week, but on the seventh day you must rest. This lets your ox and your donkey rest, and it also lets the slave born in your house and the foreigner be refreshed.

¹³ “Be sure to do all that I have said to you. You must not even say the names of other gods; those names must not come out of your mouth.

Three Yearly Feasts

¹⁴ “Three times each year you must hold a feast to honor me. ¹⁵ You must celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the way I commanded you. For seven days you must eat bread that is made without yeast at the set time during the month of Abib, the month when you came out of Egypt. No one is to come to worship me without bringing an offering.

¹⁶ “You must celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Offer to God the first things you harvest from the crops you planted in your fields.

“You must celebrate the Feast of Shelters in the fall, when you gather all the crops from your fields.

¹⁷ “So three times during every year all your males must come to worship the Lord God.

¹⁸ “You must not offer animal blood along with anything that has yeast in it.

“You must not save any of the fat from the sacrifice for the next day.

¹⁹ “You must bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the Holy Tent^[a] of the Lord your God.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

God Will Help Israel

²⁰ “I am sending an angel ahead of you, who will protect you as you travel. He will lead you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Pay attention to the angel and obey him. Do not turn against him; he will not forgive such turning against him because my power is in him. ²² If you listen carefully to all he says and do everything that I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies. I will fight all who fight against you. ²³ My angel will go ahead of you and take you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will destroy them.

²⁴ “You must not bow down to their gods or worship them. You must not live the way those people live. You must destroy their idols, breaking into pieces the stone pillars they use in worship. ²⁵ If you worship the Lord your God, I will bless your bread and your water. I will take away sickness from you. ²⁶ None of your women will have her baby die before it is born, and all women will have children. I will allow you to live long lives.

²⁷ “I will make your enemies afraid of me. I will confuse any people you fight against, and I will make all your enemies run away from you. ²⁸ I will send terror ahead of you that will force the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites out of your way. ²⁹ But I will not force all those people out in only one year. If I did, the land would become a desert and the wild animals would become too many for you. ³⁰ Instead, I will force those people out slowly, until there are enough of you to take over the land.

³¹ “I will give you the land from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give you power over the people who now live in the land, and you will force them out ahead of you. ³² You must not make an agreement with those people or with their gods. ³³ You must not let them live in your land, or they will make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, you will be caught in a trap.”

God and Israel Make Their Agreement

24 The Lord told Moses, “You, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel must come up to me and worship me from a distance. ² Then Moses alone must come near me; the others must not come near. The rest of the people must not come up the mountain with Moses.”

³ Moses told the people all the Lord’s words and laws for living. Then all of the people answered out loud together, “We will do all the things the Lord has said.” ⁴ So Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. And he got up early the next morning and built an altar near the bottom of the mountain. He set up twelve stones, one stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then Moses sent young Israelite men to offer whole burnt offerings and to sacrifice young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. ⁶ Moses put half of the blood of these animals in bowls, and he sprinkled the other half of the blood on the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Agreement and read it so the people could hear him. And they said, “We will do everything that the Lord has said; we will obey.”

⁸ Then Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people, saying, “This is the blood that begins the Agreement, the Agreement which the Lord has made with you about all these words.”

⁹ Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up the mountain ¹⁰ and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was a surface that looked as if it were paved with blue sapphire stones, and it was as clear as the sky! ¹¹ These leaders of the Israelites saw God, but God did not destroy them. Then they ate and drank together.

God Promises Moses the Stone Tablets

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Come up the mountain to me. Wait there, and I will give you two stone tablets. On these are the teachings and the commands I have written to instruct the people.”

¹³ So Moses and his helper Joshua set out, and Moses went up to Sinai, the mountain of God. ¹⁴ Moses said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone who has a disagreement with others can take it to them.”

Moses Meets with God

¹⁵ When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it. ¹⁶ The glory of the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. ¹⁷ To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain. ¹⁸ Then Moses went into the cloud and went higher up the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Gifts for the Lord

25 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to bring me gifts. Receive for me the gifts each person wants to give. ³ These are the gifts that you should receive from them: gold, silver, bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and red thread; fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ sheepskins that are dyed red; fine leather; acacia wood; ⁶ olive oil to burn in the lamps; spices for sweet-smelling incense, and the special olive oil poured on a person’s head to make him a priest; ⁷ onyx stones, and other jewels to be put on the holy vest and the chest covering.

⁸ “The people must build a holy place for me so that I can live among them. ⁹ Build this Holy Tent and everything in it by the plan I will show you.

The Ark of the Agreement

¹⁰ “Use acacia wood and build an Ark forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ¹¹ Cover the Ark inside and out with pure gold, and put a gold strip all around it. ¹² Make four gold rings for the Ark and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. ¹³ Then make poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. ¹⁴ Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the Ark, and use these poles to carry it. ¹⁵ These poles must always stay in the rings of the Ark. Do not take them out. ¹⁶ Then put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you.

¹⁷ “Then make a lid of pure gold for the Ark; this is the mercy seat. Make it forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide. ¹⁸ Then hammer gold to make two creatures with wings, and put one on each end of the lid. ¹⁹ Attach one creature on one end of the lid and the other creature on the other end. Make them to be one piece with the lid at the ends. ²⁰ The creatures’ wings should be spread upward, covering the lid, and the creatures are to face each other across the lid. ²¹ Put this lid on top of the Ark, and put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you. ²² I will meet with you there, above the lid between the two winged creatures on the Ark of the Agreement. There I will give you all my commands for the Israelites.

The Table

²³ “Make a table out of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ²⁴ Cover it with pure gold, and put a gold strip around it. ²⁵ Make a frame three inches high that stands up all around the edge, and put a gold strip around it. ²⁶ Then make four gold rings. Attach them to the four corners of the table where the four legs are. ²⁷ Put the rings close to the frame around the top of the table, because they will hold the poles for carrying it. ²⁸ Make the poles out of acacia wood, cover them with gold, and carry the table with these poles. ²⁹ Make the plates and bowls for the table, as well as the jars and cups, out of pure gold. They will be used for pouring out the drink offerings. ³⁰ On this table put the bread that shows you are in my presence so that it is always there in front of me.

The Lampstand

³¹ “Hammer pure gold to make a lampstand. Its base, stand, flower-like cups, buds, and petals must all be joined together in one piece. ³² The lampstand must have six branches going out from its sides—three on one side and three on the other. ³³ Each branch must have three cups shaped like almond flowers on it. Each cup must have a bud and a petal. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand must be the same. ³⁴ And there must be four more cups made like almond flowers on the lampstand itself. These cups must also have buds and petals. ³⁵ Put a bud under each pair of branches that goes out from the lampstand. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand must be the same. ³⁶ The branches, buds, and lampstand must be made of one piece, hammered out of pure gold.

³⁷ “Then make seven small oil lamps and put them on the lampstand so that they give light to the area in front of it. ³⁸ The wick trimmers and trays must be made of pure gold. ³⁹ Use seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and everything with it. ⁴⁰ Be very careful to make them by the plan I showed you on the mountain.

The Holy Tent

26 “Make for the Holy Tent ten curtains of fine linen and blue, purple, and red thread. Have a skilled craftsman sew designs of creatures with wings on the pieces of cloth. ² Make each curtain the same size—forty-two feet long and six feet wide. ³ Sew five curtains together for one set, and sew the other curtains together for the second set. ⁴ Make loops of blue cloth on the edge of the end curtain of one set, and do the same for the end curtain of the other set. ⁵ Make fifty loops on the end curtain of the first set and fifty loops on the end curtain of the second set. These loops must be opposite each other. ⁶ And make fifty gold hooks to join the two sets of curtains so that the Holy Tent is one piece.

⁷ “Then make another tent that will cover the Holy Tent, using eleven curtains made from goat hair. ⁸ All these curtains must be the same size—forty-five feet long and six feet wide. ⁹ Sew five of the curtains together into one set. Then sew the other six curtains together into the second set. Fold the sixth curtain double over the front of the Tent. ¹⁰ Make fifty loops down the edge of the end curtain of one set, and do the same for the end curtain of the other set. ¹¹ Then make fifty bronze hooks and put them in the loops to join the tent together so that the covering is one piece. ¹² Let the extra half piece of cloth hang over the back of the Holy Tent. ¹³ There will be eighteen inches hanging over the sides of the Holy Tent, to protect it. ¹⁴ Make a covering for the Holy Tent from sheepskins colored red, and over that make a covering from fine leather.

¹⁵ “Use acacia wood to make upright frames for the Holy Tent. ¹⁶ Each frame must be fifteen feet long and twenty-seven inches wide, ¹⁷ with two pegs side by side. Every frame must be made the same way. ¹⁸ Make twenty frames for the south side of the Holy Tent. ¹⁹ Each frame must have two silver bases to go under it, a peg fitting into each base. You must make forty silver bases for the frames. ²⁰ Make twenty more frames for the north side of the Holy Tent ²¹ and forty silver bases for them—two bases for each frame. ²² You must make six frames for the rear or west end of the Holy Tent ²³ and two frames for each corner at the rear. ²⁴ The two frames are to be doubled at the bottom and joined at the top with a metal ring. Both corner frames must be made this way. ²⁵ So there will be a total of eight frames at the rear of the Tent, and there will be sixteen silver bases—two bases under each frame.

²⁶ “Make crossbars of acacia wood to connect the upright frames of the Holy Tent. Make five crossbars to hold the frames together on one side ²⁷ and five to hold the frames together on the other side. Also make five crossbars to hold the frames together on the west end, at the rear. ²⁸ The middle crossbar is to be set halfway up the frames, and it is to run along the entire length of each side and rear. ²⁹ Make gold rings on the sides of the frames to hold the crossbars, and cover the frames and the crossbars with gold. ³⁰ Set up the Holy Tent by the plan shown to you on the mountain.

³¹ “Make a curtain of fine linen and blue, purple, and red thread, and have a skilled craftsman sew designs of creatures with wings on it. ³² Hang the curtain by gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood that are covered with gold, and set them in four silver bases. ³³ Hang the curtain from the hooks in the roof, and put the Ark of the Agreement containing the two stone tablets behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. ³⁴ Put the lid on the Ark of the Agreement in the Most Holy Place.

³⁵ “Outside the curtain, put the table on the north side of the Holy Tent. Put the lampstand on the south side of the Holy Tent across from the table.

The Entrance of the Holy Tent

³⁶ “Then, for the entrance of the Tent, make a curtain with fine linen and blue, purple, and red thread. Someone who can sew well is to sew designs on it. ³⁷ Make five posts of acacia wood covered with gold. Make gold hooks for them on which to hang the curtain, and make five bronze bases for them.

The Altar for Burnt Offerings

27 “Make an altar of acacia wood, four and one-half feet high. It should be square—seven and one-half feet long and seven and one-half feet wide. ² Make each of the four corners of the altar stick out like a horn, in such a way that the corners with their horns are all one piece. Then cover the whole altar with bronze.

³ “Use bronze to make all the tools and dishes that will be used on the altar: the pots to remove the ashes, the shovels, the bowls for sprinkling blood, the meat forks, and the pans for carrying the burning wood.

⁴ “Make a large bronze screen to hold the burning wood, and put a bronze ring at each of the four corners of it. ⁵ Put the screen inside the altar, under its rim, halfway up from the bottom.

⁶ “Make poles of acacia wood for the altar, and cover them with bronze. ⁷ Put the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar to carry it. ⁸ Make the altar out of boards and leave the inside hollow. Make it as you were shown on the mountain.

The Courtyard of the Holy Tent

⁹ “Make a wall of curtains to form a courtyard around the Holy Tent. The south side should have a wall of fine linen curtains one hundred fifty feet long. ¹⁰ Hang the curtains with silver hooks and bands on twenty bronze posts with twenty bronze bases. ¹¹ The north side must also be one hundred fifty feet long. Hang its curtains on silver hooks and bands on twenty bronze posts with twenty bronze bases.

¹² “The west end of the courtyard must have a wall of curtains seventy-five feet long, with ten posts and ten bases on that wall. ¹³ The east end of the courtyard must also be seventy-five feet long. ¹⁴ On one side of the entry, there is to be a wall of curtains twenty-two and one-half feet long, held up by three posts on three bases. ¹⁵ On the other side of the entry, there is also to be a wall of curtains twenty-two and one-half feet long, held up by three posts on three bases.

¹⁶ “The entry to the courtyard is to be a curtain thirty feet wide, made of fine linen with blue, purple, and red thread. Someone who can sew well is to sew designs on it. It is to be held up by four posts on four bases. ¹⁷ All the posts around the courtyard must have silver bands and hooks and bronze bases. ¹⁸ The courtyard must be one hundred fifty feet long and seventy-five feet wide, with a wall of curtains around it seven and one-half feet high, made of fine linen. The bases in which the posts are set must be bronze. ¹⁹ All the things used in the Holy Tent and all the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and the wall around the courtyard must be made of bronze.

Oil for the Lamp

²⁰ “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure olive oil, made from pressed olives, to keep the lamps on the lampstand burning. ²¹ Aaron and his sons must keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This will be in the Meeting Tent, outside the curtain which is in front of the Ark. The Israelites and their descendants must obey this rule from now on.

Clothes for the Priests

28 “Tell your brother Aaron to come to you, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Separate them from the other Israelites to serve me as priests. ² Make holy clothes for your brother Aaron to give him honor and beauty. ³ Tell all the skilled craftsmen to whom I have given wisdom to make special clothes for Aaron—clothes to show that he belongs to me so that he may serve me as a priest. ⁴ These are the clothes they must make: a chest covering, a holy vest, an outer robe, a woven inner robe, a turban, and a cloth belt. The craftsmen must make these holy clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons. Then they may serve me as priests. ⁵ The craftsmen must use gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.

The Holy Vest

⁶ “Use gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen to make the holy vest; skilled craftsmen are to make it. ⁷ At each top corner of this holy vest there will be a pair of shoulder straps tied together over each shoulder.

⁸ “The craftsmen will very carefully weave a belt on the holy vest that is made with the same materials—gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.

⁹ “Take two onyx stones and write the names of the twelve sons of Israel on them, ¹⁰ six on one stone and six on the other. Write the names in order, from the oldest son to the youngest. ¹¹ Carve the names of the sons of Israel on these stones in the same way a person carves words and designs on a seal. Put gold around the stones to hold them on the holy vest. ¹² Then put the two stones on the two straps of the holy vest as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. Aaron is to wear their names on his shoulders in the presence of the Lord as reminders of the sons of Israel. ¹³ Make two gold pieces to hold the stones ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope. Attach the chains to the two gold pieces that hold the stones.

The Chest Covering

¹⁵ “Make a chest covering to help in making decisions. The craftsmen should make it as they made the holy vest, using gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen. ¹⁶ The chest covering must be square—nine inches long and nine inches wide—and folded double to make a pocket. ¹⁷ Put four rows of beautiful gems on the chest covering: The first row must have a ruby, topaz, and yellow quartz; ¹⁸ the second must have turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; ¹⁹ the third must have a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ the fourth must have a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. Put gold around these jewels to attach them to the chest covering. ²¹ There must be twelve jewels on the chest covering—one jewel for each of the names of the sons of Israel. Carve the name of one of the twelve tribes on each of the stones as you would carve a seal.

²² “Make chains of pure gold, twisted together like rope, for the chest covering. ²³ Make two gold rings and put them on the two upper corners of the chest covering. ²⁴ Attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the upper corners of the chest covering. ²⁵ Attach the other ends of the two chains to the two gold pieces on the shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest.

²⁶ “Make two gold rings and put them at the two lower corners of the chest covering, on the inside edge next to the holy vest. ²⁷ Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest. Put them close to the seam above the woven belt of the holy vest. ²⁸ Join the rings of the chest covering to the rings of the holy vest with blue ribbon, connecting it to the woven belt so the chest covering will not swing out from the holy vest.

²⁹ “When Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will wear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart, on the chest covering that helps in making decisions. This will be a continual reminder before the Lord. ³⁰ And put the Urim and Thummim inside the chest covering so that they will be on Aaron’s heart when he goes before the Lord. They will help in making decisions for the Israelites. So Aaron will always carry them with him when he is before the Lord.

³¹ “Make the outer robe to be worn under the holy vest, using only blue cloth. ³² Make a hole in the center for Aaron’s head, with a woven collar around the hole so it will not tear. ³³ Make balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and red thread, and hang them around the bottom of the outer robe with gold bells between them. ³⁴ All around the bottom of the outer robe there should be a gold bell and a pomegranate ball, a gold bell and a pomegranate ball. ³⁵ Aaron must wear this robe when he serves as priest. The ringing of the bells will be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place before the Lord so that Aaron will not die.

³⁶ “Make a strip of pure gold and carve these words on it as you would carve a seal: ‘Holy to the Lord.’ ³⁷ Use blue ribbon to tie it to the turban; put it on the front of the turban. ³⁸ Aaron must wear this on his forehead. In this way, he will be blamed if anything is wrong with the gifts of the Israelites. Aaron must always wear this on his head so the Lord will accept the gifts of the people.

³⁹ “Make the woven inner robe of fine linen, and make the turban of fine linen also. Make the cloth belt with designs sewn on it. ⁴⁰ Also make woven inner robes, cloth belts, and headbands for Aaron’s sons, to give them honor and beauty. ⁴¹ Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, and pour olive oil on their heads to appoint them as priests. Make them belong to me so they may serve me as priests.

⁴² “Make for them linen underclothes to cover them from the waist to the upper parts of the legs. ⁴³ Aaron and his sons must wear these underclothes when they enter the Meeting Tent and anytime they come near the altar to serve as priests in the Holy Place. If they do not wear these clothes, they will be guilty of wrong, and they will die. This will be a law that will last from now on for Aaron and all his descendants.

Appointing the Priests

29 “This is what you must do to appoint Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two male sheep that have nothing wrong with them. ² Use fine wheat flour without yeast to make bread, cakes mixed with olive oil, and wafers brushed with olive oil. ³ Put these in one basket, and bring them along with the bull and two male sheep. ⁴ Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and wash them with water. ⁵ Take the clothes and dress Aaron in the inner robe and the outer robe of the holy vest. Then put on him the holy vest and the chest covering, and tie the holy vest on him with its skillfully woven belt. ⁶ Put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. ⁷ Take the special olive oil and pour it on his head to make him a priest.

⁸ “Then bring his sons and put the inner robes on them. ⁹ Put the headbands on their heads, and tie cloth belts around their waists. Aaron and his descendants will be priests in Israel, according to a rule that will continue from now on. This is how you will appoint Aaron and his sons as priests.

¹⁰ “Bring the bull to the front of the Meeting Tent, and Aaron and his sons must put their hands on the bull’s head. ¹¹ Then kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ¹² Use your finger to put some of the bull’s blood on the corners of the altar, and then pour the blood that is left at the bottom of the altar. ¹³ Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, as well as the best part of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and burn them on the altar. ¹⁴ Take the bull’s meat, skin, and intestines, and burn them outside the camp. This is an offering to take away sin.

¹⁵ “Take one of the male sheep, and have Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. ¹⁶ Kill it, and take its blood and sprinkle it on all four sides of the altar. ¹⁷ Then cut it into pieces and wash its inner organs and its legs, putting them with its head and its other pieces. ¹⁸ Burn the whole sheep on the altar; it is a burnt offering made by fire to the Lord. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord.

¹⁹ “Take the other male sheep, and have Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. ²⁰ Kill it and take some of its blood. Put the blood on the bottom of the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle the rest of the blood against all four sides of the altar. ²¹ Take some of the blood from the altar, and mix it with the special oil used in appointing priests. Sprinkle this on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. This will show that Aaron and his sons and their clothes are given to my service.

²² “Then take the fat from the male sheep, the fat tail, and the fat that covers the inner organs. In addition, take the best part of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and the right thigh. (This is the male sheep to be used in appointing priests.)

²³ “Then take the basket of bread that you made without yeast, which you put before the Lord. From it take a loaf of bread, a cake made with olive oil, and a wafer. ²⁴ Put all of these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and tell them to present them as an offering to the Lord. ²⁵ Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar with the whole burnt offering. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord; its smell is pleasing to the Lord. ²⁶ Then take the breast of the male sheep used to appoint Aaron as priest, and present it before the Lord as an offering. This part of the animal will be your share. ²⁷ Set aside the breast and the thigh of the sheep that were used to appoint Aaron and his sons as priests. These parts belong to them. ²⁸ They are to be the regular share which the Israelites will always give to Aaron and his sons. It is the gift the Israelites must give to the Lord from their fellowship offerings.

²⁹ “The holy clothes made for Aaron will belong to his descendants so that they can wear these clothes when they are appointed as priests. ³⁰ Aaron’s son, who will become high priest after Aaron, will come to the Meeting Tent to serve in the Holy Place. He is to wear these clothes for seven days.

³¹ “Take the male sheep used to appoint priests and boil its meat in a place that is holy. ³² Then at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, Aaron and his sons must eat the meat of the sheep and the bread that is in the basket. ³³ They should eat these offerings that were used to remove their sins and to make them holy when they were made priests. But no one else is to eat them, because they are holy things. ³⁴ If any of the meat from that sheep or any of the bread is left the next morning, it must be burned. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.

³⁵ “Do all these things that I commanded you to do to Aaron and his sons, and spend seven days appointing them. ³⁶ Each day you are to offer a bull to remove the sins of Aaron and his sons so they will be given for service to the Lord. Make the altar ready for service to the Lord, and pour oil on it to make it holy. ³⁷ Spend seven days making the altar ready for service to God and making it holy. Then the altar will become very holy, and anything that touches it must be holy.

The Daily Sacrifices

³⁸ “Every day from now on, offer on the altar two lambs that are one year old. ³⁹ Offer one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening before dark. ⁴⁰ In the morning, when you offer the first lamb, offer also two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives. Pour out a quart of wine as a drink offering. ⁴¹ Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and drink offering as you did in the morning. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord, and its smell is pleasing to him.

⁴² “You must burn these things as an offering to the Lord every day, from now on, at the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord. When you make the offering, I, the Lord, will meet you there and speak to you. ⁴³ I will meet with the people of Israel there, and that place will be holy because of my glory.

⁴⁴ “So I will make the Meeting Tent and the altar holy; I will also make Aaron and his sons holy so they may serve me as priests. ⁴⁵ I will live with the people of Israel and be their God. ⁴⁶ And they will know that I am the Lord their God who led them out of Egypt so that I could live with them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar for Burning Incense

30 “Make an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense. ² Make it square—eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide—and make it thirty-six inches high. The corners that stick out like horns must be one piece with the altar. ³ Cover its top, its sides, and its corners with pure gold, and put a gold strip all around the altar. ⁴ Make two gold rings beneath the gold strip on opposite sides of the altar, and slide poles through them to carry the altar. ⁵ Make the poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. ⁶ Put the altar of incense in front of the curtain that is near the Ark of the Agreement, in front of the lid that covers that Ark. There I will meet with you.

⁷ “Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on the altar every morning when he comes to take care of the oil lamps. ⁸ He must burn incense again in the evening when he lights the lamps, so incense will burn before the Lord every day from now on. ⁹ Do not use this altar for offering any other incense, or burnt offering, or any kind of grain offering, or drink offering. ¹⁰ Once a year Aaron must make the altar ready for service to God by putting blood on its corners—the blood of the animal offered to remove sins. He is to do this once a year from now on. This altar belongs completely to the Lord’s service.”

The Tax for the Meeting Tent

¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² “When you count the people of Israel, every person must buy back his life from the Lord so that no terrible things will happen to the people when you number them. ¹³ Every person who is counted must pay one-fifth of an ounce of silver. (This is set by using one-half of the Holy Place measure, which weighs two-fifths of an ounce.) This amount is a gift to the Lord. ¹⁴ Every person who is counted and is twenty years old or older must give this amount to the Lord. ¹⁵ A rich person must not give more than one-fifth of an ounce, and a poor person must not give less. You are paying this to the Lord to buy back your lives. ¹⁶ Gather from the people of Israel this money paid to buy back their lives, and spend it on things for the service in the Meeting Tent. This payment will remind the Lord that the Israelites’ lives have been bought back.”

The Bronze Bowl

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “Make a bronze bowl, on a bronze stand, for washing. Put the bowl and stand between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in the bowl. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet with the water from this bowl. ²⁰ Each time they enter the Meeting Tent they must wash with water so they will not die. Whenever they approach the altar to serve as priests and offer a sacrifice to the Lord by fire, ²¹ they must wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is a rule which Aaron and his descendants are to keep from now on.”

Oil for Appointing

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Take the finest spices: twelve pounds of liquid myrrh, half that amount (that is, six pounds) of sweet-smelling cinnamon, six pounds of sweet-smelling cane, ²⁴ and twelve pounds of cassia. Weigh all these by the Holy Place measure. Also take four quarts of olive oil, ²⁵ and mix all these things like a perfume to make a holy olive oil. This special oil must be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God. ²⁶ Put this oil on the Meeting Tent and the Ark of the Agreement, ²⁷ on the table and all its dishes, on the lampstand and all its tools, and on the incense altar. ²⁸ Also, put the oil on the altar for burnt offerings and on all its tools, as well as on the bowl and the stand under the bowl. ²⁹ You will prepare all these things for service to God, and they will be very holy. Anything that touches these things must be holy.

³⁰ “Put the oil on Aaron and his sons to give them for service to me, that they may serve me as priests. ³¹ Tell the Israelites, ‘This is to be my holy olive oil from now on. It is to be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God. ³² Do not pour it on the bodies of ordinary people, and do not make perfume the same way you make this oil. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. ³³ If anyone makes perfume like it or puts it on someone who is not a priest, that person must be cut off from his people.’”

Incense

³⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take these sweet-smelling spices: resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense. Be sure that you have equal amounts of each. ³⁵ Make incense as a person who makes perfume would do. Add salt to it to keep it pure and holy. ³⁶ Beat some of the incense into a fine powder, and put it in front of the Ark of the Agreement in the Meeting Tent, where I will meet with you. You must use this incense powder only for its very special purpose. ³⁷ Do not make incense for yourselves the same way you make this incense. Treat it as holy to the Lord. ³⁸ Whoever makes incense like this to use as perfume must be cut off from his people.”

Bezalel and Oholiab Help

31 Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri from the tribe of Judah. (Uri was the son of Hur.) ³ I have filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God and have given him the skill, ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work. ⁴ He is able to design pieces to be made from gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵ to cut jewels and put them in metal, to carve wood, and to do all kinds of work. ⁶ I have also chosen Oholiab son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan to work with Bezalel. I have given skills to all the craftsmen, and they will be able to make all these things I have commanded you: ⁷ the Meeting Tent, the Ark of the Agreement, the lid that covers the Ark, and everything in the Tent. ⁸ This includes the table and everything on it, the pure gold lampstand and everything with it, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar for burnt offerings and everything used with it, and the bowl and the stand under it. ¹⁰ They will make the woven clothes and the holy clothes for Aaron and the clothes for his sons to wear when they serve as priests. ¹¹ They will also make the special olive oil used in appointing people and things to the service of the Lord, and the sweet-smelling incense for the Holy Place.

“These workers will make all these things just as I have commanded you.”

The Day of Rest

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “Tell the Israelites, ‘You must keep the rules about my Sabbaths, because they will be a sign between you and me from now on. In this way you will know that I, the Lord, make you holy.

¹⁴ “‘Make the Sabbath a holy day. If anyone treats the Sabbath like any other day, that person must be put to death; anyone who works on the Sabbath day must be cut off from his people. ¹⁵ There are six days for working, but the seventh day is a day of rest, a day holy for the Lord. Anyone who works during the Sabbath day must be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites must remember the Sabbath day as an agreement between them and me that will continue from now on. ¹⁷ The Sabbath day will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, because in six days I, the Lord, made the sky and the earth. On the seventh day I did not work; I rested.’”

¹⁸ When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets with the Agreement written on them, written by the finger of God.

The People Make a Gold Calf

32 The people saw that a long time had passed and Moses had not come down from the mountain. So they gathered around Aaron and said, “Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him. Make us gods who will lead us.”

² Aaron said to the people, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, sons, and daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took the gold from the people and formed it with a tool and made a statue of a calf. Then the people said, “Israel, these are your gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

⁵ When Aaron saw all this, he built an altar before the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a special feast to honor the Lord.” ⁶ The people got up early the next morning and offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. They sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up and sinned sexually.

⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down from this mountain, because your people, the people you brought out of the land of Egypt, have ruined themselves. ⁸ They have quickly turned away from the things I commanded them to do. They have made for themselves a calf covered with gold, and they have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They have said, ‘Israel, these are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’”

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and I know that they are very stubborn. ¹⁰ So now do not stop me. I am so angry with them that I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants a great nation.”

¹¹ But Moses begged the Lord his God and said, “Lord, don’t let your anger destroy your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and strength. ¹² Don’t let the people of Egypt say, ‘The Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt for an evil purpose. He planned to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the earth.’ So stop being angry, and don’t destroy your people. ¹³ Remember the men who served you—Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You promised with an oath to them and said, ‘I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky. I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised them, and it will be theirs forever.’” ¹⁴ So the Lord changed his mind and did not destroy the people as he had said he might.

¹⁵ Then Moses went down the mountain, and in his hands he had the two stone tablets with the Agreement on them. The commands were written on both sides of each stone, front and back. ¹⁶ God himself had made the tablets, and God himself had written the commands on the tablets.

¹⁷ When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “It sounds like war down in the camp.”

¹⁸ Moses answered:

¹⁹ When Moses came close to the camp, he saw the gold calf and the dancing, and he became very angry. He threw down the stone tablets that he was carrying and broke them at the bottom of the mountain. ²⁰ Then he took the calf that the people had made and melted it in the fire. He ground it into powder. Then he threw the powder into the water and forced the Israelites to drink it.

²¹ Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you? Why did you cause them to do such a terrible sin?”

²² Aaron answered, “Don’t be angry, master. You know that these people are always ready to do wrong. ²³ The people said to me, ‘Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him. Make us gods who will lead us.’ ²⁴ So I told the people, ‘Take off your gold jewelry.’ When they gave me the gold, I threw it into the fire and out came this calf!”

²⁵ Moses saw that the people were acting wildly. Aaron had let them get out of control and become fools in front of their enemies. ²⁶ So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Let anyone who wants to follow the Lord come to me.” And all the people from the family of Levi gathered around Moses.

²⁷ Then Moses said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: ‘Every man must put on his sword and go through the camp from one end to the other. Each man must kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” ²⁸ The people from the family of Levi obeyed Moses, and that day about three thousand of the Israelites died. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “Today you have been given for service to the Lord. You were willing to kill your own sons and brothers, and God has blessed you for this.”

³⁰ The next day Moses told the people, “You have done a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe I can do something so your sins will be removed.” ³¹ So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “How terribly these people have sinned! They have made for themselves gods from gold. ³² Now, please forgive them of this sin. If you will not, then erase my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”

³³ But the Lord told Moses, “I will erase from my book the names of the people who sin against me. ³⁴ So now, go. Lead the people where I have told you, and my angel will lead you. When the time comes to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵ So the Lord caused terrible things to happen to the people because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must leave this place. Go to the land that I promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give that land to your descendants.’ ² I will send an angel to lead you, and I will force these people out of the land: the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ³ Go up to a fertile land. But I will not go with you, because I might destroy you on the way, since you are such a stubborn people.”

⁴ When the people heard this bad news, they became very sad, and none of them put on jewelry. ⁵ This was because the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stubborn people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I would destroy you. So take off all your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’” ⁶ So the people of Israel took off their jewelry at Mount Sinai.

The Meeting Tent

⁷ Moses used to take a tent and set it up a long way outside the camp; he called it the “Meeting Tent.” Anyone who wanted to ask the Lord about something would go to the Meeting Tent outside the camp. ⁸ Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, all the people would rise and stand at the entrances of their tents, watching him until he entered the Meeting Tent. ⁹ When Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud would always come down and stay at the entrance of the Tent while the Lord spoke with Moses. ¹⁰ Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud at the entrance of the Tent, they stood and worshiped, each person at the entrance of his own tent.

¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but Moses’ young helper, Joshua son of Nun, did not leave the Tent.

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have told me to lead these people, but you did not say whom you would send with me. You have said to me, ‘I know you very well, and I am pleased with you.’ ¹³ If I have truly pleased you, show me your plans so that I may know you and continue to please you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

¹⁴ The Lord answered, “I myself will go with you, and I will give you victory.”

¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If you yourself don’t go with us, then don’t send us away from this place. ¹⁶ If you don’t go with us, no one will know that you are pleased with me and with your people. These people and I will be no different from any other people on earth.”

¹⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will do what you ask, because I know you very well, and I am pleased with you.”

Moses Sees God’s Glory

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now, please show me your glory.”

¹⁹ The Lord answered, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will announce my name, the Lord, so you can hear it. I will show kindness to anyone to whom I want to show kindness, and I will show mercy to anyone to whom I want to show mercy. ²⁰ But you cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.

²¹ “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes that place, I will put you in a large crack in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back. But my face must not be seen.”

Moses Gets New Stone Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two more stone tablets like the first two, and I will write the same words on them that were on the first two stones which you broke. ² Be ready tomorrow morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Stand before me there on the top of the mountain. ³ No one may come with you or even be seen any place on the mountain. Not even the flocks or herds may eat grass near that mountain.”

⁴ So Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. Then early the next morning he went up Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, carrying the two stone tablets with him. ⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses, and the Lord called out his name: the Lord.

⁶ The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, “I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn’t become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness ⁷ and is kind to thousands of people. The Lord forgives people for evil, for sin, and for turning against him, but he does not forget to punish guilty people. He will punish not only the guilty people, but also their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren.”

⁸ Then Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped. ⁹ He said, “Lord, if you are pleased with me, please go with us. I know that these are stubborn people, but forgive our evil and our sin. Take us as your own people.”

¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “I am making this agreement with you. I will do miracles in front of all your people—things that have never before been done for any other nation on earth—and the people with you will see my work. I, the Lord, will do wonderful things for you. ¹¹ Obey the things I command you today, and I will force out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites ahead of you. ¹² Be careful that you don’t make an agreement with the people who live in the land where you are going, because it will bring you trouble. ¹³ Destroy their altars, break their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah idols. ¹⁴ Don’t worship any other god, because I, the Lord, the Jealous One, am a jealous God.

¹⁵ “Be careful that you don’t make an agreement with the people who live in that land. When they worship their gods, they will invite you to join them. Then you will eat their sacrifices. ¹⁶ If you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters worship gods, they will lead your sons to do the same thing.

¹⁷ “Do not make gods of melted metal.

¹⁸ “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast as I commanded you. Do this during the month I have chosen, the month of Abib, because in that month you came out of Egypt.

¹⁹ “The firstborn of every mother belongs to me, including every firstborn male animal that is born in your flocks and herds. ²⁰ You may buy back a donkey by paying for it with a lamb, but if you don’t want to buy back a donkey, you must break its neck. You must buy back all your firstborn sons.

“No one is to come before me without a gift.

²¹ “You must work for six days, but on the seventh day you must rest—even during the planting season and the harvest season.

²² “Celebrate the Feast of Weeks when you gather the first grain of the wheat harvest. And celebrate the Feast of Shelters in the fall.

²³ “Three times each year all your males must come before the Lord God, the God of Israel. ²⁴ I will force out nations ahead of you and expand the borders of your land. You will go before the Lord your God three times each year, and at that time no one will try to take your land from you.

²⁵ “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me with anything containing yeast, and do not leave any of the sacrifice of the Feast of Passover until the next morning.

²⁶ “Bring the best first crops that you harvest from your ground to the Tent of the Lord your God.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

²⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, because with these words I have made an agreement with you and Israel.”

²⁸ Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, and during that time he did not eat food or drink water. And Moses wrote the words of the Agreement—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.

The Face of Moses Shines

²⁹ Then Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the two stone tablets of the Agreement in his hands. But he did not know that his face was shining because he had talked with the Lord. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the people of Israel saw that Moses’ face was shining, they were afraid to go near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the people returned to Moses, and he talked with them. ³² After that, all the people of Israel came near him, and he gave them all the commands that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses finished speaking to the people, he put a covering over his face. ³⁴ Anytime Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, Moses took off the covering until he came out. Then Moses would come out and tell the Israelites what the Lord had commanded. ³⁵ They would see that Moses’ face was shining. So he would cover his face again until the next time he went in to speak with the Lord.

Rules About the Sabbath

35 Moses gathered all the Israelite community together and said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do. ² You are to work for six days, but the seventh day will be a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to honor the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. ³ On the Sabbath day you must not light a fire in any of your houses.”

⁴ Moses said to all the Israelites, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ⁵ From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who is willing bring this offering to the Lord: gold, silver, bronze, ⁶ blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen, goat hair ⁷ and male sheepskins that are colored red. They may also bring fine leather, acacia wood, ⁸ olive oil for the lamps, spices for the special olive oil used for appointing priests and for the sweet-smelling incense, ⁹ onyx stones, and other jewels to be put on the holy vest and chest covering of the priests.

¹⁰ “Let all the skilled workers come and make everything the Lord commanded: ¹¹ the Holy Tent, its outer tent and its covering, the hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases; ¹² the Ark of the Agreement, its poles, lid, and the curtain in front of it; ¹³ the table, and its poles, all the things that go with the table, and the bread that shows we are in God’s presence; ¹⁴ the lampstand for the light and all the things that go with it, the lamps, and olive oil for the light; ¹⁵ the altar of incense and its poles, the special oil and the sweet-smelling incense, the curtain for the entrance of the Meeting Tent; ¹⁶ the altar of burnt offering and its bronze screen, its poles and all its tools, the bronze bowl and its base; ¹⁷ the curtains around the courtyard, their posts and bases, and the curtain at the entry to the courtyard; ¹⁸ the pegs of the Holy Tent and of the courtyard and their ropes; ¹⁹ the special clothes that the priest will wear in the Holy Place. These are the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they serve as priests.”

²⁰ Then all the people of Israel went away from Moses. ²¹ Everyone who wanted to give came and brought a gift to the Lord for making the Meeting Tent, all the things in the Tent, and the special clothes. ²² All the men and women who wanted to give brought gold jewelry of all kinds—pins, earrings, rings, and bracelets. They all presented their gold to the Lord. ²³ Everyone who had blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, and anyone who had goat hair or male sheepskins colored red or fine leather brought them to the Lord. ²⁴ Everyone who could give silver or bronze brought that as a gift to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood to be used in the work brought it. ²⁵ Every skilled woman used her hands to make the blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, and they brought what they had made. ²⁶ All the women who were skilled and wanted to help made thread of the goat hair. ²⁷ The leaders brought onyx stones and other jewels to put on the holy vest and chest covering for the priest. ²⁸ They also brought spices and olive oil for the sweet-smelling incense, the special oil, and the oil to burn in the lamps. ²⁹ All the men and women of Israel who wanted to help brought gifts to the Lord for all the work the Lord had commanded Moses and the people to do.

³⁰ Then Moses said to the Israelites, “Look, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. ³¹ The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God and has given him the skill, ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work. ³² He is able to design pieces to be made of gold, silver, and bronze, ³³ to cut stones and jewels and put them in metal, to carve wood, and to do all kinds of work. ³⁴ Also, the Lord has given Bezalel and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. ³⁵ The Lord has given them the skill to do all kinds of work. They are able to cut designs in metal and stone. They can plan and sew designs in the fine linen with the blue, purple, and red thread. And they are also able to weave things. 36 ¹ So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person will do the work the Lord has commanded, because he gave them the wisdom and understanding to do all the skilled work needed to build the Holy Tent.”

² Then Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other skilled people to whom the Lord had given skills, and they came because they wanted to help with the work. ³ They received from Moses everything the people of Israel had brought as gifts to build the Holy Tent. The people continued to bring gifts each morning because they wanted to. ⁴ So all the skilled workers left the work they were doing on the Holy Tent, ⁵ and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than we need to do the work the Lord commanded.”

⁶ Then Moses sent this command throughout the camp: “No man or woman should make anything else as a gift for the Holy Tent.” So the people were kept from giving more, ⁷ because what they had was already more than enough to do all the work.

The Holy Tent

⁸ Then the skilled workers made the Holy Tent. They made the ten curtains of blue, purple, and red cloth, and they sewed designs of creatures with wings on the curtains. ⁹ Each curtain was the same size—forty-two feet long and six feet wide. ¹⁰ Five of the curtains were fastened together to make one set, and the other five were fastened together to make another set. ¹¹ Then they made loops of blue cloth along the edge of the end curtain on the first set of five, and they did the same thing with the other set of five. ¹² There were fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the other curtain, with the loops opposite each other. ¹³ They made fifty gold hooks to join the two curtains together so that the Holy Tent was joined together as one piece.

¹⁴ Then the workers made another tent of eleven curtains made of goat hair, to put over the Holy Tent. ¹⁵ All eleven curtains were the same size—forty-five feet long and six feet wide. ¹⁶ The workers sewed five curtains together into one set and six together into another set. ¹⁷ They made fifty loops along the edge of the outside curtain of one set and fifty loops along the edge of the outside curtain of the other set. ¹⁸ Then they made fifty bronze rings to join the two sets of cloth together and make the tent one piece. ¹⁹ They made two more coverings for the outer tent—one made of male sheepskins colored red and the other made of fine leather.

²⁰ Then they made upright frames of acacia wood for the Holy Tent. ²¹ Each frame was fifteen feet tall and twenty-seven inches wide, ²² and there were two pegs side by side on each one. Every frame of the Holy Tent was made this same way. ²³ They made twenty frames for the south side of the Tent, ²⁴ and they made forty silver bases that went under the twenty frames. There were two bases for every frame—one for each peg of each frame. ²⁵ They also made twenty frames for the north side of the Holy Tent ²⁶ and forty silver bases—two to go under each frame. ²⁷ They made six frames for the rear or west end of the Holy Tent ²⁸ and two frames for the corners at the rear of the Holy Tent. ²⁹ These two frames were doubled at the bottom and joined at the top with a metal ring. They did this for each of these corners. ³⁰ So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two bases under each frame.

³¹ Then they made crossbars of acacia wood to connect the upright frames of the Holy Tent. Five crossbars held the frames together on one side of the Tent, ³² and five held the frames together on the other side. Also, five crossbars held the frames together on the west end, at the rear of the Tent. ³³ They made the middle crossbar run along the entire length of each side and rear of the Tent. It was set halfway up the frames. ³⁴ They made gold rings on the sides of the frames to hold the crossbars, and they covered the frames and the crossbars with gold.

³⁵ Then they made the curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. A skilled craftsman sewed designs of creatures with wings on it. ³⁶ They made four posts of acacia wood for it and covered them with gold. Then they made gold hooks for the posts, as well as four silver bases in which to set the posts. ³⁷ For the entrance to the Tent, they made a curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. A person who sewed well sewed designs on it. ³⁸ Then they made five posts and hooks for it. They covered the tops of the posts and their bands with gold, and they made five bronze bases for the posts.

The Ark of the Agreement

37 Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood; it was forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ² He covered it, both inside and out, with pure gold, and he put a gold strip around it. ³ He made four gold rings for it and attached them to its four feet, with two rings on each side. ⁴ Then he made poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold. ⁵ He put the poles through the rings on each side of the Ark to carry it. ⁶ Then he made a lid of pure gold that was forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide. ⁷ Then Bezalel hammered gold to make two creatures with wings and attached them to each end of the lid. ⁸ He made one creature on one end of the lid and the other creature on the other end. He attached them to the lid so that it would be one piece. ⁹ The creatures’ wings were spread upward, covering the lid, and the creatures faced each other across the lid.

The Table

¹⁰ Then he made the table of acacia wood; it was thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ¹¹ He covered it with pure gold and put a gold strip around it. ¹² He made a frame three inches high that stood up all around the edge, and he put a gold strip around it. ¹³ Then he made four gold rings for the table and attached them to the four corners of the table where the four legs were. ¹⁴ The rings were put close to the frame around the top of the table, because they held the poles for carrying it. ¹⁵ The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were covered with gold. ¹⁶ He made of pure gold all the things that were used on the table: the plates, bowls, cups, and jars used for pouring the drink offerings.

The Lampstand

¹⁷ Then he made the lampstand of pure gold, hammering out its base and stand. Its flower-like cups, buds, and petals were joined together in one piece with the base and stand. ¹⁸ Six branches went out from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. ¹⁹ Each branch had three cups shaped like almond flowers, and each cup had a bud and a petal. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand was the same. ²⁰ There were four more cups shaped like almond flowers on the lampstand itself, each with its buds and petals. ²¹ Three pairs of branches went out from the lampstand. A bud was under the place where each pair was attached to the lampstand. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand was the same. ²² The buds, branches, and lampstand were all one piece of pure, hammered gold. ²³ He made seven pure gold lamps for this lampstand, and he made pure gold wick trimmers and trays. ²⁴ He used about seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and all the things that go with it.

The Altar for Burning Incense

²⁵ Then he made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square—eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide—and it was thirty-six inches high. Each corner that stuck out like a horn was joined into one piece with the altar. ²⁶ He covered the top and all the sides and the corners with pure gold, and he put gold trim around the altar. ²⁷ He made two gold rings and put them below the trim on opposite sides of the altar; these rings held the poles for carrying it. ²⁸ He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.

²⁹ Then he made the holy olive oil for appointing the priests and the pure, sweet-smelling incense. He made them like a person who mixes perfumes.

The Altar for Burnt Offerings

38 Then he built the altar for burnt offerings out of acacia wood. The altar was square—seven and one-half feet long and seven and one-half feet wide—and it was four and one-half feet high. ² He made each corner stick out like a horn so that the horns and the altar were joined together in one piece. Then he covered the altar with bronze. ³ He made all the tools of bronze to use on the altar: the pots, shovels, bowls for sprinkling blood, meat forks, and pans for carrying the fire. ⁴ He made a large bronze screen to hold the burning wood for the altar and put it inside the altar, under its rim, halfway up from the bottom. ⁵ He made bronze rings to hold the poles for carrying the altar, and he put them at the four corners of the screen. ⁶ Then he made poles of acacia wood and covered them with bronze. ⁷ He put the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar, to carry it. He made the altar of boards and left the inside hollow.

The Bronze Bowl

⁸ He made the bronze bowl for washing, and he built it on a bronze stand. He used the bronze from mirrors that belonged to the women who served at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.

The Courtyard of the Holy Tent

⁹ Then he made a wall of curtains to form a courtyard around the Holy Tent. On the south side the curtains were one hundred fifty feet long and were made of fine linen. ¹⁰ The curtains hung on silver hooks and bands, placed on twenty bronze posts with twenty bronze bases. ¹¹ On the north side the wall of curtains was also one hundred fifty feet long, and it hung on silver hooks and bands on twenty posts with twenty bronze bases.

¹² On the west side of the courtyard, the wall of curtains was seventy-five feet long. It was held up by silver hooks and bands on ten posts with ten bases. ¹³ The east side was also seventy-five feet long. ¹⁴ On one side of the entry there was a wall of curtains twenty-two and one-half feet long, held up by three posts and three bases. ¹⁵ On the other side of the entry there was also a wall of curtains twenty-two and one-half feet long, held up by three posts and three bases. ¹⁶ All the curtains around the courtyard were made of fine linen. ¹⁷ The bases for the posts were made of bronze. The hooks and the bands on the posts were made of silver, and the tops of the posts were covered with silver also. All the posts in the courtyard had silver bands.

¹⁸ The curtain for the entry of the courtyard was made of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, sewn by a person who could sew well. The curtain was thirty feet long and seven and one-half feet high, the same height as the curtains around the courtyard. ¹⁹ It was held up by four posts and four bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts were made of silver, and the tops on the posts were covered with silver. ²⁰ All the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and for the curtains around the courtyard were made of bronze.

²¹ This is a list of the materials used to make the Holy Tent, where the Agreement was kept. Moses ordered the Levites to make this list, and Ithamar son of Aaron was in charge of keeping it. ²² Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses. ²³ Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan helped him. He could cut designs into metal and stone; he was a designer and also skilled at sewing the blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen.

²⁴ The total amount of gold used to build the Holy Tent was presented to the Lord. It weighed over 2,000 pounds, as set by the Holy Place measure.

²⁵ The silver was given by the members of the community who were counted. It weighed 7,550 pounds, as set by the Holy Place measure. ²⁶ All the men twenty years old or older were counted. There were 603,550 men, and each man had to pay one-fifth of an ounce of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure. ²⁷ Of this silver, 7,500 pounds were used to make the one hundred bases for the Holy Tent and for the curtain—75 pounds of silver in each base. ²⁸ They used 50 pounds of silver to make the hooks for the posts and to cover the tops of the posts and to make the bands on them.

²⁹ The bronze which was presented to the Lord weighed about 5,000 pounds. ³⁰ They used the bronze to make the bases at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to make the altar and the bronze screen, and to make all the tools for the altar. ³¹ This bronze was also used to make bases for the wall of curtains around the courtyard and bases for curtains at the entry to the courtyard, as well as to make the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and the curtains that surrounded the courtyard.

Clothes for the Priests

39 They used blue, purple, and red thread to make woven clothes for the priests to wear when they served in the Holy Place. They made the holy clothes for Aaron as the Lord had commanded Moses.

² They made the holy vest of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. ³ They hammered the gold into sheets and then cut it into long, thin strips. They worked the gold into the blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. This was done by skilled craftsmen. ⁴ They made the shoulder straps for the holy vest, which were attached to the top corners of the vest and tied together over each shoulder. ⁵ The skillfully woven belt was made in the same way; it was joined to the holy vest as one piece. It was made of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, the way the Lord commanded Moses.

⁶ They put gold around the onyx stones and then wrote the names of the sons of Israel on these gems, as a person carves words and designs on a seal. ⁷ Then they attached the gems on the shoulder straps of the holy vest, as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. This was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁸ The skilled craftsmen made the chest covering like the holy vest; it was made of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. ⁹ The chest covering was square—nine inches long and nine inches wide—and it was folded double to make a pocket. ¹⁰ Then they put four rows of beautiful jewels on it: In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz, and a yellow quartz; ¹¹ in the second there was a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; ¹² in the third there was a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ¹³ in the fourth there was a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. Gold was put around these jewels to attach them to the chest covering, ¹⁴ and the names of the sons of Israel were carved on these twelve jewels as a person carves a seal. Each jewel had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

¹⁵ They made chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope, for the chest covering. ¹⁶ The workers made two gold pieces and two gold rings. They put the two gold rings on the two upper corners of the chest covering. ¹⁷ Then they put two gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the chest covering, ¹⁸ and they fastened the other two ends of the chains to the two gold pieces. They attached these gold pieces to the two shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest. ¹⁹ They made two gold rings and put them at the lower corners of the chest covering on the inside edge next to the holy vest. ²⁰ They made two more gold rings on the bottom of the shoulder straps in front of the holy vest, near the seam, just above the woven belt of the holy vest. ²¹ They used a blue ribbon and tied the rings of the chest covering to the rings of the holy vest, connecting it to the woven belt. In this way the chest covering would not swing out from the holy vest. They did all these things the way the Lord commanded.

²² Then they made the outer robe to be worn under the holy vest. It was woven only of blue cloth. ²³ They made a hole in the center of the outer robe, with a woven collar sewn around it so it would not tear. ²⁴ Then they made balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen and hung them around the bottom of the outer robe. ²⁵ They also made bells of pure gold and hung these around the bottom of the outer robe between the balls. ²⁶ So around the bottom of the outer robe there was a bell and a pomegranate ball, a bell and a pomegranate ball. The priest wore this outer robe when he served as priest, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁷ They wove inner robes of fine linen for Aaron and his sons, ²⁸ and they made turbans, headbands, and underclothes of fine linen. ²⁹ Then they made the cloth belt of fine linen, and blue, purple, and red thread, and designs were sewn onto it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰ They made a strip of pure gold, which is the holy crown, and carved these words in the gold, as one might carve on a seal: “Holy to the Lord.” ³¹ Then they tied this flat piece to the turban with a blue ribbon, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³² So all the work on the Meeting Tent was finished. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³³ Then they brought the Holy Tent to Moses: the Tent and all its furniture, hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases; ³⁴ the covering made of male sheepskins colored red, the covering made of fine leather, and the curtain that covered the entrance to the Most Holy Place; ³⁵ the Ark of the Agreement, its poles and lid; ³⁶ the table, all its containers, and the bread that showed they were in God’s presence; ³⁷ the pure gold lampstand with its lamps in a row, all its tools, and the olive oil for the light; ³⁸ the gold altar, the special olive oil used for appointing priests, the sweet-smelling incense, and the curtain that covered the entrance to the Tent; ³⁹ the bronze altar and its screen, its poles and all its tools, the bowl and its stand; ⁴⁰ the curtains for the courtyard with their posts and bases, the curtain that covered the entry to the courtyard, the cords, pegs, and all the things in the Meeting Tent. ⁴¹ They brought the clothes for the priests to wear when they served in the Holy Tent—the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and the clothes for his sons, which they wore when they served as priests.

⁴² The Israelites had done all this work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³ Moses looked closely at all the work and saw they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

Setting Up the Holy Tent

40 Then the Lord said to Moses: ² “On the first day of the first month, set up the Holy Tent, which is the Meeting Tent. ³ Put the Ark of the Agreement in it and hang the curtain in front of the Ark. ⁴ Bring in the table and arrange everything on the table that should be there. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. ⁵ Put the gold altar for burning incense in front of the Ark of the Agreement, and put the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.

⁶ “Put the altar of burnt offerings in front of the entrance of the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent. ⁷ Put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in it. ⁸ Set up the courtyard around the Holy Tent, and put the curtain at the entry to the courtyard.

⁹ “Use the special olive oil and pour it on the Holy Tent and everything in it, in order to give the Tent and all that is in it for service to the Lord. They will be holy. ¹⁰ Pour the special oil on the altar for burnt offerings and on all its tools. Give the altar for service to God, and it will be very holy. ¹¹ Then pour the special olive oil on the bowl and the base under it so that they will be given for service to God.

¹² “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and wash them with water. ¹³ Then put the holy clothes on Aaron. Pour the special oil on him, and give him for service to God so that he may serve me as a priest. ¹⁴ Bring Aaron’s sons and put the inner robes on them. ¹⁵ Pour the special oil on them in the same way that you appointed their father as priest so that they may also serve me as priests. Pouring oil on them will make them a family of priests, they and their descendants from now on.” ¹⁶ Moses did everything that the Lord commanded him.

¹⁷ So the Holy Tent was set up on the first day of the first month during the second year after they left Egypt. ¹⁸ When Moses set up the Holy Tent, he put the bases in place, and he put the frames on the bases. Next he put the crossbars through the rings of the frames and set up the posts. ¹⁹ After that, Moses spread the cloth over the Holy Tent and put the covering over it, just as the Lord commanded.

²⁰ Moses put the stone tablets that had the Agreement written on them into the Ark. He put the poles through the rings of the Ark and put the lid on it. ²¹ Next he brought the Ark into the Tent and hung the curtain to cover the Ark, just as the Lord commanded him.

²² Moses put the table in the Meeting Tent on the north side of the Holy Tent in front of the curtain. ²³ Then he put the bread on the table before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him. ²⁴ Moses put the lampstand in the Meeting Tent on the south side of the Holy Tent across from the table. ²⁵ Then he put the lamps on the lampstand before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him.

²⁶ Moses put the gold altar for burning incense in the Meeting Tent in front of the curtain. ²⁷ Then he burned sweet-smelling incense on it, just as the Lord commanded him. ²⁸ Then he hung the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.

²⁹ He put the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance to the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent, and offered a whole burnt offering and grain offerings on it, just as the Lord commanded him. ³⁰ Moses put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar for burnt offerings, and he put water in it for washing. ³¹ Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons used this water to wash their hands and feet. ³² They washed themselves every time they entered the Meeting Tent and every time they went near the altar for burnt offerings, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

³³ Then Moses set up the courtyard around the Holy Tent and the altar, and he put up the curtain at the entry to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

The Cloud over the Holy Tent

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the Meeting Tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent. ³⁵ Moses could not enter the Meeting Tent, because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent.

³⁶ When the cloud rose from the Holy Tent, the Israelites would begin to travel, ³⁷ but as long as the cloud stayed on the Holy Tent, they did not travel. They stayed in that place until the cloud rose. ³⁸ So the cloud of the Lord was over the Holy Tent during the day, and there was a fire in the cloud at night. So all the Israelites could see the cloud while they traveled.

The Burnt Offering

1 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Meeting Tent, saying, ² “Tell the people of Israel: ‘When you bring an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from the herd or flock.

³ “‘If the offering is a whole burnt offering from the herd, it must be a male that has nothing wrong with it. The person must take the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent so that the Lord will accept the offering. ⁴ He must put his hand on the animal’s head, and the Lord will accept it to remove the person’s sin so he will belong to God. ⁵ He must kill the young bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, must bring its blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ⁶ After that he will skin the animal and cut it into pieces. ⁷ The priests, when they have put wood and fire on the altar, ⁸ are to lay the head, the fat, and other pieces on the wood that is on the fire of the altar. ⁹ The animal’s inner organs and legs must be washed with water. Then the priest must burn all the animal’s parts on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.

¹⁰ “‘If the burnt offering is a sheep or a goat from the flock, it must be a male that has nothing wrong with it. ¹¹ The person must kill the animal on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. ¹² The person must cut the animal into pieces, and the priest must lay them, with the head and fat, on the wood that is on the fire of the altar. ¹³ The person must wash the animal’s inner organs and legs with water, and then the priest must burn all its parts on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.

¹⁴ “‘If the whole burnt offering for the Lord is a bird, it must be a dove or a young pigeon. ¹⁵ The priest will bring it to the altar and pull off its head, which he will burn on the altar; the bird’s blood must be drained out on the side of the altar. ¹⁶ The priest must remove the bird’s crop^[b] and its contents and throw them on the east side of the altar, where the ashes are. ¹⁷ Then he must tear the bird open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. He must burn the bird on the altar, on the wood which is on the fire. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.

The Grain Offering

2 “‘When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, it must be made from fine flour. The person must pour oil on it, put incense on it, ² and then take it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. The priest must take a handful of the fine flour and oil and all the incense, and burn it on the altar as a memorial portion. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. ³ The rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and the priests; it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord.

⁴ “‘If you bring a grain offering that was baked in the oven, it must be made from fine flour. It may be loaves made without yeast and mixed with oil, or it may be wafers made without yeast that have oil poured over them. ⁵ If your grain offering is cooked on a griddle, it must be made, without yeast, of fine flour mixed with oil. ⁶ Crumble it and pour oil over it; it is a grain offering. ⁷ If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it must be made from fine flour and oil. ⁸ Bring the grain offering made of these things to the Lord. Give it to the priest, and he will take it to the altar. ⁹ He will take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar, as an offering made by fire. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁰ The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and the priests. It is a most holy part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire.

¹¹ “‘Every grain offering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast, because you must not burn any yeast or honey in an offering made by fire to the Lord. ¹² You may bring yeast and honey to the Lord as an offering from the first harvest, but they must not be burned on the altar as a pleasing smell. ¹³ You must also put salt on all your grain offerings. Salt stands for your agreement with God that will last forever; do not leave it out of your grain offering. You must add salt to all your offerings.

¹⁴ “‘If you bring a grain offering from the first harvest to the Lord, bring crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire. ¹⁵ Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering. ¹⁶ The priest will burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and oil, with the incense on it. It is an offering by fire to the Lord.

The Fellowship Offering

3 “‘If a person’s fellowship offering to the Lord is from the herd, it may be a male or female, but it must have nothing wrong with it. ² The person must put his hand on the animal’s head and kill it at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, must sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar. ³ From the fellowship offering he must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must offer the fat of the animal’s inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), ⁴ both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. ⁵ Then the priests will burn these parts on the altar, on the whole burnt offering that is on the wood of the fire. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.

⁶ “‘If a person’s fellowship offering to the Lord is a lamb or a goat, it may be a male or female, but it must have nothing wrong with it. ⁷ If he offers a lamb, he must bring it before the Lord ⁸ and put his hand on its head. Then he must kill the animal in front of the Meeting Tent, and the priests must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. ⁹ From the fellowship offering the person must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must bring the fat, the whole fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat of the inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), ¹⁰ both kidneys with the fat that is on them, near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. ¹¹ Then the priest will burn these parts on the altar as food; it will be an offering made by fire to the Lord.

¹² “‘If a person’s offering is a goat, he must offer it before the Lord ¹³ and put his hand on its head. Then he must kill it in front of the Meeting Tent, and the priests must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. ¹⁴ From this offering the person must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must offer all the fat of the goat’s inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), ¹⁵ both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. ¹⁶ The priest will burn these parts on the altar as food. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. All the fat belongs to the Lord.

¹⁷ “‘This law will continue for people from now on, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or blood.’”

The Sin Offering

4 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the people of Israel this: ‘When a person sins by accident and does some things the Lord has commanded not to be done, that person must do these things:

³ “‘If the appointed priest sins so that he brings guilt on the people, then he must offer a young bull to the Lord, one that has nothing wrong with it, as a sin offering for the sin he has done. ⁴ He will bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent in front of the Lord, put his hand on its head, and kill it before the Lord. ⁵ Then the appointed priest must bring some of the bull’s blood into the Meeting Tent. ⁶ The priest is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain of the Most Holy Place. ⁷ The priest must also put some of the blood on the corners of the altar of incense that stands before the Lord in the Meeting Tent. The rest of the blood he must pour out at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. ⁸ He must remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—the fat on and around the inner organs, ⁹ both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver which he will remove with the kidneys. ¹⁰ (He must do this in the same way the fat is removed from the bull of the fellowship offering.) Then the priest must burn the animal parts on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹ But the priest must carry off the skin of the bull and all its meat, along with the rest of the bull—its head, legs, intestines, and other inner organs. ¹² He must take it outside the camp to the special clean place where the ashes are poured out. He must burn it on a wood fire on the pile of ashes.

¹³ “‘If the whole nation of Israel sins accidentally without knowing it and does something the Lord has commanded not to be done, they are guilty. ¹⁴ When they learn about the sin they have done, they must offer a young bull as a sin offering and bring it before the Meeting Tent. ¹⁵ The elders of the group of people must put their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord, and it must be killed before the Lord. ¹⁶ Then the appointed priest must bring some of the bull’s blood into the Meeting Tent. ¹⁷ Dipping his finger in the blood, he must sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain. ¹⁸ Then he must put some of the blood on the corners of the altar that is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent. The priest must pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ¹⁹ He must remove all the fat from the animal and burn it on the altar; ²⁰ he will do the same thing with this bull that he did with the first bull of the sin offering. In this way the priest removes the sins of the people so they will belong to the Lord and be forgiven. ²¹ Then the priest must carry the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as he did with the first bull. This is the sin offering for the whole community.

²² “‘If a ruler sins by accident and does something the Lord his God has commanded must not be done, he is guilty. ²³ When he learns about his sin, he must bring a male goat that has nothing wrong with it as his offering. ²⁴ The ruler must put his hand on the goat’s head and kill it in the place where they kill the whole burnt offering before the Lord ; it is a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering on his finger and put it on the corners of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering. ²⁶ He must burn all the goat’s fat on the altar in the same way he burns the fat of the fellowship offerings. In this way the priest removes the ruler’s sin so he belongs to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him.

²⁷ “‘If any person in the community sins by accident and does something which the Lord has commanded must not be done, he is guilty. ²⁸ When the person learns about his sin, he must bring a female goat that has nothing wrong with it as an offering for his sin. ²⁹ He must put his hand on the animal’s head and kill it at the place of the whole burnt offering. ³⁰ Then the priest must take some of the goat’s blood on his finger and put it on the corners of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the goat’s blood at the bottom of the altar. ³¹ Then the priest must remove all the goat’s fat in the same way the fat is removed from the fellowship offerings. He must burn it on the altar as a smell pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest will remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him.

³² “‘If this person brings a lamb as his offering for sin, he must bring a female that has nothing wrong with it. ³³ He must put his hand on the animal’s head and kill it as a sin offering in the place where the whole burnt offering is killed. ³⁴ The priest must take some of the blood from the sin offering on his finger and put it on the corners of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the lamb’s blood at the bottom of the altar. ³⁵ Then the priest must remove all the lamb’s fat in the same way that the lamb’s fat is removed from the fellowship offerings. He must burn the pieces on the altar on top of the offerings made by fire for the Lord. In this way the priest will remove that person’s sins so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him.

Special Types of Accidental Sins

5 “‘If a person is ordered to tell in court what he has seen or what he knows and he does not tell the court, he is guilty of sin.

² “‘Or someone might touch something unclean, such as the dead body of an unclean wild animal or an unclean farm animal or an unclean crawling animal. Even if he does not know that he touched it, he will still be unclean and guilty of sin.

³ “‘Someone might touch human uncleanness—anything that makes someone unclean—and not know it. But when he learns about it, he will be guilty.

⁴ “‘Or someone might make a promise before the Lord without thinking. It might be a promise to do something bad or something good; it might be about anything. Even if he forgets about it, when he remembers, he will be guilty.

⁵ “‘When anyone is guilty of any of these things, he must tell how he sinned. ⁶ He must bring an offering to the Lord as a penalty for sin; it must be a female lamb or goat from the flock. The priest will perform the acts to remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord.

⁷ “‘But if the person cannot afford a lamb, he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as the penalty for his sin. One bird must be for a sin offering, and the other must be for a whole burnt offering. ⁸ He must bring them to the priest, who will first offer the one for the sin offering. He will pull the bird’s head from its neck, but he will not pull it completely off. ⁹ He must sprinkle the blood from the sin offering on the side of the altar, and then he must pour the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar; it is a sin offering. ¹⁰ Then the priest must offer the second bird as a whole burnt offering, as the law says. In this way the priest will remove the person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him.

¹¹ “‘If the person cannot afford two doves or two pigeons, he must bring about two quarts of fine flour as an offering for sin. He must not put oil or incense on the flour, because it is a sin offering. ¹² He must bring the flour to the priest. The priest will take a handful of the flour as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made by fire to the Lord; it is a sin offering. ¹³ In this way the priest will remove the person’s sins so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him. What is left of the sin offering belongs to the priest, like the grain offering.’”

The Penalty Offering

¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁵ “If a person accidentally sins and does something against the holy things of the Lord, he must bring from the flock a male sheep that has nothing wrong with it. This will be his penalty offering to the Lord. Its value in silver must be correct as set by the Holy Place measure. It is a penalty offering. ¹⁶ That person must pay for the sin he did against the holy thing, adding one-fifth to its value. Then he must give it all to the priest. In this way the priest will remove the person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, by using the male sheep as the penalty offering. And the Lord will forgive the person.

¹⁷ “If a person sins and does something the Lord has commanded not to be done, even if he does not know it, he is still guilty. He is responsible for his sin. ¹⁸ He must bring the priest a male sheep from the flock, one that has nothing wrong with it and that is worth the correct amount. It will be a penalty offering. Though the person sinned without knowing it, with this offering the priest will remove the sin so the person will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him. ¹⁹ The person is guilty of doing wrong, so he must give the penalty offering to the Lord.”

6 The Lord said to Moses, ² “A person might sin against the Lord by doing one of these sins: He might lie about what happened to something he was taking care of for someone else, or he might lie about a promise he made. He might steal something or cheat someone. ³ He might find something that had been lost and then lie about it. He might make a promise before the Lord about something and not mean it, or he might do some other sin. ⁴ If he does any of these things, he is guilty of sin. He must bring back whatever he stole or whatever he took by cheating. He must bring back the thing he took care of for someone else. He must bring back what he found and lied about ⁵ or what he made a false promise about. He must pay the full price plus an extra one-fifth of the value of what he took. He must give the money to the true owner on the day he brings his penalty offering. ⁶ He must bring his penalty to the priest—a male sheep from the flock, one that does not have anything wrong with it and that is worth the correct amount. It will be a penalty offering to the Lord. ⁷ Then the priest will perform the acts to remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him for the sins that made him guilty.”

The Whole Burnt Offering

⁸ The Lord said to Moses, ⁹ “Give this command to Aaron and the priests: ‘These are the teachings about the whole burnt offering: The burnt offering must stay on the altar all night until morning, and the altar’s fire must be kept burning. ¹⁰ The priest must put on his linen robe and linen underclothes next to his body. Then he will remove the ashes from the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar. ¹¹ Then he must take off those clothes and put on others and carry the ashes outside the camp to a special clean place. ¹² But the fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not be allowed to go out. The priest must put more firewood on the altar every morning, place the whole burnt offering on the fire, and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings. ¹³ The fire must be kept burning on the altar all the time; it must not go out.

The Grain Offering

¹⁴ “‘These are the teachings about the grain offering: The priests must bring it to the Lord in front of the altar. ¹⁵ The priest must take a handful of fine flour, with the oil and all of the incense on it, and burn the grain offering on the altar as a memorial offering to the Lord. Its smell is pleasing to him. ¹⁶ Aaron and the priests may eat what is left, but it must be eaten without yeast in a holy place. They must eat it in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent. ¹⁷ It must not be cooked with yeast. I have given it as their share of the offerings made to me by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the penalty offering. ¹⁸ Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it as his share of the offerings made to the Lord by fire, and this will continue from now on. Whatever touches these offerings shall become holy.’”

¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁰ “This is the offering Aaron and the priests must bring to the Lord on the day they appoint Aaron as high priest: They must bring two quarts of fine flour for a continual grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ The fine flour must be mixed with oil and cooked on a griddle. Bring it when it is well mixed. Present the grain offering that is broken into pieces, and it will be a smell that is pleasing to the Lord. ²² One of the priests appointed to take Aaron’s place as high priest must make the grain offering. It is a rule forever that the grain offering must be completely burned to the Lord. ²³ Every grain offering made by a priest must be completely burned; it must not be eaten.”

The Sin Offering

²⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁵ “Tell Aaron and the priests: ‘These are the teachings about the sin offering: The sin offering must be killed in front of the Lord in the same place the whole burnt offering is killed; it is most holy. ²⁶ The priest who offers the sin offering must eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent. ²⁷ Whatever touches the meat of the sin offering must be holy, and if the blood is sprinkled on any clothes, you must wash them in a holy place. ²⁸ The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken, or if a bronze pot is used, it must be scrubbed and rinsed with water. ²⁹ Any male in a priest’s family may eat the offering; it is most holy. ³⁰ But if the blood of the sin offering is taken into the Meeting Tent and used to remove sin in the Holy Place, that sin offering must be burned with fire. It must not be eaten.

The Penalty Offering

7 “‘These are the teachings about the penalty offering, which is most holy: ² The penalty offering must be killed where the whole burnt offering is killed. Then the priest must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. ³ He must offer all the fat from the penalty offering—the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, ⁴ both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. ⁵ The priest must burn all these things on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a penalty offering. ⁶ Any male in a priest’s family may eat it. It is most holy, so it must be eaten in a holy place.

⁷ “‘The penalty offering is like the sin offering in that the teachings are the same for both. The priest who offers the sacrifice to remove sins will get the meat for food. ⁸ The priest who offers the burnt offering may also have the skin from it. ⁹ Every grain offering that is baked in an oven, cooked on a griddle, or baked in a dish belongs to the priest who offers it. ¹⁰ Every grain offering, either dry or mixed with oil, belongs to the priests, and all priests will share alike.

The Fellowship Offering

¹¹ “‘These are the teachings about the fellowship offering a person may offer to the Lord: ¹² If he brings the fellowship offering to show his thanks, he should also bring loaves of bread made without yeast that are mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast that have oil poured over them, and loaves of fine flour that are mixed with oil. ¹³ He must also offer loaves of bread made with yeast along with his fellowship offering, which he gives to show thanks. ¹⁴ One of each kind of offering will be for the Lord; it will be given to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offering. ¹⁵ When the fellowship offering is given to thank the Lord, the meat from it must be eaten the same day it is offered; none of it must be left until morning.

¹⁶ “‘If a person brings a fellowship offering just to give a gift to God or because of a special promise to him, the sacrifice should be eaten the same day he offers it. If there is any left, it may be eaten the next day. ¹⁷ If any meat from this sacrifice is left on the third day, it must be burned up. ¹⁸ Any meat of the fellowship offering eaten on the third day will not be accepted, nor will the sacrifice count for the person who offered it. It will become unclean, and anyone who eats the meat will be guilty of sin.

¹⁹ “‘People must not eat meat that touches anything unclean; they must burn this meat with fire. Anyone who is clean may eat other meat. ²⁰ But if anyone is unclean and eats the meat from the fellowship offering that belongs to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people.

²¹ “‘If anyone touches something unclean—uncleanness that comes from people, from an animal, or from some hated thing—touching it will make him unclean. If he then eats meat from the fellowship offering that belongs to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people.’”

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell the people of Israel: ‘You must not eat any of the fat from cattle, sheep, or goats. ²⁴ If an animal is found dead or torn by wild animals, you may use its fat for other things, but you must not eat it. ²⁵ If someone eats fat from an animal offering made by fire to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people. ²⁶ No matter where you live, you must not eat blood from any bird or animal. ²⁷ Anyone who eats blood must be cut off from his people.’”

The Priests’ Share

²⁸ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁹ “Tell the people of Israel: ‘If someone brings a fellowship offering to the Lord, he must give part of it as his sacrifice to the Lord. ³⁰ He must carry that part of the gift in his own hands as an offering made by fire to the Lord. He must bring the fat and the breast of the animal to the priest, to be presented to the Lord as the priests’ share. ³¹ Then the priest must burn the fat on the altar, but the breast of the animal will belong to Aaron and the priests. ³² You must also give the right thigh from the fellowship offering to the priest as a gift; ³³ it will belong to the priest who offers the blood and fat of the fellowship offering. ³⁴ I have taken the breast and the thigh from the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, and I have given these parts to Aaron and the priests as their share for all time from the Israelites.’”

³⁵ This is the portion that belongs to Aaron and his sons from the offerings made by fire to the Lord. They were given this share on the day they were presented to the Lord as priests. ³⁶ On the day the Lord appointed the priests, he commanded Israel to give this share to them, and it is to be given to the priests as their share from now on.

³⁷ These are the teachings about the whole burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the penalty offering, the offering for the appointment of priests, and the fellowship offering. ³⁸ The Lord gave these teachings to Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord in the Sinai Desert.

Aaron and His Sons Appointed

8 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Bring Aaron and his sons and their clothes, the special olive oil used in appointing people and things to the service of the Lord, the bull of the sin offering and the two male sheep, and the basket of bread made without yeast. ³ Then gather the people together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.” ⁴ Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the people met together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.

⁵ Then Moses spoke to the people and said, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.” ⁶ Bringing Aaron and his sons forward, Moses washed them with water. ⁷ He put the inner robe on Aaron and tied the cloth belt around him. Then Moses put the outer robe on him and placed the holy vest on him. He tied the skillfully woven belt around him so that the holy vest was tied to Aaron. ⁸ Then Moses put the chest covering on him and put the Urim and the Thummim in the chest covering. ⁹ He also put the turban on Aaron’s head. He put the strip of gold, the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as the Lord commanded him to do.

¹⁰ Then Moses put the special oil on the Holy Tent and everything in it, making them holy for the Lord. ¹¹ He sprinkled some oil on the altar seven times, sprinkling the altar and all its tools and the large bowl and its base. In this way he made them holy for the Lord. ¹² He poured some of the special oil on Aaron’s head to make Aaron holy for the Lord. ¹³ Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons forward. He put the inner robes on them, tied cloth belts around them, and put headbands on them, as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁴ Then Moses brought the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. ¹⁵ Moses killed the bull, took the blood, and with his finger put some of it on all the corners of the altar, to make it pure. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar. In this way he made it holy and ready for service to God. ¹⁶ Moses took all the fat from the inner organs of the bull, the best part of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat that is on them, and he burned them on the altar. ¹⁷ But he took the bull’s skin, its meat, and its intestines and burned them in a fire outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁸ Next Moses brought the male sheep of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. ¹⁹ Then Moses killed it and sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁰ He cut the male sheep into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. ²¹ He washed the inner organs and legs with water and burned the whole sheep on the altar as a burnt offering made by fire to the Lord; its smell was pleasing to the Lord. Moses did these things as the Lord had commanded him.

²² Then Moses brought the other male sheep, the one used in appointing Aaron and his sons as priests, and Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. ²³ Then Moses killed the sheep and put some of its blood on the bottom of Aaron’s right ear, some on the thumb of Aaron’s right hand, and some on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁴ Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons close to the altar. He put some of the blood on the bottom of their right ears, some on the thumbs of their right hands, and some on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁵ He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat on the inner organs, the best part of the liver, both kidneys with their fat, and the right thigh. ²⁶ From the basket of bread made without yeast that is put before the Lord each day, Moses took a loaf of bread, a loaf made with oil, and a wafer. He put these pieces of bread on the fat and right thigh of the male sheep. ²⁷ All these things he put in the hands of Aaron and his sons and presented them as an offering before the Lord. ²⁸ Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. So this was the offering for appointing Aaron and his sons as priests. It was an offering made by fire to the Lord, and its smell was pleasing to him. ²⁹ Moses also took the breast and presented it as an offering before the Lord. It was Moses’ share of the male sheep used in appointing the priests, as the Lord had commanded him.

³⁰ Moses took some of the special oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and he sprinkled them on Aaron and Aaron’s clothes and on Aaron’s sons and their clothes. In this way Moses made Aaron, his clothes, his sons, and their clothes holy for the Lord.

³¹ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “I gave you a command, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat these things.’ So take the meat and basket of bread from the offering for appointing priests. Boil the meat at the door of the Meeting Tent, and eat it there with the bread. ³² If any of the meat or bread is left, burn it. ³³ The time of appointing will last seven days; you must not go outside the entrance of the Meeting Tent until that time is up. Stay there until the time of your appointing is finished. ³⁴ The Lord commanded the things that were done today to remove your sins so you will belong to him. ³⁵ You must stay at the entrance of the Meeting Tent day and night for seven days. If you don’t obey the Lord’s commands, you will die. The Lord has given me these commands.”

³⁶ So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Aaron and His Sons Offer Sacrifices

9 On the eighth day after the time of appointing, Moses called for Aaron and his sons and for the elders of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf and a male sheep that have nothing wrong with them, and offer them to the Lord. The calf will be a sin offering, and the male sheep will be a whole burnt offering. ³ Tell the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb for a whole burnt offering; each must be one year old, and it must have nothing wrong with it. ⁴ Also take a bull and a male sheep for fellowship offerings, along with a grain offering mixed with oil. Offer all these things to the Lord, because the Lord will appear to you today.’”

⁵ So all the people came to the front of the Meeting Tent, bringing the things Moses had commanded them to bring, and they stood before the Lord. ⁶ Moses said, “You have done what the Lord commanded, so you will see the Lord’s glory.”

⁷ Then Moses told Aaron, “Go to the altar and offer sin offerings and whole burnt offerings. Do this to remove your sins and the people’s sins so you will belong to God. Offer the sacrifices for the people and perform the acts to remove their sins for them so they will belong to the Lord, as the Lord has commanded.”

⁸ So Aaron went to the altar and killed the bull calf as a sin offering for himself. ⁹ Then his sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the corners of the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar. ¹⁰ Aaron took the fat, the kidneys, and the best part of the liver from the sin offering and burned them on the altar, in the way the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹¹ The meat and skin he burned outside the camp.

¹² Then Aaron killed the animal for the whole burnt offering. His sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. ¹³ As they gave him the pieces and head of the burnt offering, Aaron burned them on the altar. ¹⁴ He also washed the inner organs and the legs of the burnt offering and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.

¹⁵ Then Aaron brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat of the people’s sin offering and killed it and offered it for the sin offering, just as he had done the first sin offering.

¹⁶ Then Aaron brought the whole burnt offering and offered it in the way that the Lord had commanded. ¹⁷ He also brought the grain offering to the altar. He took a handful of the grain and burned it on the altar, in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.

¹⁸ Aaron also killed the bull and the male sheep as the fellowship offerings for the people. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. ¹⁹ Aaron’s sons also brought to Aaron the fat of the bull and the male sheep—the fat tail, the fat covering the inner organs, the kidneys, and the best part of the liver. ²⁰ Aaron’s sons put them on the breasts of the bull and the sheep. Then Aaron burned these fat parts on the altar. ²¹ He presented the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as the priests’ share of the offering, as Moses had commanded.

²² Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. When he had finished offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering, he stepped down from the altar.

²³ Moses and Aaron went into the Meeting Tent. Then they came out and blessed the people, and the Lord’s glory came to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from the Lord and burned up the burnt offering and fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and bowed facedown on the ground.

God Destroys Nadab and Abihu

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their pans for burning incense, put fire in them, and added incense; but they did not use the special fire Moses had commanded them to use in the presence of the Lord. ² So fire came down from the Lord and destroyed Nadab and Abihu, and they died in front of the Lord. ³ Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord was speaking about when he said,

So Aaron did not say anything about the death of his sons.

⁴ Aaron’s uncle Uzziel had two sons named Mishael and Elzaphan. Moses said to them, “Come here and pick up your cousins’ bodies. Carry them outside the camp away from the front of the Holy Place.” ⁵ So Mishael and Elzaphan obeyed Moses and carried the bodies of Nadab and Abihu, still clothed in the special priest’s inner robes, outside the camp.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and his other sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Don’t show sadness by tearing your clothes or leaving your hair uncombed. If you do, you will die, and the Lord will be angry with all the people. All the people of Israel, your relatives, may cry loudly about the Lord burning Nadab and Abihu, ⁷ but you must not even leave the Meeting Tent. If you go out of the entrance, you will die, because the Lord has appointed you to his service.” So Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar obeyed Moses.

⁸ Then the Lord said to Aaron, ⁹ “You and your sons must not drink wine or beer when you go into the Meeting Tent. If you do, you will die. This law will continue from now on. ¹⁰ You must keep what is holy separate from what is not holy; you must keep what is clean separate from what is unclean. ¹¹ You must teach the people all the laws that the Lord gave to them through Moses.”

¹² Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Eat the part of the grain offering that is left from the sacrifices offered by fire to the Lord, but do not add yeast to it. Eat it near the altar because it is most holy. ¹³ You must eat it in a holy place, because this part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord belongs to you and your sons. I have been commanded to tell you this.

¹⁴ “Also, you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast and thigh of the fellowship offering that was presented to the Lord. You must eat them in a clean place; they are your share of the fellowship offerings given by the Israelites. ¹⁵ The people must bring the fat from their animals that was part of the offering made by fire, and they must present it to the Lord along with the thigh and the breast of the fellowship offering. They will be the regular share of the offerings for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded.”

¹⁶ Moses looked for the goat of the sin offering, but it had already been burned up. So he became very angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons. He said, ¹⁷ “Why didn’t you eat that goat in a holy place? It is most holy, and the Lord gave it to you to take away the guilt of the people, to remove their sins so they will belong to the Lord. ¹⁸ You didn’t bring the goat’s blood inside the Holy Place. You were supposed to eat the goat in a holy place, as I commanded!”

¹⁹ But Aaron said to Moses, “Today they brought their sin offering and burnt offering before the Lord, but these terrible things have still happened to me! Do you think the Lord would be any happier if I ate the sin offering today?” ²⁰ When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

Rules About What May Be Eaten

11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Tell the Israelites this: ‘These are the land animals you may eat: ³ You may eat any animal that has split hoofs completely divided and that chews the cud.

⁴ “‘Some animals only chew the cud or only have split hoofs, and you must not eat them. The camel chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁵ The rock badger chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁶ The rabbit chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁷ Now the pig has a split hoof that is completely divided, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. ⁸ You must not eat the meat from these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean for you.

⁹ “‘Of the animals that live in the sea or in a river, if the animal has fins and scales, you may eat it. ¹⁰ But whatever lives in the sea or in a river and does not have fins and scales—including the things that fill the water and all other things that live in it—you should hate. ¹¹ You must not eat any meat from them or even touch their dead bodies, because you should hate them. ¹² You must hate any animal in the water that does not have fins and scales.

¹³ “‘Also, these are the birds you are to hate. They are hateful and should not be eaten. You must not eat eagles, vultures, black vultures, ¹⁴ kites, any kind of falcon, ¹⁵ any kind of raven, ¹⁶ horned owls, screech owls, sea gulls, any kind of hawk, ¹⁷ little owls, cormorants, great owls, ¹⁸ white owls, desert owls, ospreys, ¹⁹ storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, or bats.

²⁰ “‘Don’t eat insects that have wings and walk on all four feet; they also are to be hated.

²¹ “‘But you may eat certain insects that have wings and walk on four feet. You may eat those that have legs with joints above their feet so they can jump. ²² These are the insects you may eat: all kinds of locusts, winged locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. ²³ But all other insects that have wings and walk on four feet you are to hate. ²⁴ Those insects will make you unclean, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these insects will become unclean until evening. ²⁵ Anyone who picks up one of these dead insects must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

²⁶ “‘Some animals have split hoofs, but the hoofs are not completely divided; others do not chew the cud. They are unclean for you, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean. ²⁷ Of all the animals that walk on four feet, the animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean until evening. ²⁸ Anyone who picks up their dead bodies must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; these animals are unclean for you.

²⁹ “‘These crawling animals are unclean for you: moles, rats, all kinds of great lizards, ³⁰ geckos, crocodiles, lizards, sand reptiles, and chameleons. ³¹ These crawling animals are unclean for you; anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.