Bible in 90 Days

Directions for Setting Apart the Priests

29 “Here is what you must do to set apart Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Get a young bull and two rams. They must not have any flaws. ² Get the finest wheat flour. Make round loaves of bread that do not have yeast in them. Make thick loaves of bread that do not have yeast in them. Mix olive oil into the thick loaves of bread. Also make thin loaves of bread that do not have yeast in them. Brush the thin loaves with olive oil. ³ Put everything in a basket. Offer them along with the bull and the two rams. ⁴ Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting. Wash them with water. ⁵ Take the inner robe, the outer robe of the linen apron, the apron itself and the chest cloth. Dress Aaron in them. Take the skillfully made waistband and tie the apron on him with it. ⁶ Put the turban on his head. Connect the sacred plate to the turban. ⁷ Take the anointing oil and pour it on his head. ⁸ Bring his sons and dress them in their inner robes. ⁹ Put caps on their heads. Tie belts on Aaron and his sons. The work of the priests belongs to them. This is my law that will last for all time to come.

“Then you must prepare Aaron and his sons to serve me.

¹⁰ “Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. ¹¹ Kill it in front of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹² Dip your finger into some of the bull’s blood. Put it on the horns that stick out from the upper four corners of the altar. Pour the rest of it out at the base of the altar. ¹³ Then take all the fat on the inside parts. Take the long part of the liver. Get both kidneys with the fat on them. And burn all of it on the altar. ¹⁴ But burn the bull’s meat, hide and guts outside the camp. It is a sin offering.

¹⁵ “Get one of the rams. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. ¹⁶ Kill it. Take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar. ¹⁷ Cut the ram into pieces. Wash the inside parts and the legs. Put them with the head and the other pieces. ¹⁸ Then burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to me. It has a pleasant smell. It is a food offering presented to the Lord.

¹⁹ “Get the other ram. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. ²⁰ Kill it. Put some of its blood on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons. Put some on the thumbs of their right hands. Also put some on the big toes of their right feet. Then splash the blood against the sides of the altar. ²¹ Get some of the blood from the altar. Also get some of the anointing oil. Sprinkle both of them on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. Then he and his sons and their clothes will be set apart to serve the Lord.

²² “Here is what you must take from this second ram. Take the fat, the fat tail and the fat around the inside parts. Take the long part of the liver. Also take both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. It is the ram you must use when you prepare the priests to serve the Lord. ²³ Get one round loaf of bread and one thick loaf of bread with olive oil mixed in. Also get one thin loaf of bread. Take them from the basket of bread made without yeast. It is the one in front of the Lord. ²⁴ Put all these things in the hands of Aaron and his sons. Tell them to lift them up and wave them in front of the Lord as a wave offering. ²⁵ Then take all these things from their hands. Burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering. Its smell pleases the Lord. It is a food offering presented to the Lord. ²⁶ Get the breast of the ram used when you prepare Aaron to serve the Lord. Wave it in front of the Lord as a wave offering. It will be your share of the meat.

²⁷ “Here are the parts of the second ram that belong to Aaron and his sons. You must set apart the breast that was waved and the thigh that was offered. ²⁸ It will be the regular share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. The people must give it to the Lord from their friendship offerings.

²⁹ “Aaron’s sacred clothes will belong to his sons who will come after him. Then they can wear them when you anoint them and prepare them to serve the Lord. ³⁰ The son who comes after Aaron as priest must wear them seven days. He will come and serve in the Holy Room in the tent of meeting.

³¹ “Get the ram sacrificed when you prepare Aaron and his sons to serve the Lord. Cook the meat in a sacred place. ³² Aaron and his sons must eat the ram’s meat. And they must eat the bread in the basket. They must eat all of it at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³³ These are the offerings to pay for their sins. They must eat them. The offerings must be made when Aaron and his sons are set apart and prepared to serve the Lord. No one else can eat them. They are sacred. ³⁴ When you prepare Aaron and his sons to serve me, you will sacrifice the ram and the bread. If any parts of the ram or bread are left until morning, burn them up. They must not be eaten. They are sacred.

³⁵ “Do everything I have commanded you to do for Aaron and his sons. Take seven days when you prepare them to serve the Lord. ³⁶ Sacrifice a bull each day. It is a sin offering to pay for their sins. Make the altar pure. Pour olive oil on it to set it apart. ³⁷ Take seven days to make the altar pure. Set it apart. Then the altar will be a very holy place. Anything that touches it will be holy.

³⁸ “Every day sacrifice on the altar two lambs that are a year old. ³⁹ Sacrifice one in the morning and the other one when the sun goes down. ⁴⁰ Along with the first lamb, offer three and a half pounds of fine flour. Mix it with a quart of oil made from pressed olives. Along with that, sacrifice a quart of wine as a drink offering. ⁴¹ Sacrifice the other lamb when the sun goes down. Sacrifice it along with the same grain offering and its drink offering as you do in the morning. It has a pleasant smell. It is a food offering presented to the Lord.

⁴² “For all time to come, this burnt offering must be sacrificed regularly. Sacrifice it at the entrance to the tent of meeting in front of the Lord. There I will meet with you and speak to you. ⁴³ There I will also meet with the people of Israel. My glory will make the place holy.

⁴⁴ “So I will set apart the tent of meeting and the altar. And I will set apart Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. ⁴⁵ Then I will live among the people of Israel. And I will be their God. ⁴⁶ They will know that I am the Lord their God. They will know that I brought them out of Egypt so I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar for Burning Incense

30 “Make an altar for burning incense. Make it out of acacia wood. ² It must be one and a half feet square and three feet high. Make a horn stick out from each of its upper four corners. ³ Cover the top, sides and horns with pure gold. Put a strip of gold around it. ⁴ Make two gold rings for the altar below the strip. Put the rings across from each other. They will hold the poles that are used to carry it. ⁵ Make the poles out of acacia wood. Cover them with gold. ⁶ Put the altar in front of the curtain that hangs in front of the ark. The ark is where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. The ark will have a cover. It will be the place where sin is paid for. There I will meet with you.

⁷ “Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on the altar. He must do it every morning when he takes care of the lamps. ⁸ He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at sunset. Incense must be burned regularly in front of the Lord. Do it for all time to come. ⁹ Do not burn any other incense on the altar. Do not use the altar for burnt offerings or grain offerings. And do not pour drink offerings on it. ¹⁰ Once a year Aaron must put the blood of a sin offering on the horns of the altar. He must do this to make the altar pure. He must do this on the day Israel’s sin is paid for. Do this for all time to come. The altar is a very holy place to me.”

Money to Pay for the People’s Lives

¹¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ¹² “Make a list of the Israelites and count them. When you do, each one must pay the Lord for his life at the time he is counted. Then a plague will not come on them when you count them. ¹³ Each one counted must pay a fifth of an ounce of silver. It must be weighed out in keeping with the standard weights that are used in the sacred tent. The payment is an offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ Each one counted must be 20 years old or more. He must give an offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ When you make the offering, rich people must not give more than a fifth of an ounce of silver. And poor people must not give less. The offering you give to the Lord will pay for your lives. ¹⁶ Receive the money from the people of Israel. Use it for any purpose in the tent of meeting. It will remind the people that they are paying me for their lives.”

The Large Bowl for Washing

¹⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁸ “Make a large bronze bowl for washing. Make a bronze stand to put it on. Place the bowl between the tent of meeting and the altar. Put water in it. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet with water from it. ²⁰ When they enter the tent of meeting, they must wash with water so that they will not die. They will come to the altar to serve me. They will bring a food offering to the Lord. ²¹ When they do, they must wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. For all time to come, that will be a law for Aaron and the priests in his family line.”

Anointing Oil

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Get some fine spices. Get 12 pounds eight ounces of liquid myrrh. Get six pounds four ounces of sweet-smelling cinnamon and the same amount of sweet-smelling calamus. ²⁴ Also get 12 pounds eight ounces of cassia. All the spices must be weighed out in keeping with the standard weights that are used in the sacred tent. And get a gallon of olive oil. ²⁵ Have a person who makes perfume mix everything into a sacred anointing oil. It will smell sweet. ²⁶ Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting and the ark where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. ²⁷ Anoint the table for the holy bread and all its things. Anoint the lampstand and the things that are used with it. Anoint the altar for burning incense. ²⁸ Anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its tools. And anoint the large bowl together with its stand. ²⁹ You must set them apart so that they will be very holy. Anything that touches them will be holy.

³⁰ “Anoint Aaron and his sons. Set them apart so that they can serve me as priests. ³¹ Say to the people of Israel, ‘This will be my sacred anointing oil for all time to come. ³² Do not pour it on anyone else’s body. Do not make any other oil in the same way. It is sacred. So you must think of it as sacred. ³³ Suppose a person makes perfume in the same way. And suppose that person puts it on someone who is not a priest. Then that person must be separated from their people.’ ”

Incense

³⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get some sweet-smelling spices. Get some gum resin, onycha and galbanum. Also get some pure frankincense. Make sure everything is in equal amounts. ³⁵ Have a person who makes perfume mix it all up into a sweet-smelling incense. It must have salt in it. It will be pure and sacred. ³⁶ Grind some of it into powder. Place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting. There I will meet with you. The incense will be very holy to you. ³⁷ Do not make any incense for yourselves in the same way. Think of it as holy to the Lord. ³⁸ Whoever makes incense in the same way to enjoy its sweet smell must be separated from their people.”

Bezalel and Oholiab

31 Then the Lord spoke to Moses. ² He said, “I have chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri. Uri is the son of Hur. Bezalel is from the tribe of Judah. ³ I have filled him with the Spirit of God. I have filled Bezalel with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skill. ⁴ He can make beautiful patterns in gold, silver and bronze. ⁵ He can cut and set stones. He can work with wood. In fact, he can work in all kinds of crafts. ⁶ I have also appointed Oholiab, the son of Ahisamak, to help him. Oholiab is from the tribe of Dan.

“I have given ability to all the skilled workers. They can make everything I have commanded you to make. Here is the complete list.

“The skilled workers must make them just as I commanded you.”

The Sabbath Day

¹² Then the Lord spoke to Moses. ¹³ He said, “Tell the people of Israel, ‘You must always keep my Sabbath days. That will be the sign of the covenant I have made between me and you for all time to come. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I am the one who makes you holy.

¹⁴ “ ‘Keep the Sabbath day. It is holy to you. Those who misuse it must be put to death. Those who do any work on that day must be separated from their people. ¹⁵ Do your work in six days. But the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest. You must rest on it. It is set apart for the Lord. Those who work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites must keep the Sabbath day. They must celebrate it for all time to come. It will be a covenant that lasts forever. ¹⁷ It will be the sign of the covenant I have made between me and the Israelites forever. The Lord made the heavens and the earth in six days. But on the seventh day he did not work. He rested.’ ”

¹⁸ The Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law. They were made out of stone. The words on them were written by the finger of God.

Israel Worships a Golden Calf

32 The people saw that Moses took a long time to come down from the mountain. So they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, “Come. Make us a god that will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don’t know what has happened to him.”

² Aaron answered them, “Take the gold earrings off your wives, your sons and your daughters. Bring the earrings to me.” ³ So all the people took off their earrings. They brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took what they gave him and made it into a metal statue of a god. It looked like a calf. Aaron shaped it with a tool. Then the people said, “Israel, here is your god who brought you up out of Egypt.”

⁵ When Aaron saw what they were doing, he built an altar in front of the calf. He said, “Tomorrow will be a feast day to honor the Lord.” ⁶ So the next day the people got up early. They sacrificed burnt offerings and brought friendship offerings. They sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance wildly in front of their god.

⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Go down. Your people you brought up out of Egypt have become very sinful. ⁸ They have quickly turned away from what I commanded them. They have made themselves a metal statue of a god in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down and sacrificed to it. And they have said, ‘Israel, here is your god who brought you up out of Egypt.’

⁹ “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses. “They are stubborn. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone. I will destroy them because of my great anger. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

¹¹ But Moses asked the Lord his God to have mercy on the people. “Lord,” he said, “why should you destroy your people in anger? You used your great power and mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt. ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out to hurt them. He wanted to kill them in the mountains. He wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn away from your great anger. Please take pity on your people. Don’t destroy them! ¹³ Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel. You made a promise to them in your own name. You said, ‘I will make your children after you as many as the stars in the sky. I will give them all this land I promised them. It will belong to them forever.’ ” ¹⁴ Then the Lord took pity on his people. He didn’t destroy them as he had said he would.

¹⁵ Moses turned and went down the mountain. He had the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. Words were written on both sides of the tablets, front and back. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God. The words had been written by God. They had been carved on the tablets.

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

¹⁸ Moses replied,

¹⁹ As Moses approached the camp, he saw the calf. He also saw the people dancing. So he was very angry. He threw the tablets out of his hands. They broke into pieces at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ He took the calf the people had made. He burned it in the fire. Then he ground it into powder. He scattered it on the water. And he made the Israelites drink it.

²¹ He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you? How did they make you lead them into such terrible sin?”

²² “Please don’t be angry,” Aaron answered. “You know how these people like to do what is evil. ²³ They said to me, ‘Make us a god that will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don’t know what has happened to him.’ ²⁴ So I told them, ‘Anyone who has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ They gave me the gold. I threw it into the fire. And out came this calf!”

²⁵ Moses saw that the people were running wild. Aaron had let them get out of control. The people had become a joke to their enemies. ²⁶ Moses stood at the entrance to the camp. He said, “Anyone on the Lord’s side, come to me.” All the Levites joined him.

²⁷ Then he spoke to them. He said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Each man must put on his sword. Then he must go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other. Each man must kill his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” ²⁸ The Levites did as Moses commanded. About 3,000 of the people died that day. ²⁹ Then Moses said to the Levites, “You have been set apart for the Lord today. You fought against your own sons and brothers. And he has blessed you this day.”

³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe if I pray to him, he will forgive your sin.”

³¹ So Moses went back to the Lord. He said, “These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold for themselves. ³² Now please forgive their sin. But if you won’t, then erase my name out of the book you have written.”

³³ The Lord replied to Moses. The Lord said, “I will erase out of my book only the names of those who have sinned against me. ³⁴ Now go. Lead the people to the place I spoke about. My angel will go ahead of you. But when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵ The Lord struck the people with a plague. That’s because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place. You and the people you brought up out of Egypt must leave it. Go up to the land I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I said to them, ‘I will give it to your children after you.’ ² I will send an angel ahead of you. I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ³ Go up to the land that has plenty of milk and honey. But I will not go with you. You are stubborn. I might destroy you on the way.”

⁴ When the people heard these painful words, they began to mourn. No one put on any jewelry. ⁵ The Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are stubborn. If I went with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your jewelry. Then I will decide what to do with you.’ ” ⁶ So the people took off their jewelry at Mount Horeb.

The Tent of Meeting

⁷ Moses used to take a tent and set it up far outside the camp. He called it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone who wanted to ask the Lord a question would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. ⁸ When Moses would go out to the tent, everyone would get up and stand at the entrances to their tents. They would watch Moses until he entered the tent. ⁹ As Moses would go into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down. It would stay at the entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. ¹⁰ The people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent. Then all of them would stand and worship at the entrances to their tents. ¹¹ The Lord would speak to Moses face to face like one would speak to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp. But Joshua, his young helper, didn’t leave the tent. Joshua was the son of Nun.

Moses and the Glory of the Lord

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people.’ But you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know your name. I know all about you. And I am pleased with you.’ ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me more about yourself. Then I can know you. And I can continue to please you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

¹⁴ The Lord replied, “I will go with you. And I will give you rest.”

¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If you don’t go with us, don’t send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and your people? You must go with us. How else will we be different from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, “I will do exactly what you have asked. I am pleased with you. And I know your name. I know all about you.”

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

¹⁹ The Lord said, “I will make all my goodness pass in front of you. And I will announce my name, the Lord, in front of you. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. And I will show love to those I love. ²⁰ But you can’t see my face,” he said. “No one can see me and stay alive.”

²¹ The Lord continued, “There is a place near me where you can stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in an opening in the rock. I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand. You will see my back. But my face must not be seen.”

The New Stone Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut out two stone tablets that are just like the first ones. I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. ² Be ready in the morning. Then come up on Mount Sinai. Meet with me there on top of the mountain. ³ No one must come with you. No one must be seen anywhere on the mountain. Not even the flocks and herds must be allowed to eat grass in front of the mountain.”

⁴ So Moses carved out two stone tablets just like the first ones. Early in the morning he went up Mount Sinai. He carried the two stone tablets in his hands. He did as the Lord had commanded him to do. ⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud. He stood there with Moses and announced his name, the Lord. ⁶ As he passed in front of Moses, he called out. He said, “I am the Lord, the Lord. I am the God who is tender and kind. I am gracious. I am slow to get angry. I am faithful and full of love. ⁷ I continue to show my love to thousands of people. I forgive those who do evil. I forgive those who refuse to obey me. And I forgive those who sin. But I do not let guilty people go without punishing them. I cause the sins of the parents to affect their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

⁸ Moses bowed down to the ground at once and worshiped. ⁹ “Lord,” he said, “if you are pleased with me, then go with us. Even though these people are stubborn, forgive the evil things we have done. Forgive our sin. And accept us as your people.”

¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “I am making a covenant with you. I will do wonderful things in front of all your people. I will do amazing things that have never been done before in any nation in the whole world. The people you live among will see the things that I, the Lord, will do for you. And they will see how wonderful those things really are. ¹¹ Obey what I command you today. I will drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites to make room for you. ¹² Be careful. Do not make a peace treaty with those who live in the land where you are going. They will be a trap to you. ¹³ Break down their altars. Smash their sacred stones. Cut down the poles they use to worship the female god named Asherah. ¹⁴ Do not worship any other god. The Lord is a jealous God. In fact, his name is Jealous.

¹⁵ “Be careful not to make a peace treaty with the people living in the land. They commit sin by offering sacrifices to their gods. They will invite you to eat their sacrifices, and you will do it. ¹⁶ You will choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons. And those daughters will commit sin by worshiping their gods. Then they will lead your sons to do the same thing.

¹⁷ “Do not make any statues of gods.

¹⁸ “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Do it at the appointed time in the month of Aviv. You came out of Egypt in that month.

¹⁹ “Every male animal born first to its mother belongs to me. That includes your livestock. It includes herds and flocks alike. ²⁰ Sacrifice a lamb to buy back every male donkey born first to its mother. But if you do not buy the donkey back, break its neck. Buy back all your oldest sons.

“You must not come to worship me with your hands empty.

²¹ “Do your work in six days. But you must rest on the seventh day. Even when you are plowing your land or gathering your crops, you must rest on the seventh day.

²² “Celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Bring the first share of your wheat crop. Celebrate the Feast of Booths. Hold it in the fall. ²³ Three times a year all your men must come to worship me. I am your Lord and King, the God of Israel. ²⁴ I will drive out nations ahead of you. I will increase your territory. Go up three times a year to worship me. While you are doing that, I will keep others from wanting to take any of your land for themselves. I am the Lord your God.

²⁵ “Do not include anything made with yeast when you offer me the blood of a sacrifice. You must not keep any of the meat from the sacrifice of the Passover Feast until morning.

²⁶ “Bring the best of the first share of your crops to the house of the Lord your God.

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

²⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down the words I have spoken. I have made a covenant with you and with Israel in keeping with those words.” ²⁸ Moses was there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights. He didn’t eat any food or drink any water. The Lord wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant law. Those words are the Ten Commandments.

The Face of Moses Shines

²⁹ Moses came down from Mount Sinai. He had the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. His face was shining because he had spoken with the Lord. But he didn’t realize it. ³⁰ Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses. His face was shining. So they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called out to them. So Aaron and all the leaders of the community came to him. And Moses spoke to them. ³² After that, all the Israelites came near him. And he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ Moses finished speaking to them. Then he covered his face with a veil. ³⁴ But when he would go to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil. He would keep it off until he came out. Then he would tell the people what the Lord had commanded. ³⁵ They would see that his face was shining. So Moses would cover his face with the veil again. He would keep it on until he went in again to speak with the Lord.

Rules for the Sabbath Day

35 Moses gathered the whole community of Israel together. He said to them, “Here are the things the Lord has commanded you to do. ² You must do your work in six days. But the seventh day will be your holy day. It will be a day of sabbath rest to honor the Lord. You must rest on it. Anyone who does any work on it must be put to death. ³ Do not even light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day.”

Supplies for the Holy Tent

⁴ Moses spoke to the whole community of Israel. He said, “Here is what the Lord has commanded. ⁵ Take an offering for the Lord from what you have. Those who want to can bring an offering to the Lord. Here is what they can bring.

¹⁰ “All the skilled workers among you must come. They must make everything the Lord has commanded ¹¹ for the holy tent and its covering. Here is what they must make.

²⁰ Then the whole community of Israel left Moses. ²¹ Everyone who wanted to give offerings to the Lord brought them to him. The offerings were for the work on the tent of meeting. They were also for the sacred clothes and for any other purpose at the tent. ²² Every man and woman who wanted to give came. They brought gold jewelry of all kinds. They brought pins, earrings, rings and other jewelry. All of them gave their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. ²³ People brought what they had. They brought blue, purple or bright red yarn or fine linen. They brought goat hair, ram skins dyed red, or the other kind of strong leather. ²⁴ Some brought silver or bronze as an offering to the Lord. Others brought acacia wood for any part of the work. ²⁵ All the skilled women spun yarn with their hands. They brought blue, purple or bright red yarn or fine linen. ²⁶ All the skilled women who wanted to spin the goat hair did so. ²⁷ The leaders brought onyx stones and other jewels for the linen apron and the chest cloth. ²⁸ They also brought spices and olive oil. They brought them for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet-smelling incense. ²⁹ All the men and women of Israel who wanted to bring offerings to the Lord brought them to him. The offerings were for all the work the Lord had commanded Moses to tell them to do.

Bezalel and Oholiab

³⁰ Then Moses spoke to the people of Israel. He said, “The Lord has chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri. Uri is the son of Hur. Bezalel is from the tribe of Judah. ³¹ The Lord has filled him with the Spirit of God. He has filled him with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skill. ³² Bezalel can make beautiful patterns in gold, silver and bronze. ³³ He can cut and set stones. He can work with wood. In fact, he can work in all kinds of arts and crafts. ³⁴ And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab the ability to teach others. Oholiab, the son of Ahisamak, is from the tribe of Dan. ³⁵ The Lord has filled Bezalel and Oholiab with skill to do all kinds of work. They can carve things and make patterns. They can sew skillfully with blue, purple and bright red yarn and on fine linen. They use thread to make beautiful cloth. Both of them have the skill to work in all kinds of crafts. 36 ¹ Bezalel and Oholiab must do the work just as the Lord has commanded. So must every skilled worker to whom the Lord has given skill and ability. They know how to do all the work for every purpose connected with the sacred tent. And that includes setting it up.”

² Then Moses sent for Bezalel and Oholiab. He sent for every skilled worker to whom the Lord had given ability and who wanted to come and do the work. ³ They received from Moses all the offerings the people of Israel had brought. They had brought the offerings for all the work for every purpose connected with the holy tent. That included setting it up. The people kept bringing the offerings they chose to give. They brought them morning after morning. ⁴ So all the skilled workers working on the holy tent stopped what they were doing. ⁵ They said to Moses, “The Lord commanded us to do the work. And the people are bringing more than enough for us to do it.”

⁶ Then Moses gave an order. A message was sent through the whole camp. It said, “No man or woman should make anything else and offer it for the holy tent.” And so the people were kept from bringing more offerings. ⁷ There was already more than enough to do all the work.

The Holy Tent

⁸ All the skilled workers made the holy tent. They made ten curtains out of finely twisted linen. They made them with blue, purple and bright red yarn. A skilled worker sewed cherubim into the pattern. ⁹ All the curtains were the same size. They were 42 feet long and six feet wide. ¹⁰ The workers joined five of the curtains together. They did the same thing with the other five. ¹¹ Then they made loops out of blue strips of cloth along the edge of the end curtain in one set. They did the same thing with the end curtain in the other set. ¹² They also made 50 loops on the end curtain of the one set. They did the same thing on the end curtain of the other set. They put the loops across from each other. ¹³ Then they made 50 gold hooks. They used them to join the two sets of curtains together so that the holy tent was all one piece.

¹⁴ The workers made a total of 11 curtains out of goat hair to put over the holy tent. ¹⁵ All 11 curtains were the same size. They were 45 feet long and six feet wide. ¹⁶ The workers joined five of the curtains together into one set. They did the same thing with the other six. ¹⁷ Then they made 50 loops along the edge of the end curtain in the one set. They did the same thing with the other set. ¹⁸ They made 50 bronze hooks. They used them to join the tent together all in one piece. ¹⁹ They made a covering for the tent. They made it out of ram skins dyed red. Over that, they put a covering of another kind of strong leather.

²⁰ The workers made frames out of acacia wood for the holy tent. ²¹ Each frame was about 15 feet long and two feet three inches wide. ²² The workers added two small wooden pins to each frame. The pins stuck out so that they were even with each other. The workers made all the frames of the holy tent in the same way. ²³ The workers made 20 frames for the south side of the holy tent. ²⁴ And they made 40 silver bases to go under them. They made two bases for each frame. They put one under each pin that stuck out. ²⁵ For the north side of the holy tent they made 20 frames ²⁶ and 40 silver bases. They put two bases under each frame. ²⁷ The workers made six frames for the west end of the holy tent. ²⁸ They made two frames for the corners of the holy tent at the far end. ²⁹ At those two corners the frames were double from top to bottom. They were fitted into a single ring. The workers made both of them the same. ³⁰ So there were eight frames and 16 silver bases. There were two bases under each frame.

³¹ The workers also made crossbars out of acacia wood. They made five for the frames on one side of the holy tent. ³² They made five for the frames on the other side. And they made five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the holy tent. ³³ The center crossbar reached from end to end at the middle of the frames. ³⁴ The workers covered the frames with gold. They made gold rings to hold the crossbars. They also covered the crossbars with gold.

³⁵ They made the curtain out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and finely twisted linen. A skilled worker sewed cherubim into the pattern. ³⁶ The workers made four posts out of acacia wood for the curtain. They covered the posts with gold. They made gold hooks and four silver bases for the posts. ³⁷ For the entrance to the tent the workers made a curtain. They made it out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and finely twisted linen. A person who sewed skillfully made it. ³⁸ The workers made five posts with hooks for the curtains. They covered the tops of the posts and their bands with gold. And they made five bronze bases for them.

The Ark of the Covenant Law

37 Bezalel made the ark of the covenant law out of acacia wood. It was three feet nine inches long and two feet three inches wide and high. ² He covered it inside and outside with pure gold. He put a strip of gold around it. ³ He made four gold rings for it. He joined them to its four bottom corners. He put two rings on one side and two rings on the other. ⁴ Then he made poles out of acacia wood. He covered them with gold. ⁵ He put the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

⁶ He made its cover out of pure gold. It was three feet nine inches long and two feet three inches wide. The cover is the place where sin is paid for. ⁷ Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ⁸ He put one of the cherubim on each end of it. ⁹ He made them as part of the cover itself. Their wings spread up over the cover. The cherubim faced each other and looked toward the cover.

The Table for the Holy Bread

¹⁰ The workers made the table out of acacia wood. It was three feet long, one foot six inches wide and two feet three inches high. ¹¹ Then they covered it with pure gold. They put a strip of gold around it. ¹² They also made a rim around it three inches wide. They put a strip of gold around the rim. ¹³ They made four gold rings for the table. They joined them to the four corners, where the four legs were. ¹⁴ The rings were close to the rim. The rings held the poles used to carry the table. ¹⁵ The workers made the poles out of acacia wood. They covered them with gold. ¹⁶ They made plates, dishes and bowls out of pure gold for the table. They also made pure gold pitchers to pour out drink offerings.

The Gold Lampstand

¹⁷ The workers made the lampstand out of pure gold. They hammered out its base and stem. Its buds, blossoms and cups branched out from it. ¹⁸ Six branches came out from the sides of the lampstand. There were three on one side and three on the other. ¹⁹ On one branch there were three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. There were three on the next branch. In fact, there were three on each of the six branches that came out from the lampstand. ²⁰ On the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. ²¹ One bud was under the first pair of branches that came out from the lampstand. A second bud was under the second pair. And a third bud was under the third pair. There was a total of six branches. ²² The buds and branches came out from the lampstand. The whole lampstand was one piece hammered out of pure gold.

²³ The workers made its seven lamps out of pure gold. They also made its trays and wick cutters out of pure gold. ²⁴ They used 75 pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and everything used with it.

The Altar for Burning Incense

²⁵ The workers made the altar for burning incense. They made it out of acacia wood. It was about one foot six inches square and three feet high. A horn stuck out from each of its upper four corners. ²⁶ The workers covered the top, sides and horns with pure gold. They put a strip of gold around it. ²⁷ They made two gold rings below the strip. They put the rings on the sides across from each other. The rings held the poles used to carry it. ²⁸ The workers made the poles out of acacia wood. They covered them with gold.

²⁹ They also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, sweet-smelling incense. A person who makes perfume made them.

The Altar for Burnt Offerings

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

The Large Bowl for Washing

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

The Courtyard

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

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

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

The Amounts of the Metals Used

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

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

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

The Clothes for the Priests

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

The Linen Apron

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

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

The Chest Cloth

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

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

More Clothes for the Priests

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

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

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

Set Apart for the Lord.

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

The Holy Tent Is Completed

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

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

Moses Sets Up the Holy Tent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Glory of the Lord

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

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