Exodus 30

1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shalt thou make it.2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it.3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.4 And two golden rings shalt thou make for it under the crown thereof; upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for staves wherewith to bear it.5 And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.6 And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.7 And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it.8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations.9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor meal-offering; and ye shall pour no drink-offering thereon.10 And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in the year; with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atonement for it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto Jehovah.

11 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to those that are numbered of them, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto Jehovah, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.13 This they shall give, every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary; (the shekel is twenty gerahs;) half a shekel for an offering to Jehovah.14 Every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of Jehovah.15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.16 And thou shalt take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

17 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash. And thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:20 when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

22 Moreover Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,23 Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty,24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.25 And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.26 And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony,27 and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense,28 and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof.29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.32 Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.

34 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight;35 and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy:36 and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.37 And the incense which thou shalt make, according to the composition thereof ye shall not make for yourselves: it shall be unto thee holy for Jehovah.38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people.

Exodus 30

Chapter 30

Plans for the Incense Altar

1 “Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense.2 Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high,t with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself.3 Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.4 Make two gold rings, and attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying poles.5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

6 Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant,t in front of the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.t I will meet with you there.
7 “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar.8 And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the LORD’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation.

9 Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.

10 “Once a year Aaron must purifyt the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the LORD’s most holy altar.”

Money for the Tabernacle

11 Then the LORD said to Moses,12 “Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the LORD. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them.13 Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the LORD. (This payment is half a shekel,t based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.)14 All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the LORD.15 When this offering is given to the LORD to purify your lives, making you right with him,t the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give less.

16 Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the Tabernacle.t It will bring the Israelites to the LORD’s attention, and it will purify your lives.”

Plans for the Washbasin

17 Then the LORD said to Moses,18 “Make a bronze washbasin with a bronze stand. Place it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water.19 Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there.20 They must wash with water whenever they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the LORD and when they approach the altar to burn up their special gifts to the LORD—or they will die!

21 They must always wash their hands and feet, or they will die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants, to be observed from generation to generation.”

The Anointing Oil

22 Then the LORD said to Moses,23 “Collect choice spices—121/2 pounds of pure myrrh, 61/4 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 61/4 pounds of fragrant calamus,t24 and 121/2 pounds of cassiat—as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil.t25 Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil.26 Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant,27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar,28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand.

29 Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.
30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests.31 And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation.32 It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.

33 Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.’”

The Incense

34 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts.35 Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense.36 Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant,t where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy.37 Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the LORD, and you must treat it as holy.

38 Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.”