Exodus 24

The Promise Sealed With Blood

1 The Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s leaders come up the mountain to me and worship at a distance.

2 Moses may come near the Lord, but the others may not. The people must not come along with Moses.”
3 Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and legal decisions. Then all the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has told us to do.”

4 So Moses wrote down all the Lord’s words.
Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up 12 sacred stones for the 12 tribes of Israel.5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they sacrificed bulls as burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.6 Moses took half of the blood and put it into bowls, and he threw the other half against the altar.

7 Then he took the Book of the Lord’s Promiset and read it while the people listened. They said, “We will obey and do everything the Lord has said.”
8 Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, “Here is the blood which seals the promise that the Lord has made to you based on everything you have just heard.”9 Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s leaders.10 They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made out of sapphire as clear and blue as the sky itself.

11 God didn’t harm these leaders of the Israelites. So they saw God, and then they ate and drank.

Moses Goes up the Mountain to Receive God’s Words Written on Stone

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and the commandments I have written for the people’s instruction.”13 Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.

14 He said to the leaders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Take all your disagreements to them.”
15 So Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered it.16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and 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 raging fire on top of the mountain.

18 Moses entered the cloud as he went up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights.

Exodus 25

Gifts for Use in the Tent of Meeting—Exodus 35:4–9

1 The Lord said to Moses,2 “Tell the Israelites to choose something to give me as a special contribution. You must accept whatever contribution each person freely gives.3 This is the kind of contribution you will accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze,4 violet, purple, and bright red yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair,5 rams’ skins dyed red, fine leather,t acacia wood,6 olive oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet-smelling incense,

7 onyx stones, and other precious stones to be set in the chief priest’s ephodt and his breastplate.
8 “Then have them make a holy place for me, and I will live among them.

9 Make the tent and all its furnishings exactly like the plans I am showing you.

The Ark—Exodus 37:1–9

10 “Make an ark of acacia wood 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.11 Cover it with pure gold inside and out, and put a gold molding around it.12 Cast four gold rings for it, and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on each side.13 Make poles of acacia wood, and cover them with gold.14 Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry it.15 The poles must stay in the rings of the ark. Never remove them.

16 Then you will put into the ark the words of my promise which I will give you.
17 “Make a throne of mercy to cover the ark out of pure gold 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.18 Make two angelst out of hammered gold for the two ends of the throne of mercy,19 one on each end. Form the angels and the throne of mercy out of one piece of gold.20 The angels should have their wings spread above the throne of mercy, overshadowing it. They should face each other, looking at the throne of mercy.21 After you put into the ark the words of my promise which I will give you, place the throne of mercy on top.

22 I will be above the throne of mercy between the angels whenever I meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

The Table—Exodus 37:10–16

23 “Make a table of acacia wood 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.24 Cover it with pure gold, and put a gold molding around it.25 Make a rim three inches wide around it, and put a gold molding around the rim.26 Make four gold rings for it, and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are.27 The rings are to be close to the rim. They are to hold the poles for carrying the table.28 Make the poles out of acacia wood, cover them with gold, and use them to carry the table.29 Make plates and dishes for the table out of pure gold, as well as pitchers and bowls to be used for pouring wine offerings.

30 Put the bread of the presence on this table so that it will be in front of me all the time.

The Lamp Stand—Exodus 37:17–24

31 “Make a lamp stand out of pure gold. The lamp stand, its base, and its shaft, as well as the flower cups, buds, and petals must be hammered out of one piece of gold.32 Six branches are to come out of the sides, three branches on one side and three on the other.33 Each of the six branches coming out of the lamp stand is to have three flower cups shaped like almond blossoms, with buds and petals.34 The lamp stand itself is to have four flower cups shaped like almond blossoms, with buds and petals.35 There should be a bud under each of the three pairs of branches coming out of the lamp stand.

36 The buds and branches should also be hammered out of the same piece of pure gold as the lamp stand.
37 “Make seven lamps, and set them on the lamp stand so that they light up the area in front of it.38 The tongs and incense burners must be made of pure gold.39 Use 75 pounds of pure gold to make the lamp stand and all the utensils.

40 Be sure to make them according to the plans you were shown on the mountain.”

Exodus 26

The Tent—Exodus 36:8–38

1 The Lord continued, “Make the inner tent with ten sheets made from fine linen yarn. Take violet, purple, and bright red yarn, and creatively work an angelt design into the fabric.2 Each sheet will be 42 feet long and 6 feet wide—all the same size.3 Five of the sheets must be sewn together, and the other five must also be sewn together.4 Make 50 violet loops along the edge of the end sheet in each set,5 placing the loops opposite each other.

6 Make 50 gold fasteners. Use them to link the two sets of sheets together so that the tent is a single unit.
7 “Make 11 sheets of goats’ hair to form an outer tent over the inner tent.8 Each of the 11 sheets will be 45 feet long and 6 feet wide.9 Sew five of the sheets together into one set and the remaining six into another set. Fold the sixth sheet in half to hang in front of the tent.10 Make 50 loops along the edge of the end sheet in each set.11 Make 50 bronze fasteners, and put them through the loops to link the inner tent together as a single unit.12 The remaining half-sheet should hang over the back of the inner tent.13 There will be 18 inches left over on each side because of the length of the outer tent’s sheets. That part should hang over each side in order to cover the inner tent.

14 Make a cover of rams’ skins that have been dyed red for the outer tent. Over that put a cover made of fine leather.t
15 “Make a framework out of acacia wood for the inner tent.16 Each frame is to be 15 feet long and 27 inches wide,17 with two identical pegs. Make all the frames for the inner tent the same way.18 Make 20 frames for the south side of the inner tent.19 Then make 40 silver sockets at the bottom of the 20 frames, two sockets at the bottom of each frame for the two pegs.20 For the north side of the inner tent make 20 frames21 and 40 silver sockets, two at the bottom of each frame.22 Make six frames for the far end, the west side.23 Make two frames for each of the corners at the far end of the inner tent.24 These will be held together at the bottom and held tightly at the top by a single ring.t Both corner frames will be made this way.

25 There will be eight frames with 16 silver sockets, two at the bottom of each frame.
26 “Make crossbars out of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the inner tent,27 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the far end of the inner tent, the west side.28 The middle crossbar will run from one end to the other, halfway up the frames.

29 Cover the frames with gold, make gold rings to hold the crossbars, and cover the crossbars with gold.
30 “Set up the inner tent according to the plans you were shown on the mountain.31 “Make a canopy of violet, purple, and bright red yarn. Creatively work an angel design into fine linen yarn.32 Use gold hooks to hang it on four posts of acacia wood covered with gold, standing in four silver sockets.33 Hang the canopy from the fasteners in the ceiling, and put the ark containing the words of my promise under it. The canopy will mark off the most holy place from the holy place.

34 Put the throne of mercy that is on the ark in the most holy place.
35 “Place the table outside the canopy on the north side of the inner tent, and put the lamp stand opposite the table on the south side.36 “For the entrance of the outer tent, make a screen out of fine linen yarn, embroidered with violet, purple, and bright red yarn.

37 Make five posts of acacia wood for the screen and cover them with gold. Make gold hooks for this screen. Cast five bronze bases for the posts.”