Exodus 30

The Altar for Incense—Exodus 37:25–29

1 The Lord continued, “Build an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense.2 Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high. The horns and altar must be made out of one piece of wood.3 Cover all of it with pure gold—the top, the sides, and the horns. Put a gold molding around it.4 Make two gold rings, and put them below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles for carrying it.5 Make the poles out of acacia wood, and cover them with gold.

6 Put the altar in front of the canopy which hangs over the ark containing the words of my promise. I will meet with you there in front of the throne of mercy that is on the ark.
7 “Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on this altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps.

8 Also, when Aaron lights the lamps at dusk, he must burn incense. For generations to come an incense offering must burn constantly in the Lord’s presence.
9 “Never burn any unauthorized incense on this altar or any burnt offerings or grain offerings. Never pour a wine offering on it.

10 Once a year Aaron must make peace with the Lord by putting blood on its horns. Once a year—for generations to come—blood from the offering must be placed on the altar to make peace with the Lord. It is most holy to the Lord.”

Counting the Israelites

11 Then the Lord said to Moses,12 “When you take a census of the Israelites, each person must pay the Lord a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will happen to them when they are counted.13 As each person is counted, he must give one-fifth of an ounce of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.t This one-fifth of an ounce of silver is a contribution to the Lord.14 Everyone counted who is at least 20 years old must give this contribution to the Lord.15 The rich must not give more than one-fifth of an ounce of silver, and the poor must not give less. This contribution is given to make peace with the Lord and make your lives acceptable to the Lord.

16 Take the money the Israelites give to make peace with the Lord, and use it to pay the expenses of the tent of meeting. It will be a reminder for the Israelites in the Lord’s presence that the sins in their lives are removed.”

The Bronze Basin—Exodus 38:8

17 The Lord said to Moses,18 “Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and fill it with water.19 Aaron and his sons will use it for washing their hands and feet.20 Before they go into the tent of meeting, they must wash so that they will not die. Before they come near the altar to serve as priests and burn an offering by fire to the Lord,

21 they will wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This will be a permanent law for him and his descendants for generations to come.”

The Oil for Anointing

22 The Lord said to Moses,23 “Take the finest spices: 12½ pounds of powderedt myrrh; half as much, that is, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cinnamon; 6¼ pounds of fragrant cane;24 12½ pounds of cassia—all weighed using the standard weight of the holy place—and 4 quarts of olive oil.

25 Have a perfumer make these into a holy oil, a fragrant mixture, used only for anointing. This will be the holy oil used for anointing.
26 “Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise,27 the table and all the dishes, the lamp stand and all the utensils, the altar for incense,28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, and the basin with its stand.29 In this way you will dedicate them for their holy purpose. Then they will be most holy, and anything that touches them will become holy.

30 Anoint Aaron and his sons as well. In this way you will set them apart for their holy duties of serving me as priests.
31 “Say to the Israelites, ‘For generations to come, this will be my holy oil used only for anointing.32 It must never be poured on the bodies of other people. Never make any perfumed oil using this formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.

33 Whoever prepares a perfume like this or puts it on anyone who is not a priest must be excluded from the people.’ ”

The Incense for Use in the Tent

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Take one part fragrant spices (two kinds of gum resin and aromatic mollusk shells), and mix them with one part pure frankincense.35 Have a perfumer make it into fragrant incense, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.36 Grind some of it into a fine powder, and put it in front of the ark containing the words of my promise in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You must treat it as most holy.37 Never make any incense for yourselves using this formula. Treat it as holy to the Lord.

38 Whoever prepares anything like it for his own enjoyment must be excluded from his people.”

Exodus 31

The Craftsmen for the Tent—Exodus 35:30–35

1 The Lord said to Moses,2 “I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah.3 I have filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, making him highly skilled, resourceful, and knowledgeable in all trades.4 He’s a master artist familiar with gold, silver, and bronze.5 He knows how to cut and set stones and how to work with wood. He’s an expert in all trades.6 Also, I have appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, to help him. I have given every craftsman the skill necessary to make everything I have commanded you:7 the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise with the throne of mercy on it, and all the other furnishings for the tent,8 the table and the dishes, the pure gold lamp stand and all its utensils, the altar for incense,9 the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, the basin with its stand,10 the specialt clothes—the holy clothes for the priest Aaron and the clothes for his sons when they serve as priests,

11 the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place. They will make all these things as I commanded you.”

The Sign Between the Lord and His People

12 The Lord said to Moses,

13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘Be sure to observe my days of worship. This will be a sign between me and you for generations to come so that you will know that I am the Lord who makes you holy.
14 “ ‘Observe the day of worship because it is holy to you. Whoever treats it like any other day must be put to death. Whoever works on that day must be excluded from the people.15 You may work for six days, but the seventh day is a day of worship, a day when you don’t work. It is holy to the Lord. Whoever works on that day must be put to death.16 The Israelites must observe this day of worship, celebrating it for generations to come as a permanent reminder of my promise.t

17 It will be a permanent sign between me and the Israelites, because the Lord made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’ ”
18 The Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then he gave him the two tablets with his words on them, stone tablets inscribed by God himself.

Exodus 32

The Gold Calf

1 When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, “We don’t know what has happened to this Moses, who led us out of Egypt. Make gods who will lead us.”2 Aaron said to them, “Have your wives, sons, and daughters take off the gold earrings they are wearing, and bring them to me.”3 So all the people took off their gold earrings and handed them to Aaron.

4 After he had worked on the gold with a tool,t he made it into a statue of a calf.
Then they said, “Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.”5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival in the LORD’s honor.”6 Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Afterward, they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy.7 The Lord said to Moses, “Go back down there. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined everything.

8 They’ve already turned from the way I commanded them to live. They’ve made a statue of a calf for themselves. They’ve bowed down to it and offered sacrifices to it. They’ve said, ‘Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’ ”
9 The Lord added, “I’ve seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with.

10 Now leave me alone. I’m so angry with them I am going to destroy them. Then I’ll make you into a great nation.”
11 But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why are you so angry with your people whom you brought out of Egypt using your great power and mighty hand?12 Don’t let the Egyptians say, ‘He was planning all along to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth. That’s why he brought them out of our land.’ Don’t be so angry. Reconsider your decision to bring this disaster on your people.

13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You took an oath, swearing on yourself. You told them, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give to your descendants all the land I spoke of. It will be their permanent possession.’ ”
14 So the Lord reconsidered his threat to destroy his people.15 Moses turned and went down the mountain carrying the two tablets with God’s words. They were written on both sides, front and back.

16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing inscribed on the tablets.
17 Then Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting. He said to Moses, “It’s the sound of war in the camp!”18 Moses replied,“It’s not the sound of winners shouting.It’s not the sound of losers crying.It’s the sound of a wild celebrationt that I hear.”19 When he came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. In a burst of anger Moses threw down the tablets and smashed them at the foot of the mountain.

20 Then he took the calf they had made, burned it, ground it into powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
21 Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you encouraged them to commit such a serious sin?”22 “Don’t be angry, sir,” Aaron answered. “You know that these people are evil.23 They said to me, ‘We don’t know what’s happened to this Moses who brought us out of Egypt. Make gods for us. They will lead us.’

24 So I told them to take off any gold they were wearing. They gave it to me. I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”
25 Aaron had let the people get out of control, and they became an object of ridicule to their enemies. When Moses saw this,

26 he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “If you’re on the Lord’s side, come over here to me!” Then all the Levites gathered around him.
27 He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Each of you put on your sword. Go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other, and kill your relatives, friends, and neighbors.”28 The Levites did what Moses told them, and that day about 3,000 people died.29 Moses said, “Today you are ordained as the Lord’s priests. God gave you a blessing today because each of you fought with your own sons and brothers.”t

Moses Begs the Lord to Spare the People

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a serious sin. Now I will go up the mountain to the Lord. Maybe I will be able to make a payment for your sin and make peace with the Lord for your sin.”31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “These people have committed such a serious sin! They made gods out of gold for themselves.

32 But will you forgive their sin? If not, please wipe me out of the book you have written.”
33 The Lord answered Moses, “I will wipe out of my book whoever sins against me.

34 Now, go! Lead the people to the place I told you about. My Messenger will go ahead of you. But when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 So the Lord killed people because they had Aaron make the calf.