Exodus 30

1 And thou shall make an altar to burn incense upon. Thou shall make it of acacia wood.

“Make an altar for burning incense from acacia wood.

2 A cubit shall be the length of it, and a cubit the breadth of it (it shall be foursquare), and two cubits shall be the height of it. The horns of it shall be of one piece with it.

It shall be square, measuring a cubit by a cubit, by two cubits high, with horns on its corners that are all one piece with the altar.

3 And thou shall overlay it with pure gold, the top of it, and the sides of it round about, and the horns of it. And thou shall make to it a crown of gold round about.

Cover its top, its side, and its horns with pure gold, and make a gold trim to go all around it.

4 And two golden rings thou shall make for it under the crown of it, upon the two ribs of it, upon the two sides of it thou shall make them. And they shall be for places for staves with which to bear it.

Make two gold rings for the altar and attach them below the trim, two on both sides, to hold the poles to carry it.

5 And thou shall make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with gold.

6 And thou shall 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.

Put the altar in front of the veil that hangs before the Ark of the Testimony and the atonement cover that is over the Testimony where I will meet with you.

7 And Aaron shall burn in it incense of sweet spices. Every morning, when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn it.

Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps.

8 And when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations.

When he lights the lamps in the evening he must burn incense again so that incense will always be burned in the Lord's presence for generations to come.

9 Ye shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering. And ye shall pour no drink offering on it.

Don't offer on this altar any unapproved incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour out a drink offering upon it.

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 he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to Jehovah.

Once a year Aaron must perform the atonement ritual by placing blood on the horns of the altar from the sin offering for atonement. This yearly atonement ritual must be carried out for generations to come. This is the Lord's holy altar.”

11 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

12 When thou take the sum of the sons of Israel, according to those who are numbered of them, then they shall give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah when thou number them, that there be no plague among them when thou number them.

“When you take a census of the Israelites, each man must pay the Lord to buy back his life when he's counted. Then they won't suffer from the plague when they're counted.

13 This they shall give, everyone who passes over to those who are numbered: half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, (the shekel is twenty gerahs, ) half a shekel for an offering to Jehovah.

Each one who crosses over to those counted must give a half shekel, (using the sanctuary shekel standard, which weighs twenty gerahs). This half shekel is an offering to the Lord.

14 Everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of Jehovah.

This offering to the Lord is required from everyone twenty years old and more.

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.

When you give this offering to buy back your lives the rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less.

16 And thou shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

Take this money paid by the Israelites and use it for the expenses involved in the services of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a reminder for the Israelites to buy back your lives in the presence of the Lord.”

17 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

18 Thou shall also make a laver of brass, and the base of it of brass for washing. And thou shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shall put water in it.

“Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet there.

Aaron and his sons will use it to wash their hands and feet.

20 When they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die, or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to Jehovah.

Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they are to wash with water so that they will not die. When they approach the altar to present burnt offerings to the Lord,

21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. And it shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

they must also wash so that they will not die. This requirement is to be observed by them and their descendants for all generations.”

22 Moreover Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

23 Take thou also to 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,

“Take the best quality spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 250 shekels of aromatic reed,

24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.

500 shekels of cassia, (weights using the sanctuary shekel standard), and a hin of olive oil.

25 And thou shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil.

Mix these together into holy anointing oil, an aromatic blend like the product of an expert perfumer. Use it as holy anointing oil.

26 And thou shall anoint with it the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony,

Use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony,

27 and the table and all the vessels of it, and the lampstand and the vessels of it, and the altar of incense,

the table and all its equipment, the lampstand and its equipment, the altar of incense,

28 and the altar of burnt offering with all the vessels of it, and the laver and the base of it.

the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin plus its stand.

29 And thou shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

Dedicate them so that they will be especially holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.

30 And thou shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.

Anoint Aaron and his sons too and dedicate them to serve as priests for me.

31 And thou shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.

Tell the Israelites, ‘This is to be my holy anointing oil for all generations to come.

32 Upon the flesh of man it shall not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition of it. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

Don't use it on ordinary people and don't make anything like it using the same formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as being holy.

33 Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.

Anyone who mixes anointing oil like it, or puts it on someone other than a priest, will be expelled from their people.’”

34 And Jehovah said to Moses, Take to thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense, of each shall there be a like weight.

The Lord told Moses, “Take equal amounts of these aromatic spices: balsam resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense.

35 And thou shall make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

Add some salt and make pure and holy incense blended like the product of an expert perfumer.

36 And thou shall 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 to you most holy.

Grind some of it into powder and place it in front of the Ark of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be especially holy to you.

37 And the incense which thou shall make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the composition of it. It shall be to thee holy for Jehovah.

Don't make for yourselves any incense like it using the same formula. You are to consider this incense as holy to the Lord.

38 Whoever shall make like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people.

Anyone who makes incense like this for themselves to enjoy will be expelled from their people.”