Exodus 40

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,

2 “On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

“On the first day of the first month next year, [tell the people to] set up the Sacred Tent.

3 You shall put the ark of the covenant in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

Put inside it the sacred chest [that contains the stone slabs on which are engraved] the Ten Commandments, and hang the curtain in front of it.

4 You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lamp stand, and light its lamps.

Bring the table into the Sacred Tent, and place on it all the things that are to be used with it. Bring in the lampstand and fasten the lamps to it.

5 You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

Put the gold altar for [burning] incense in front of the sacred chest, and set up the curtain at the entrance of the Sacred Tent.

6 “You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

Put the altar for burning sacrifices in front of the Sacred Tent.

7 You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein.

Put the washbasin between the Sacred Tent and the altar, and fill it with water.

8 You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.

Hang the curtains that will surround the courtyard, and hang the curtain at its entrance.

9 “You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture, and it will be holy.

Then take the oil for anointing, and anoint the Sacred Tent and everything that is in it, to (set it apart/dedicate it) to me. Then it will be holy/sacred.

10 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar, and the altar will be most holy.

Also anoint the altar for offering sacrifices that will be completely burned, and all the things that will be used with it, and set it apart. Then it also will be holy/sacred.

11 You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.

Also anoint the washbasin and its base, to set it apart.

12 “You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.

Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Sacred Tent, and wash them [ritually] with water.

13 You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

Then put on Aaron his sacred clothes to (set him apart/dedicate him), in order that he can serve me as a priest.

14 You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them.

Also bring his sons there. Put their sacred tunics/gowns on them

15 You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.”

and anoint them just as you anointed their father, in order that they also may serve me by working as priests. By anointing them [and their descendants], you will cause them and their descendants to be priests throughout all coming generations.”

16 Moses did so. According to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did.

Moses/I did all these things exactly as Yahweh had commanded him/me.

17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was raised up.

On the first day of the first month of the next year (OR, second year [after they/we left Egypt]), the people set up the Sacred Tent.

18 Moses raised up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and put in its bars, and raised up its pillars.

Following Moses’/my instructions, they set up the Sacred Tent and its bases, set up the frames, attached the crossbars, and put up the posts [for the curtains].

19 He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tabernacle above on it, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Then they spread out the coverings over the Sacred Tent, exactly as Yahweh had commanded.

20 He took and put the covenant into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark.

Then he/I took the two stone slabs [on which the commandments were written] and put them in the sacred chest. He/I put the carrying poles [in the rings] on the chest and put the lid on top of the chest.

21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the covenant, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Then he/I took the chest into [the Very Holy Place inside] the Sacred Tent and hung the curtain. In that way, he/I prevented the people who were outside from seeing the chest. He/I did all this exactly as Yahweh had commanded him/me.

22 He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside of the veil.

He/I set the table inside the Sacred Tent, on the north side, outside the curtain.

23 He set the bread in order on it before the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He/I placed on the table the bread that was offered to Yahweh, exactly as Yahweh had commanded.

24 He put the lamp stand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle.

He/I set the lampstand inside the Sacred Tent, on the south side, opposite the table.

25 He lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Then he/I fastened the lamps to the lampstand in Yahweh’s presence, exactly as Yahweh had commanded.

26 He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil;

He/I set the golden altar for burning incense inside the Sacred Tent, in front of the curtain [that separated the Holy Place from the Very Holy Place],

27 and he burned incense of sweet spices on it, as the LORD commanded Moses.

and he/I burned some sweet-smelling incense on it, exactly as Yahweh had commanded him/me.

28 He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

He/I hung the curtain at the entrance to the Sacred Tent.

29 He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, as the LORD commanded Moses.

At the entrance to the Sacred Tent, he/I set the altar for offering sacrifices that were to be burned completely. Then he/I offered on it the meat that was to be burned completely and the grain offering, exactly as Yahweh had commanded him/me.

30 He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash.

He/I set the washbasin between the Sacred Tent and the [bronze] altar, and he/I filled the washbasin with water.

31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there.

Every time Moses/I and Aaron and his sons went into the Sacred Tent or went to the altar, they/we washed their/our hands and feet [ritually], exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses/me.

32 When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses.

33 He raised up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

Following Moses’/my instructions, they hung the curtains that surrounded the courtyard and the altar, and they hung the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses/I finished that work.

34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle.

Then the [tall bright] cloud covered the Sacred Tent, and Yahweh’s (glory/brilliant light) filled the Sacred Tent.

35 Moses was not able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle.

Because that light was very bright, Moses/I was not able to enter the Sacred Tent.

36 When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys;

From that day, whenever the Israeli people wanted to move to another place, they went only when the bright cloud rose from above the Sacred Tent.

37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not travel until the day that it was taken up.

If the cloud did not rise, they stayed where they were and did not go on until the cloud rose.

38 For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

Wherever they traveled, the bright cloud that [indicated] Yahweh’s [presence] was above the Sacred Tent during the day, and a [bright] fire was inside the cloud at night, with the result that all the Israeli people [MTY] could see it [at any time].