Exodus 25
1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Yahweh said to Moses/me, “There [are many things that I want] you to tell to the Israeli people.
2 “Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him.
Tell them that they must give offerings/gifts to me. Receive from the people every offering/gift that they want to give to me.
3 This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze;
These are the things that they may offer/give: Gold, silver, bronze,
4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair;
blue, purple, and scarlet yarn/wool, fine (linen/white cloth), goats’ hair for making [cloth],
5 ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood;
rams’ skins that have been (tanned/dyed red), goatskins, [hard] wood from acacia [trees],
6 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;
olive oil [to burn] in the lamps, spices to [put in] the olive oil for anointing [the priests] and in the sweet-smelling incense,
7 and onyx stones and gemstones to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
[expensive quartz] stones [called] onyx, and other expensive stones to be fastened [to the priest’s vest] and put on the pouches [that are to be fastened to the vest].
8 And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.
Tell the people to make a big Sacred Tent for me, so that I can live in it among them.
9 You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.
They must make the Sacred Tent and all the things that will be used inside it according to the plan/model that I will show you.”
10 And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
“[Tell the people to] make a [sacred] chest from acacia wood. It is to be (45 in./110 cm.) long, (27 in./66 cm.) wide, and (27 in./66 cm.) high.
11 Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.
Cover it with pure gold inside and outside, and put a gold border around the top of it.
12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other.
[They must] make/cast four rings from gold and fasten them to the legs of the chest. Put two rings on each side of the chest.
13 And make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
[They must] make [two] poles from acacia wood, and they must cover them with gold.
14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, in order to carry it.
[They must] put the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest, so that the chest can be carried by the poles.
15 The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed.
The poles must always be left in the rings; they must not take the poles out [of the rings].
16 And place inside the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.
Put inside the chest the [two stone slabs that I will give you, on which] I have written my commandments.
17 And you are to construct a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.
[Tell them to] make a lid for the chest from pure gold. [It will be the place where I will] forgive people’s sins. It [also] is to be (45 in./110 cm.) long and (27 in./66 cm.) wide.
18 Make two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat,
[Tell them to] hammer [huge lump of] gold into the form of two creatures that have wings.
19 one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold.
One of these is to be put at each end of the chest, but the gold [from which] they [are made] must be joined to the gold from which the lid [is made].
20 And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
[Tell them to place the] winged creatures so that their wings touch each other and spread out over the lid.
21 Set the mercy seat atop the ark, and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.
Put inside the chest the stone slabs that I will give you. Then fasten the lid onto the top of the chest.
22 And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.
I will set times to talk with you there. From above the lid of the chest, between the two winged creatures, I will tell to you all my laws that [you must tell] to the Israeli people.”
23 You are also to make a table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.
“[Tell them to] make a table from acacia wood. It is to be (36 in./88 cm.) long, (18 in./66 cm.) wide, and (27 in./66 cm.) high.
24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it.
[Tell them to] cover it with pure gold and put a gold border around it.
25 And make a rim around it a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim.
[Tell them to] make a rim all around it, (3 in./7.5 cm.) wide, and put a gold border around the rim.
26 Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners at its four legs.
[Tell them to] make/cast four rings from gold and fasten the rings to the four corners of the table, one ring close to each leg [of the table].
27 The rings are to be close to the rim, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry the table.
The rings should be fastened to the table near the rim.
28 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them.
Make two poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. The poles for carrying the table are to be inserted in the rings.
29 You are also to make the plates and dishes, as well as the pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold.
Also [tell them to] make plates, cups, jars, and bowls to be used [when the priests] pour out wine [to offer to me]. They must all be made from pure gold.
30 And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.
On the table, in front of the chest, there must always be the loaves of sacred bread [that the priests have offered] to me.”
31 Then you are to make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. It shall be made of one piece, including its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals.
“[Tell them to] make a lampstand from pure gold. They must hammer [one large lump of] gold to make its base and its shaft. [The branches of the lampstand], the cups for holding the oil, the flower buds and the [flower] petals [that decorate the branches of the lamp, the base, and the shaft are all to be hammered from] one [big] lump of gold.
32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other.
There are to be six branches on the lampstand, three on each side [of the shaft].
33 There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the first branch, each with buds and petals, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches that extend from the lampstand.
Each of the branches is to have on it three [gold decorations that will look like] almond blossoms. These decorations must also have flower buds and [flower] petals.
34 And on the lampstand there shall be four cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals.
On the [shaft of the] lampstand there are to be four [gold decorations that also look like] almond blossoms, each one with flower buds and petals.
35 For the six branches that extend from the lampstand, a bud must be under the first pair of branches, a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third pair.
On each side, there is to be one [flower] bud beneath each of the branches.
36 The buds and branches are to be all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
All these buds and branches, along with the shaft, are to be hammered from one large lump of pure gold.
37 Make seven lamps and set them up on the lampstand so that they illuminate the area in front of it.
Also [tell them to] make seven small cups [for holding oil. One is to be put on top of the shaft and the others are to be put on top of the branches]. Place these cups so that [when the lamps are lit], the light will shine toward the (front of the lampstand/entrance).
38 The wick trimmers and their trays must be of pure gold.
[Tell them to] make tongs from pure gold, [to remove the burned wicks] and trays [in which to put the burned wicks].
39 The lampstand and all these utensils shall be made from a talent of pure gold.
[Tell them to] use (75 pounds/35 kg.) of pure gold to make the lampstand and the tongs and the trays.
40 See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
Make sure that they make these things according to the instructions that I am giving you [here] on [this] mountain.”
