Exodus 30

1 “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.

And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon, of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

2 It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns must be of one piece.

A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth, foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be its height; from itself shall its horns be.

3 Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.

And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

4 And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.

And two rings of gold shalt thou make for it beneath its crown, on its two corners shalt thou make them, upon both its sides; and they shall be as receptacles for the staves to bear it by means of them.

5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

6 Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony —before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.

And thou shalt put it before the vail that is before the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

7 And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.

And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of spices; every morning when he dresseth the lamps, shall he burn it.

8 When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.

And when Aaron lighteth the lamps toward evening, shall he burn it; a perpetual incense before the Lord, throughout your generations.

9 On this altar you must not offer unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.

Ye shall not offer thereon any strange incense, or burnt-sacrifice, or meat-offering; and a drink-offering shall ye not pour thereon.

10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”

And Aaron shall make an atonement upon its horns once in a year; with the blood of the sin-offering of the day of atonement, once in the year, shall he make atonement upon it, throughout your generations; it is most holy unto the Lord.

11 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

12 “When you take a census of the Israelites to number them, each man must pay the LORD a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will come upon them when they are numbered.

When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel of those who are to be numbered of them, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when they number them; that there be no plague among them, when they number them.

13 Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.

This shall they give, every one that passeth among those that are numbered, Half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary; twenty gerahs to the shekel; the half of the shekel shall be the tribute to the Lord.

14 Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.

Every one that passeth among those that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give the tribute unto the Lord.

15 In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than the half of a shekel, as a tribute unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.

16 Take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to make atonement for your lives.”

And thou shalt take the money of the atonement from the children of Israel, and shalt employ it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and it shall be unto the children of Israel as a memorial before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.

17 And the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

18 “You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it,

Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, with its foot of copper, to wash withal: and thou shalt set it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put therein water.

19 with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.

And Aaron and his sons shall wash out of it their hands and their feet.

20 Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.

When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, shall they wash themselves with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

21 Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

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

22 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

23 “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,

And thou, take unto thyself principal spices: of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon, its half shall be two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

24 500 shekels of cassia —all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.

And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive-oil one hin.

25 Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.

And thou shalt make of it an oil of holy anointing, a mixture, compounded after the art of the apothecary: an oil of holy anointing shall it be.

26 Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,

And thou shalt anoint therewith the tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony,

27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,

And the table and all its vessels, and the candlestick and its vessels, and the altar of incense,

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

And the altar of burnt-offering with all its vessels, and the laver and its foot.

29 You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

And thou shalt sanctify them, and they shall be most holy; whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

30 Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.

And Aaron and his sons shalt thou anoint, and consecrate them to be priests unto me.

31 And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.

And unto the children of Israel shalt thou speak, saying, An oil of holy anointing shall this be unto me throughout your generations.

32 It must not be used to anoint an ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.

Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, and after its proportion shall ye not make any thing like it; it is holy, and holy shall it be unto you.

33 Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

Whosoever compoundeth the like of it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall be cut off from his people.

34 The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,

And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee spices, balm, and onycha, and galbanum, spices, with pure frankincense: of each shall there be an equal weight.

35 and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

And thou shalt make it an incense, a mixture after the art of the apothecary, well mingled together, pure and holy.

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

And thou shalt pour some of it fine, and offer of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee; most holy shall it be unto you.

37 You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.

And as for the incense which thou shalt make, according to its proportion, shall ye not make any unto yourselves: holy shall it be unto thee for the Lord.

38 Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”

Whosoever shall make the like of it, to smell thereon, shall be cut off from his people.