Exodus 30

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

You must make an altar to burn incense. You must make it with acacia wood.

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

Its length must be one cubit, and its width one cubit. It must be square, and its height must be two cubits. Its horns must be made as one piece with it.

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

You must cover the incense altar with pure gold—its top, its sides, and its horns. You must make a surrounding border of gold for it.

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

You must make two golden rings to be attached to it under its border on its two opposite sides. The rings must be holders for poles to carry the altar.

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

You must make the poles of acacia wood, and you must cover 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.

You must put the incense altar before the curtain that is by the ark of the testimony. It will be before the atonement lid that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you.

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

Aaron must burn fragrant incense every morning. He must burn it when he tends the lamps,

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

and Aaron lights the lamps again in the evening so incense will burn on it regularly before Yahweh, 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.

But you must offer no other incense on the incense altar, nor any burnt offering or grain offering. You must pour no drink offering on it.

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.”

Aaron must make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering he will make atonement for it once a year throughout your generations. It is completely set apart to Yahweh.”

11 Then the LORD said to Moses,

Then Yahweh spoke to 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 you take a census of the Israelites, then each person must give a ransom for his life to Yahweh. You must do this after you count them, so that there will be no plague among them when you count 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.

Everyone who is counted in the census is to pay half a shekel of silver, according to the weight of the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is the same as twenty gerahs). This half shekel will be an offering to Yahweh.

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

Everyone who is counted, from twenty years old and up, must give this offering to me.

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.

When the people give this offering to me to make atonement for their lives, the rich must not give more than the half shekel, and the poor must not give less.

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.”

You must receive this atonement money from the Israelites and you must allocate it to the work of the tent of meeting. It must be a reminder to the Israelites before me, to make atonement for your lives.”

17 And the LORD said to Moses,

Then Yahweh spoke to 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,

“You must also make a large bronze basin with a bronze stand, a basin for washing. You must put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you must put water in it.

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

Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet with the water in it.

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 tent of meeting or when they go near to the altar to serve me by burning an offering, they must wash with water so that they do not die.

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.”

They must wash their hands and feet so that they do not die. This must be a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants throughout their people's generations.”

22 Then the LORD said to Moses,

Then Yahweh spoke to 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,

“Take these fine spices: five hundred shekels of flowing myrrh, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cane,

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

five hundred shekels of cassia, measured by the weight of the shekel of the sanctuary, and one hin of olive oil.

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

You must make holy anointing oil with these ingredients, the work of a perfumer. It will be a holy anointing oil, reserved for me.

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

You must anoint the tent of meeting with this oil, as well as the ark of the testimony,

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

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

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

the altar for burnt offerings with all its equipment, and the basin with its stand.

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

You must set them apart to me so that they may be holy to me. Anything that touches them will also be holy.

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

You must anoint Aaron and his sons and set them aside to me so that they may serve me as priests.

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

You must say to the Israelites, 'This must be an anointing oil that is set apart to Yahweh throughout your people's 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.

It must not be applied to people's skin, nor must you make any oil like it with the same formula, because it is set apart to Yahweh. You must regard it in this manner.

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

Whoever makes perfume like it, or whoever puts any of it on someone, that person must 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,

Yahweh said to Moses, “Take spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum—sweet spices along with pure frankincense, each in equal amounts.

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

Make it into the form of incense, blended by a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and set apart.

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.

You will grind it into a very fine mixture. Put part of it in front of the ark of the testimony, which is in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You will regard it as very holy to me.

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

As for this incense that you will make, you must not make any with the same formula for yourselves. It must be most holy to you.

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

Whoever makes anything like it to use as a perfume must be cut off from his people.”