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: its horns shall be of the same.

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 all around, and its horns; and thou shalt make for it a crown of gold all around.

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

And two golden rings shalt thou make for it under its crown, by its two corners, upon its two sides shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staffs to bear it with.

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

And thou shalt make the staffs 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 veil that is by 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 on it sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon 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 at the evening, he shall burn incense upon 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 offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour 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.”

And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in a year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy to the LORD.

11 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And the LORD 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 thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there may be no plague among them, when thou numberest 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 they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs: ) an half shekel shall be the offering of 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 them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to 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 half a shekel, when they give an offering to 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 atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial to the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

17 And the LORD said to Moses,

And the LORD 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,

Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and its foot also of brass, to wash in: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water in it.

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

For Aaron and their sons shall wash their hands and their feet from 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 tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire to 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.”

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

22 Then the LORD said to Moses,

Moreover the LORD 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 thou also to thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half as much, even 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 an 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 it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the perfumer: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

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

And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation with it, 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 lampstand 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, that they may be most holy: whatever toucheth them shall be holy.

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

And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.

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

And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil to 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 man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

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

Whoever compoundeth any like it, or whoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even 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 to Moses, Take to thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like 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 a perfume, a confection after the art of the perfumer, tempered 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 beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be to you most holy.

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 perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to its composition: it shall be to thee holy for the LORD.

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

Whoever shall make any like it, to smell it, shall even be cut off from his people.