Exodus 40

1 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.

“In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall raise the tabernacle of the testimony,

3 Put the ark of the Testimony in it and screen off the ark with the veil.

and you shall place the ark in it, and you shall release the veil before it.

4 Then bring in the table and set out its arrangement; bring in the lampstand as well, and set up its lamps.

And having brought in the table, you shall place the things which were solemnly commanded upon it. The lampstand shall stand with its lamps,

5 Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

and the altar of gold, in which the incense is burned, shall stand before the ark of the testimony. You shall place the tent at the entrance of the tabernacle,

6 Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.

and before it, the altar of holocaust.

7 And place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

The washtub shall stand between the altar and the tabernacle, and you shall fill it with water.

8 Set up the surrounding courtyard and hang the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard.

And you shall encompass the atrium and its entrance with hangings.

9 Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings, and it shall be holy.

And, having taken up the oil of unction, you shall anoint the tabernacle along with its articles, so that they may be sanctified.

10 Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it shall be most holy.

The altar of holocaust and all its vessels,

11 Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

the washtub with its base, and all things, you shall consecrate with the oil of unction, so that they may be the Holy of holies.

12 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.

And you shall bring forward Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tabernacle of the testimony, and, having washed them with water,

13 And you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he may serve Me as a priest.

14 Bring his sons forward and clothe them with tunics.

15 Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.”

you shall clothe them in the holy vestments, so that they may minister to me, and so that their unction may accomplish an everlasting priesthood.”

16 Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded him.

And Moses did all that the Lord had instructed.

17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year.

Therefore, in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was put in place.

18 When Moses set up the tabernacle, he laid its bases, positioned its frames, inserted its crossbars, and set up its posts.

And Moses raised it up, and he positioned the panels as well as the bases and the bars, and he set up the columns,

19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, just as the LORD had commanded him.

and he stretched out the roof over the tabernacle, imposing a cover above it, just as the Lord had decreed.

20 Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attaching the poles to the ark; and he set the mercy seat atop the ark.

And he placed the testimony in the ark, applying the bars beneath, and the oracle above.

21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, put up the veil for the screen, and shielded off the ark of the Testimony, just as the LORD had commanded him.

And when he had brought the ark into the tabernacle, he drew the veil before it, in order to fulfill the commandment of the Lord.

22 Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil.

And he placed the table in the tabernacle of the testimony, at the north side, beyond the veil,

23 He arranged the bread on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

arranging before it the bread of the presence, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

24 He also placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle

And he placed the lampstand in the tabernacle of the testimony, away from the table, on the south side,

25 and set up the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

setting the lamps in order, according to the precept of the Lord.

26 Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil,

He also positioned the altar of gold under the roof of the testimony, opposite the veil,

27 and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded him.

and he heaped upon it the incense of aromatics, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

28 Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

And he positioned the tent at the entrance of the tabernacle of the testimony,

29 He placed the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, just as the LORD had commanded him.

and the altar of holocaust in the vestibule of the testimony, offering the holocaust and the sacrifices upon it, just as the Lord had decreed.

30 He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing;

Likewise, he stationed the washtub between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar, filling it with water.

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

And Moses and Aaron, along with his sons, washed their hands and feet,

32 They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

whenever they would enter the covering of the covenant, and when they approached to the altar, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

33 And Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and he hung the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

And he raised up the atrium around the tabernacle and the altar, drawing the hanging at its entrance. After all these things were perfected,

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

the cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord filled it.

35 Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Neither could Moses enter the covering of the covenant: the cloud was covering all things, and the majesty of the Lord was flashing. For the cloud had covered everything.

36 Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out through all the stages of their journey.

Whenever the cloud departed from the tabernacle, the sons of Israel set out by their companies.

37 If the cloud was not lifted, they would not set out until the day it was taken up.

But if it remained hanging over it, they remained in the same place.

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

Certainly, the cloud of the Lord lay over the tabernacle by day, and the fire by night, being seen by all the people of Israel throughout all their resting places.