< Exodus 25 >
1 And 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 Say to the children of Israel that they are to make me an offering; from every man who has the impulse in his heart take an offering for me.
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 And this is the offering you are to take from them: gold and silver and brass;
These are the things that they may offer/give: Gold, silver, bronze,
4 And blue and purple and red, and the best linen, and goats' hair;
blue, purple, and scarlet yarn/wool, fine (linen/white cloth), goats’ hair for making [cloth],
5 And sheepskins coloured red, and leather, and hard wood;
rams’ skins that have been (tanned/dyed red), goatskins, [hard] wood from acacia [trees],
6 Oil for the light, spices for the sweet-smelling oil, sweet perfumes for burning;
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 Beryls and stones of value to be put on the ephod and on the priest's bag.
[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 let them make me a holy place, so that I may be ever present among them.
Tell the people to make a big Sacred Tent for me, so that I can live in it among them.
9 Make the House and everything in it from the designs which I will give 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 make an ark of hard wood; two and a half cubits long, and a cubit and a half wide and 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 It is to be plated inside and out with the best gold, with an edge of gold all round it
Cover it with pure gold inside and outside, and put a gold border around the top of it.
12 And make four rings of gold for it, to be fixed on its four feet, two rings on one side of it 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 rods of the same wood, plating them with gold.
[They must] make [two] poles from acacia wood, and they must cover them with gold.
14 And put the rods through the rings at the sides of the ark, for lifting 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 rods are to be kept in the rings, and never taken out.
The poles must always be left in the rings; they must not take the poles out [of the rings].
16 Inside the ark you are to put the record 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 make a cover of the best 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 And at the two ends of the cover you are to make two winged ones of hammered gold,
[Tell them to] hammer [huge lump of] gold into the form of two creatures that have wings.
19 One at one end and one at the other; the winged ones are to be part of the cover.
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 their wings are to be outstretched over the cover, and the winged ones are to be opposite one another, facing the cover.
[Tell them to place the] winged creatures so that their wings touch each other and spread out over the lid.
21 And put the cover over the ark, and in the ark the record which I will give you.
Put inside the chest the stone slabs that I will give you. Then fasten the lid onto the top of the chest.
22 And there, between the two winged ones on the cover of the ark, I will come to you, face to face, and make clear to you all the orders I have to give you for the children of Israel.
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 And you are to make a table of the same 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 Plated with the best gold, with a gold edge all round it;
[Tell them to] cover it with pure gold and put a gold border around it.
25 And make a frame all round it, as wide as a man's hand, with a gold edge to the frame.
[Tell them to] make a rim all around it, (3 in./7.5 cm.) wide, and put a gold border around the rim.
26 And make four gold rings and put them at the four angles, on the four feet of the table;
[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 fixed under the frame to take the rods with which the table is to be lifted.
The rings should be fastened to the table near the rim.
28 Make rods of the same wood, plated with gold, for lifting the table.
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 And make the table-vessels, the spoons and the cups and the basins for liquids, all of the best 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 on the table at all times you are to keep my holy bread.
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 And you are to make a support for lights, of the best gold; its base and its pillar are to be of hammered gold; its cups, its buds, and its flowers are to be made of the same metal.
“[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 It is to have six branches coming out from its sides; three branches from one side and three from the other.
There are to be six branches on the lampstand, three on each side [of the shaft].
33 Every branch having three cups made like almond flowers, every cup with a bud and a flower, on all the branches.
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 pillar, four cups like almond flowers, every one with its bud and its flower:
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 And under every two branches a bud, made with the branch, for all the six branches of it.
On each side, there is to be one [flower] bud beneath each of the branches.
36 The buds and the branches are to be made of the same metal; all together one complete work of hammered gold.
All these buds and branches, along with the shaft, are to be hammered from one large lump of pure gold.
37 Then you are to make its seven vessels for the lights, putting them in their place so that they give light 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 And the instruments and trays for use with it are all to be of the best gold.
[Tell them to] make tongs from pure gold, [to remove the burned wicks] and trays [in which to put the burned wicks].
39 A talent of gold will be needed for it, with all these vessels.
[Tell them to] use (75 pounds/35 kg.) of pure gold to make the lampstand and the tongs and the trays.
40 And see that you make them from the design which you saw on the mountain.
Make sure that they make these things according to the instructions that I am giving you [here] on [this] mountain.”