Exodus 30

1 And thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense: of acacia-wood shalt thou make it;

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

2 a cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof — square shall it be; and two cubits its height; of itself shall be its horns.

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

3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make upon it a border of gold round about.

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

4 And two rings of gold shalt thou make for it under its border; by its two corners shalt thou make [them], on the two sides thereof; and they shall be for receptacles for the staves, with which to carry it.

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

5 And thou shalt make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold.

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

6 And thou shalt put it in front of the veil which is before the ark of the testimony in front of the mercy-seat which is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

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.

7 And Aaron shall burn thereon fragrant incense: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn the incense.

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

8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps between the two evenings, he shall burn the incense — a continual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations.

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

9 Ye shall offer up no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor oblation; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon.

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.

10 And Aaron shall make atonement for its horns once in the year: with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement shall he make atonement for it, once in the year, throughout your generations: it is most holy to Jehovah.

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.”

11 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

12 When thou shalt take the sum of the children of Israel according to those of them that are numbered, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah on their being numbered, that there be no plague among them on their being numbered.

“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.

13 This shall they give — every one that passeth among them that are numbered — half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, — twenty gerahs the shekel; a half shekel shall be the heave-offering for Jehovah.

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.

14 Every one that passeth among those that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give the heave-offering of Jehovah.

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

15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when ye give the heave-offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

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.

16 And thou shalt take the atonement-money of the children of Israel, and devote it to the service of the tent of meeting; and it shall be a memorial to the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

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.”

17 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

And the LORD said to Moses,

18 Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water in it.

“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,

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

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

20 When they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they come near to the altar to serve, to burn an offering by fire to Jehovah.

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.

21 And they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they may not die; and it shall be an everlasting statute for them, for him and for his seed throughout their generations.

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.”

22 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

23 And thou, take best spices — of liquid myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon the half — two hundred and fifty, and of sweet myrtle two hundred and fifty,

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

24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin;

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

25 and make of it an oil of holy ointment, a perfume of perfumery after the work of the perfumer: it shall be the holy anointing oil.

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

26 And thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony,

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

27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lamp-stand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

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

28 and the altar of burnt-offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand.

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

29 And thou shalt hallow them, that they may be most holy: whatever toucheth them shall be holy.

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

30 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt anoint, and shalt hallow them, that they may serve me as priests.

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

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

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

32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make [any] like it, after the preparation of it: it is holy — holy shall it be unto you.

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.

33 Whoever compoundeth [any] like it, or whoever putteth [any] of it upon any strange thing, shall be cut off from his peoples.

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

34 And Jehovah said to Moses, Take fragrant drugs — stacte, and onycha, and galbanum — fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be.

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

35 And thou shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy.

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

36 And thou shalt beat [some] of it to powder, and put [some] of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

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.

37 And the incense that thou shalt make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah.

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

38 Whoever maketh like unto it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his peoples.

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