Exodus 40
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
2 The first month, the first day of the month, thou shalt set up the tabernacle of the testimony,
“On the first day of the first month next year, [tell the people to] set up the Sacred Tent.
3 And shalt put the ark in it, and shalt let down the veil before it:
Put inside it the sacred chest [that contains the stone slabs on which are engraved] the Ten Commandments, and hang the curtain in front of it.
4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set upon it the things that are commanded according to the rite. The candlestick shall stand with its lamps,
Bring the table into the Sacred Tent, and place on it all the things that are to be used with it. Bring in the lampstand and fasten the lamps to it.
5 And the altar of gold whereon the incense is burnt, before the ark of the testimony. Thou shalt put the hanging in the entry of the tabernacle,
Put the gold altar for [burning] incense in front of the sacred chest, and set up the curtain at the entrance of the Sacred Tent.
6 And before it the altar of holocaust:
Put the altar for burning sacrifices in front of the Sacred Tent.
7 The laver between the altar and the tabernacle, and thou shalt fill it with water.
Put the washbasin between the Sacred Tent and the altar, and fill it with water.
8 And thou shalt encompass the court with hangings, and the entry thereof.
Hang the curtains that will surround the courtyard, and hang the curtain at its entrance.
9 And thou shalt take the oil of unction and anoint the tabernacle with its vessels, that they may be sanctified:
Then take the oil for anointing, and anoint the Sacred Tent and everything that is in it, to (set it apart/dedicate it) to me. Then it will be holy/sacred.
10 The altar of holocaust and all its vessels:
Also anoint the altar for offering sacrifices that will be completely burned, and all the things that will be used with it, and set it apart. Then it also will be holy/sacred.
11 The laver with its foot: thou shalt consecrate all with the oil of unction, that they may be most holy.
Also anoint the washbasin and its base, to set it apart.
12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of the testimony, and having washed them with water,
Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Sacred Tent, and wash them [ritually] with water.
Then put on Aaron his sacred clothes to (set him apart/dedicate him), in order that he can serve me as a priest.
Also bring his sons there. Put their sacred tunics/gowns on them
15 Thou shalt put on them the holy vestments, that they may minister to me, and that the unction of them may prosper to an everlasting priesthood.
and anoint them just as you anointed their father, in order that they also may serve me by working as priests. By anointing them [and their descendants], you will cause them and their descendants to be priests throughout all coming generations.”
16 And Moses did all that the Lord had commanded.
Moses/I did all these things exactly as Yahweh had commanded him/me.
17 So in the first month of the second year, the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up.
On the first day of the first month of the next year (OR, second year [after they/we left Egypt]), the people set up the Sacred Tent.
18 And Moses reared it up, and placed the boards and the sockets and the bars, and set up the pillars,
Following Moses’/my instructions, they set up the Sacred Tent and its bases, set up the frames, attached the crossbars, and put up the posts [for the curtains].
19 And spread the roof over the tabernacle, putting over it a cover, as the Lord had commanded.
Then they spread out the coverings over the Sacred Tent, exactly as Yahweh had commanded.
20 And he put the testimony in the ark, thrusting bars underneath, and the oracle above.
Then he/I took the two stone slabs [on which the commandments were written] and put them in the sacred chest. He/I put the carrying poles [in the rings] on the chest and put the lid on top of the chest.
21 And when he had brought the ark into the tabernacle, he drew the veil before it to fulfill the commandment of the Lord.
Then he/I took the chest into [the Very Holy Place inside] the Sacred Tent and hung the curtain. In that way, he/I prevented the people who were outside from seeing the chest. He/I did all this exactly as Yahweh had commanded him/me.
22 And he set the table in the tabernacle of the testimony at the north side without the veil,
He/I set the table inside the Sacred Tent, on the north side, outside the curtain.
23 Setting there in order the loaves of proposition, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
He/I placed on the table the bread that was offered to Yahweh, exactly as Yahweh had commanded.
24 He set the candlestick also in the tabernacle of the testimony over against the table on the south side,
He/I set the lampstand inside the Sacred Tent, on the south side, opposite the table.
25 Placing the lamps in order, according to the precept of the Lord.
Then he/I fastened the lamps to the lampstand in Yahweh’s presence, exactly as Yahweh had commanded.
26 He set also the altar of gold under the roof of the testimony over against the veil,
He/I set the golden altar for burning incense inside the Sacred Tent, in front of the curtain [that separated the Holy Place from the Very Holy Place],
27 And burnt upon it the incense of spices, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
and he/I burned some sweet-smelling incense on it, exactly as Yahweh had commanded him/me.
28 And he put also the hanging in the entry of the tabernacle of the testimony,
He/I hung the curtain at the entrance to the Sacred Tent.
29 And the altar of holocaust of the entry of the testimony, offering the holocaust, and the sacrifices upon it, as the Lord had commanded.
At the entrance to the Sacred Tent, he/I set the altar for offering sacrifices that were to be burned completely. Then he/I offered on it the meat that was to be burned completely and the grain offering, exactly as Yahweh had commanded him/me.
30 And he set the laver between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar, filling it with water.
He/I set the washbasin between the Sacred Tent and the [bronze] altar, and he/I filled the washbasin with water.
31 And Moses and Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet,
Every time Moses/I and Aaron and his sons went into the Sacred Tent or went to the altar, they/we washed their/our hands and feet [ritually], exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses/me.
32 When they went into the tabernacle of the covenant, and went to the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
33 He set up also the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, drawing the hanging in the entry thereof. After all things were perfected,
Following Moses’/my instructions, they hung the curtains that surrounded the courtyard and the altar, and they hung the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses/I finished that work.
34 The cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord filled it.
Then the [tall bright] cloud covered the Sacred Tent, and Yahweh’s (glory/brilliant light) filled the Sacred Tent.
35 Neither could Moses go into the tabernacle of the covenant, the cloud covering all things and the majesty of the Lord shining, for the cloud had covered all.
Because that light was very bright, Moses/I was not able to enter the Sacred Tent.
36 If at any time the cloud removed from the tabernacle, the children of Israel went forward by their troops:
From that day, whenever the Israeli people wanted to move to another place, they went only when the bright cloud rose from above the Sacred Tent.
37 If it hung over, they remained in the same place.
If the cloud did not rise, they stayed where they were and did not go on until the cloud rose.
38 For the cloud of the Lord hung over the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night, in the sight of all the children of Israel throughout all their mansions.
Wherever they traveled, the bright cloud that [indicated] Yahweh’s [presence] was above the Sacred Tent during the day, and a [bright] fire was inside the cloud at night, with the result that all the Israeli people [MTY] could see it [at any time].
