Exodus 30

1 “Make an altar for burning incense from acacia wood.

And you shall make the altar of incense of incorruptible wood.

2 It shall be square, measuring a cubit by a cubit, by two cubits high, with horns on its corners that are all one piece with the altar.

And you shall make it a cubit in length, and a cubit in breadth: it shall be square; and the height of it shall be of two cubits, its horns shall be of the same piece.

3 Cover its top, its side, and its horns with pure gold, and make a gold trim to go all around it.

And you shall gild its grate with pure gold, and its sides round about, and its horns; and you shall make for it a wreathen border of gold roundabout.

4 Make two gold rings for the altar and attach them below the trim, two on both sides, to hold the poles to carry it.

And you shall make under its wreathen border two rings of pure gold; you shall make it to the two corners on the two sides, and they shall be bearings for the staves, so as to bear it with them.

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

And you shall make the staves of incorruptible wood, and shall gild them with gold.

6 Put the altar in front of the veil that hangs before the Ark of the Testimony and the atonement cover that is over the Testimony where I will meet with you.

And you shall set it before the veil that is over the ark of the testimonies, wherein I will make myself known to you from thence.

7 Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps.

And Aaron shall burn upon it fine compound incense every morning; whenever he trims the lamps he shall burn incense upon it.

8 When he lights the lamps in the evening he must burn incense again so that incense will always be burned in the Lord's presence for generations to come.

And when Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he shall burn incense upon it; a constant incense-offering always before the Lord for their generations.

9 Don't offer on this altar any unapproved incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour out a drink offering upon it.

And you shall not offer strange incense upon it, [nor] and offering made by fire, [nor] a sacrifice; and you shall not pour a drink-offering upon it.

10 Once a year Aaron must perform the atonement ritual by placing blood on the horns of the altar from the sin offering for atonement. This yearly atonement ritual must be carried out for generations to come. This is the Lord's holy altar.”

And once in the year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns, he shall purge it with the blood of purification for their generations: it is most holy to the Lord.

11 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “When you take a census of the Israelites, each man must pay the Lord to buy back his life when he's counted. Then they won't suffer from the plague when they're counted.

If you take account of the children of Israel in the surveying of them, and they shall give every one a ransom for his soul to the Lord, then there shall not be amongst them a destruction in the visiting of them.

13 Each one who crosses over to those counted must give a half shekel, (using the sanctuary shekel standard, which weighs twenty gerahs). This half shekel is an offering to the Lord.

And this is what they shall give, as many as pass the survey, half a didrachm which is according to the didrachm of the sanctuary: twenty oboli [go to] the didrachm, but the half of the didrachm is the offering to the Lord.

14 This offering to the Lord is required from everyone twenty years old and more.

Every one that passes the survey from twenty years old and upwards shall give the offering to the Lord.

15 When you give this offering to buy back your lives the rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less.

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than the half didrachm in giving the offering to the Lord, to make atonement for your souls.

16 Take this money paid by the Israelites and use it for the expenses involved in the services of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a reminder for the Israelites to buy back your lives in the presence of the Lord.”

And you shall take the money of the offering from the children of Israel, and shall give it for the service of the tabernacle of testimony; and it shall be to the children of Israel a memorial before the Lord, to make atonement for your souls.

17 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

18 “Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

Make a brazen laver, and a brazen base for it, for washing; and you shall put it between the tabernacle of witness and the altar, and you shall pour forth water into it.

19 Aaron and his sons will use it to wash their hands and feet.

And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet with water from it.

20 Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they are to wash with water so that they will not die. When they approach the altar to present burnt offerings to the Lord,

Whenever they shall go into the tabernacle of witness, they shall wash themselves with water, so they shall not die, whenever they advance to the altar to do service and to offer the whole burnt offerings to the Lord.

21 they must also wash so that they will not die. This requirement is to be observed by them and their descendants for all generations.”

They shall wash their hands and feet with water, whenever they shall go into the tabernacle of witness; they shall wash themselves with water, that they die not; and it shall be for them a perpetual statute, for him and his posterity after him.

22 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

23 “Take the best quality spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 250 shekels of aromatic reed,

Do you also take sweet herbs, the flower of choice myrrh five hundred shekels, and the half of this two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet smelling cinnamon, and two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet smelling calamus,

24 500 shekels of cassia, (weights using the sanctuary shekel standard), and a hin of olive oil.

and of cassia five hundred shekels of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.

25 Mix these together into holy anointing oil, an aromatic blend like the product of an expert perfumer. Use it as holy anointing oil.

And you shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfumed ointment [tempered] by the are of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.

26 Use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony,

And you shall anoint with it the tabernacle of witness, and the ark of the tabernacle of witness,

27 the table and all its equipment, the lampstand and its equipment, the altar of incense,

and all its furniture, and the candlestick and all its furniture, and the altar of incense,

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

and the altar of whole burnt offerings and all its furniture, and the table and all its furniture, and the laver.

29 Dedicate them so that they will be especially holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.

And you shall sanctify them, and they shall be most holy: every one that touches them shall be hallowed.

30 Anoint Aaron and his sons too and dedicate them to serve as priests for me.

And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them that they may minister to me as priests.

31 Tell the Israelites, ‘This is to be my holy anointing oil for all generations to come.

And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, This shall be to you a holy anointing oil throughout your generations.

32 Don't use it on ordinary people and don't make anything like it using the same formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as being holy.

On man's flesh it shall not be poured, and you shall not make [any] for yourselves according to this composition: it is holy, and shall be holiness to you.

33 Anyone who mixes anointing oil like it, or puts it on someone other than a priest, will be expelled from their people.’”

Whosoever shall make it in like manner, and whoever shall give of it to a stranger, shall be destroyed from amongst his people.

34 The Lord told Moses, “Take equal amounts of these aromatic spices: balsam resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense.

And the Lord said to Moses, Take for yourself sweet herbs, stacte, onycha, sweet galbanum, and transparent frankincense; there shall be an equal weight of each.

35 Add some salt and make pure and holy incense blended like the product of an expert perfumer.

And they shall make with it perfumed incense, tempered with the are of a perfumer, a pure holy work.

36 Grind some of it into powder and place it in front of the Ark of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be especially holy to you.

And of these you shall beat some small, and you shall put it before the testimonies in the tabernacle of testimony, whence I will make myself known to you: it shall be to you a most holy incense.

37 Don't make for yourselves any incense like it using the same formula. You are to consider this incense as holy to the Lord.

You shall not make any for yourselves according to this composition; it shall be to you a holy thing for the Lord.

38 Anyone who makes incense like this for themselves to enjoy will be expelled from their people.”

Whosoever shall make any in like manner, so as to smell it, shall perish from his people.