Exodus 30

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

And you shall make an altar to burn incense on: of shittim wood shall you make it.

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.

A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.

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 overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and you shall make to it a crown of gold round about.

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 two golden rings shall you make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, on the two sides of it shall you make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it with.

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

And you shall make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay 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 put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.

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

And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn incense on 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 at even, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your 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.

You shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall you pour drink offering thereon.

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 Aaron shall make an atonement on the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement on it throughout your 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.

When you take the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when you number them; that there be no plague among them, when you number 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.

This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs: ) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

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

Every one that passes among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an 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 half a shekel, when they give an offering to the LORD, to make an 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 atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial to the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an 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.

You shall also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash with: and you shall put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and you shall put water therein.

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

For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

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,

When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire 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.”

So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

22 The Lord told Moses,

Moreover 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,

Take you also to you principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

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

And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

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 an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the are of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

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

And you shall anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

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

And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, 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 burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.

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

And you shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatever touches them shall be holy.

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 consecrate them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.

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 an holy anointing oil to me 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 shall it not be poured, neither shall you make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy 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.’”

Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, shall even be cut off from 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 to you sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

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

And you shall make it a perfume, a confection after the are of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

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 you shall beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with you: it shall be to you most holy.

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.

And as for the perfume which you shall make, you shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be to you holy for the LORD.

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

Whoever shall make like to that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.