Exodus 40

1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

The Lord told Moses,

2 'On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

“Put up the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the first month of the year.

3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and thou shalt screen the ark with the veil.

Place the Ark of the Testimony inside it. Make sure the Ark is behind the veil.

4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the bread that is upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.

Bring in the table and put on it what's necessary. Bring in the lampstand too, and set up its lamps.

5 And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

Place the gold altar of incense in front of the Ark of the Testimony, and put up the screen at the entrance to the Tabernacle.

6 And thou shalt set the altar of burnt-offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Set up the altar of burnt offering opposite the entrance to the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.

7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water therein.

Place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.

Set up the courtyard that's around it, and put up the curtain for the courtyard entrance.

9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the furniture thereof; and it shall be holy.

Use the anointing oil to anoint the Tabernacle and everything in it. Dedicate it and all its furniture to make it holy.

10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and sanctify the altar; and the altar shall be most holy.

Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils. Dedicate the altar and it will be especially holy.

11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and its base, and sanctify it.

Anoint and dedicate the basin with its stand.

12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water.

Take Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and wash them there with water.

13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments; and thou shalt anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office.

Then you are to put on Aaron the holy clothes, anoint him, and dedicate him, so that he may serve me as a priest.

14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put tunics upon them.

Have his sons come forward and dress them with tunics.

15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office; and their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.'

Anoint them in the same way as you anointed their father, so that they can also serve me as priests. Their anointing makes their line priests forever, for generations to come.”

16 Thus did Moses; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.

Moses carried out all the Lord's instructions.

17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

The Tabernacle was put up on the first day of the first month of the second year.

18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up its pillars.

When Moses put up the Tabernacle, he placed its stands, attached its frames, connected its crossbars, and erected its posts.

19 And he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Then he spread the tent over the Tabernacle and placed the covering over the tent, as the Lord had ordered him to do.

20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the ark-cover above upon the ark.

Moses took the Testimony and put it in the Ark. He attached the poles to the Ark, and he placed the atonement cover on the top of the Ark.

21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Then he carried the Ark into the Tabernacle. He put up the veil, and made sure the Ark of the Testimony was behind it, as the Lord had ordered him to do.

22 And he put the table in the tent of meeting, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil.

Moses placed the table inside the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the Tabernacle, outside the veil.

23 And he set a row of bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

He laid out the bread on it in the presence of the Lord, as the Lord had ordered him to do.

24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of meeting, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

He placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the Tabernacle

25 And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

and put up the lamps in the presence of the Lord, as the Lord had ordered him to do.

26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil;

Moses set up the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil,

27 and he burnt thereon incense of sweet spices; as the LORD commanded Moses.

and he burned aromatic incense on it, as the Lord had ordered him to do.

28 And he put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

Then he put up the screen at the entrance to the Tabernacle.

29 And the altar of burnt-offering he set at the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.

He set up the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and presented the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had ordered him to do.

30 And he set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water therein, wherewith to wash;

He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing.

31 that Moses and Aaron and his sons might wash their hands and their feet thereat;

Moses, Aaron, and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet

32 when they went into the tent of meeting, and when they came near unto the altar, they should wash; as the LORD commanded Moses.

They washed whenever they went into the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord had ordered Moses to do.

33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

Moses set up the courtyard around the Tabernacle and the altar, and he put up the curtain for the courtyard entrance. This marked the end of the work done by Moses.

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. —

Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud remained on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

36 And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys.

Whenever the cloud rose from the Tabernacle, the Israelites would set off again on their journey.

37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

If the cloud did not rise, they wouldn't set out until it did.

38 For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. —

The cloud of the Lord stayed over the Tabernacle by day, and fire burned inside the cloud by night, so that it could be seen by every Israelite wherever they traveled.