< Exodus 25 >

1 And Yhwh spake unto Moses, saying,
Yahweh said to Moses/me, “There [are many things that I want] you to tell to the Israeli people.
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
Tell them that they must give offerings/gifts to me. Receive from the people every offering/gift that they want to give to me.
3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
These are the things that they may offer/give: Gold, silver, bronze,
4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
blue, purple, and scarlet yarn/wool, fine (linen/white cloth), goats’ hair for making [cloth],
5 And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
rams’ skins that have been (tanned/dyed red), goatskins, [hard] wood from acacia [trees],
6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
olive oil [to burn] in the lamps, spices to [put in] the olive oil for anointing [the priests] and in the sweet-smelling incense,
7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
[expensive quartz] stones [called] onyx, and other expensive stones to be fastened [to the priest’s vest] and put on the pouches [that are to be fastened to the vest].
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Tell the people to make a big Sacred Tent for me, so that I can live in it among them.
9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
They must make the Sacred Tent and all the things that will be used inside it according to the plan/model that I will show you.”
10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
“[Tell the people to] make a [sacred] chest from acacia wood. It is to be (45 in./110 cm.) long, (27 in./66 cm.) wide, and (27 in./66 cm.) high.
11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.
Cover it with pure gold inside and outside, and put a gold border around the top of it.
12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.
[They must] make/cast four rings from gold and fasten them to the legs of the chest. Put two rings on each side of the chest.
13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
[They must] make [two] poles from acacia wood, and they must cover them with gold.
14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
[They must] put the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest, so that the chest can be carried by the poles.
15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
The poles must always be left in the rings; they must not take the poles out [of the rings].
16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
Put inside the chest the [two stone slabs that I will give you, on which] I have written my commandments.
17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
[Tell them to] make a lid for the chest from pure gold. [It will be the place where I will] forgive people’s sins. It [also] is to be (45 in./110 cm.) long and (27 in./66 cm.) wide.
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
[Tell them to] hammer [huge lump of] gold into the form of two creatures that have wings.
19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
One of these is to be put at each end of the chest, but the gold [from which] they [are made] must be joined to the gold from which the lid [is made].
20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
[Tell them to place the] winged creatures so that their wings touch each other and spread out over the lid.
21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Put inside the chest the stone slabs that I will give you. Then fasten the lid onto the top of the chest.
22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
I will set times to talk with you there. From above the lid of the chest, between the two winged creatures, I will tell to you all my laws that [you must tell] to the Israeli people.”
23 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
“[Tell them to] make a table from acacia wood. It is to be (36 in./88 cm.) long, (18 in./66 cm.) wide, and (27 in./66 cm.) high.
24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.
[Tell them to] cover it with pure gold and put a gold border around it.
25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.
[Tell them to] make a rim all around it, (3 in./7.5 cm.) wide, and put a gold border around the rim.
26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.
[Tell them to] make/cast four rings from gold and fasten the rings to the four corners of the table, one ring close to each leg [of the table].
27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.
The rings should be fastened to the table near the rim.
28 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.
Make two poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. The poles for carrying the table are to be inserted in the rings.
29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.
Also [tell them to] make plates, cups, jars, and bowls to be used [when the priests] pour out wine [to offer to me]. They must all be made from pure gold.
30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.
On the table, in front of the chest, there must always be the loaves of sacred bread [that the priests have offered] to me.”
31 And thou shalt make a lampstand of pure gold: of beaten work shall the lampstand be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.
“[Tell them to] make a lampstand from pure gold. They must hammer [one large lump of] gold to make its base and its shaft. [The branches of the lampstand], the cups for holding the oil, the flower buds and the [flower] petals [that decorate the branches of the lamp, the base, and the shaft are all to be hammered from] one [big] lump of gold.
32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the lampstand out of the one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side:
There are to be six branches on the lampstand, three on each side [of the shaft].
33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the lampstand.
Each of the branches is to have on it three [gold decorations that will look like] almond blossoms. These decorations must also have flower buds and [flower] petals.
34 And in the lampstand shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.
On the [shaft of the] lampstand there are to be four [gold decorations that also look like] almond blossoms, each one with flower buds and petals.
35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the lampstand.
On each side, there is to be one [flower] bud beneath each of the branches.
36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.
All these buds and branches, along with the shaft, are to be hammered from one large lump of pure gold.
37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.
Also [tell them to] make seven small cups [for holding oil. One is to be put on top of the shaft and the others are to be put on top of the branches]. Place these cups so that [when the lamps are lit], the light will shine toward the (front of the lampstand/entrance).
38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.
[Tell them to] make tongs from pure gold, [to remove the burned wicks] and trays [in which to put the burned wicks].
39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.
[Tell them to] use (75 pounds/35 kg.) of pure gold to make the lampstand and the tongs and the trays.
40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.
Make sure that they make these things according to the instructions that I am giving you [here] on [this] mountain.”

< Exodus 25 >