Exodus 40

1 And Yhwh spake unto Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

“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 cover the ark with the vail.

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 things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the lampstand, 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 altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging 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 the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

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 the congregation 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 hanging at the court gate.

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 vessels 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 the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar 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 his foot, 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 tabernacle of the congregation, and 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 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 clothe them with coats:

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: for their anointing shall surely be 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 Yhwh 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 fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his 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 abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as Yhwh 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 mercy seat 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 vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as Yhwh 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 the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.

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

23 And he set the bread in order upon it before Yhwh; as Yhwh had 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 lampstand in the tent of the congregation, 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 Yhwh; as Yhwh 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 the congregation before the vail:

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

27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as Yhwh commanded Moses.

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

28 And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.

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

29 And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering; as Yhwh 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 the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

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

31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed 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 the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as Yhwh 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 hanging of the court gate. 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 a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of Yhwh 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 the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of Yhwh 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 when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

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

37 But if the cloud were 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 Yhwh was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it 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.