Exodus 30

1 "You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.

“Make an altar for burning incense from acacia wood.

2 Its length shall be a twenty-one inches, and its breadth twenty-one inches. It shall be square, and its height shall be three feet five inches.

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.

3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding around it.

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

4 You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it.

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

5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

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

6 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.

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.

7 Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it.

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

8 When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before YHWH throughout your generations.

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.

9 You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it.

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.

10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to YHWH."

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.”

11 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

12 "When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are numbered among them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to YHWH, when you number them; that there be no plague among them when you number them.

“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.

13 They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary; (the shekel is twenty gerahs; ) half a shekel for an offering to YHWH.

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.

14 Everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering to YHWH.

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

15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of YHWH, to make atonement for your souls.

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.

16 You shall take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before YHWH, to make atonement for your souls."

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.”

17 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

18 "You shall also make a basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, in which to wash. You shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.

“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.

19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it.

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

20 When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to YHWH.

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,

21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die: and it shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations."

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

22 Moreover YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

23 "Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels; and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty;

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

24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin of olive oil.

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

25 You shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.

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

26 You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the testimony,

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

27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense,

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

28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base.

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

29 You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

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

30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.

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

31 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.

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

32 It shall not be poured on man's flesh, neither shall you make any like it, according to its composition: it is holy. It shall be holy to you.

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.

33 Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.'"

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

34 YHWH said to Moses, "Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be an equal weight;

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

35 and you shall make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy:

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

36 and you shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy.

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.

37 The incense which you shall make, according to its composition you shall not make for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for YHWH.

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

38 Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people."

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