Exodus 40

1 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

2 "On the first day of the first month you shall raise 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 You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall veil the ark with the curtain.

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

4 You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lampstand, and light its lamps.

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

5 You shall 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 You shall 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 You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water in it.

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

8 You shall set up the court around it, 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 You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture: and it will 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 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar will be most holy.

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

11 You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.

Anoint and dedicate the basin with its stand.

12 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.

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

13 You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to 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 You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them.

Have his sons come forward and dress them with tunics.

15 You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest's office. 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 Moses did so. According to all that YHWH commanded him, so he did.

Moses carried out all the Lord's instructions.

17 It happened in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was set up.

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

18 And Moses erected the tabernacle, and put its sockets in place, and set up its hooks and its boards, and put in its bars, and he erected its pillars.

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

19 He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tabernacle above on 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 He took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on 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 He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the curtain as the screen, and concealed 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 He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the side of the tabernacle northward, outside of the veil.

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

23 He set the bread in order on it before YHWH, as YHWH commanded Moses.

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

24 He put the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite 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 He lit 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 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 incense of sweet spices on it, as YHWH commanded Moses.

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

28 He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

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

29 He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal 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 He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it, with which to wash.

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

31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there.

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 to 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 He raised up the court around 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 YHWH filled the tabernacle.

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

35 Moses wasn't able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and YHWH's glory 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 When 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 wasn't taken up, then they did not travel until 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 on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud 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.