Exodus 30

1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shalt thou make it.

“You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.

2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it.

It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns must be of one piece.

3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.

4 And two golden rings shalt thou make for it under the crown thereof, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for staves to bear it withal.

And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.

5 And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

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

6 And thou shalt 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 thee.

Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony —before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.

7 And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it.

And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.

8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.

9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and ye shall pour no drink offering thereon.

On this altar you must not offer unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.

10 And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in the year: with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atonement for it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”

11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to those that are numbered of them, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

“When you take a census of the Israelites to number them, each man must pay the LORD a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will come upon them when they are numbered.

13 This they shall give, every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (the shekel is twenty gerahs: ) half a shekel for an offering to the LORD.

Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.

14 Every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of the LORD.

Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.

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

In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.

16 And thou shalt take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.

Take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to make atonement for your lives.”

17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

And the LORD said to Moses,

18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

“You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it,

19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.

20 when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto the LORD:

Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.

21 so they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

23 Take thou also unto thee the chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty,

“Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,

24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil an hin:

500 shekels of cassia —all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.

25 and thou shalt make it an holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.

26 And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony,

Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,

27 and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense,

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

28 and the altar of burnt offering with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof.

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

29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.

31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.

32 Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof: it is holy, [and] it shall be holy unto you.

It must not be used to anoint an ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.

33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.

Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight;

The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,

35 and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure [and] holy:

and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

36 and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

37 And the incense which thou shalt make, according to the composition thereof ye shall not make for yourselves: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.

38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, he shall be cut off from his people.

Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”