Exodus 30
1 And thou shalt make an altar, for burning incense, of acacia wood, shalt thou make it:
“Make an altar for burning incense from acacia wood.
2 a cubit, the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof four square, shall it be, —and two cubits, the height thereof, of the same, [shall be] the horns thereof,
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 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 to it a border of gold round about.
Cover its top, its side, and its horns with pure gold, and make a gold trim to go all around it.
4 And, two rings of gold, shalt thou make to it, under the border thereof upon the two corners thereof, shalt thou make them on the two sides thereof, —so shall they become receptacles for the staves, to lift it therewith.
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 And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, —and overlay them with gold.
Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with gold.
6 And thou shalt place it before the veil, which is by the ark of the testimony, —before the propitiatory which is upon the testimony, where I will meet thee.
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 And Aaron shall burn thereon fragrant incense, —morning by morning, when he trimmeth the lamps, shall he burn it;
Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps.
8 and, when Aaron lighteth the lamps, between the evenings, shall he burn it, —a continual incense before Yahweh, to 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 Ye shall not cause to ascend thereupon strange incense, nor an ascending-sacrifice, nor a meal-offering, —and a drink offering, shall ye not pour out thereupon.
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 But Aaron shall put a propitiatory-covering upon the horns thereof, once in the year: of the blood of the sin-bearer for propitiatory-coverings, once in the year, shall he put a propitiatory-covering thereupon to your generations, most holy, it is to Yahweh.
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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying—
The Lord told Moses,
12 When thou takest the sum of the sons of Israel, by their numberings, then shall they give every man a propitiatory-covering for his soul to Yahweh, when they are numbered, —that there may be among them no plague when they are numbered.
“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 This, shall they give—every one that passeth over to them that have been numbered—a half-shekel by the shekel of the sanctuary, —the shekel is twenty gerahs—the half-shekel, shall be a heave-offering to Yahweh.
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 All who pass over to the numbered, from twenty years old and upwards, shall give the heave-offering of Yahweh.
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 heave-offering of Yahweh, to put a propitiatory-covering over 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 So then thou shalt take the silver for the propitiatory-coverings from the sons of Israel, and shalt expend it upon the service of the tent of meeting, —thus shall it be for the sons of Israel as a memorial before Yahweh, to put a propitiatory-covering over 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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying—
The Lord told Moses,
18 And thou shalt make a laver of bronze, and its stand of bronze for bathing, —and thou shalt place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put therein water.
“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 So shall Aaron and his sons bathe thereat, —their hands, and their feet.
Aaron and his sons will use it to wash their hands and feet.
20 When they enter the tent of meeting, they shall bathe with water so shall they not die, —or when they approach unto the altar to minister, to burn as incense an altar-flame to Yahweh:
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 then they shall bathe their hands and their feet and shall not die, —and it shall be to them an age-abiding statute, to him and to his seed to 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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying—
The Lord told Moses,
23 Thou, therefore, take to thee—principal spices, —self-flowing myrrh, five hundred, and fragrant cinnamon, half as much, two hundred and fifty, and, 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, cassia, five hundred, by the shekel of the sanctuary, —and, oil olive, a hin.
500 shekels of cassia, (weights using the sanctuary shekel standard), and a hin of olive oil.
25 And thou shalt make it an oil for holy anointing, a compounded perfume the work of a perfumer, —an oil for holy anointing, shall it be.
Mix these together into holy anointing oil, an aromatic blend like the product of an expert perfumer. Use it as holy anointing oil.
26 And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, —and the ark of the testimony;
Use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony,
27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand, and its utensils, —and the incense altar,
the table and all its equipment, the lampstand and its equipment, the altar of incense,
28 and the altar for the ascending-sacrifice, and all its utensils, -and the laver, and its stand.
the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin plus its stand.
29 So shalt thou hallow them, and they shall be most holy, —whosoever toucheth them, shall be holy.
Dedicate them so that they will be especially holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.
30 Aaron also, and his sons, shalt thou anoint, —so shalt thou hallow them to minister as priests unto me.
Anoint Aaron and his sons too and dedicate them to serve as priests for me.
31 And unto the sons of Israel, shalt thou speak, saying, An oil for holy anointing, shall this be to me, to your generations.
Tell the Israelites, ‘This is to be my holy anointing oil for all generations to come.
32 Upon the flesh of a common man, shall it not be poured, and according to the proportions thereof, shall ye not make any like it, —holy, it is, holy, shall it be 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 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, and whosoever bestoweth thereof upon a stranger, shall be cut off from among 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 Then said Yahweh unto Moses—Take to thee aromatic spices stacte and onycha, and galbanum, —aromatic spices, and pure frankincense, —weight for weight, shall it be.
The Lord told Moses, “Take equal amounts of these aromatic spices: balsam resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense.
35 And thou shalt make of it an incense, a perfume the work of a perfumer, —salted, pure, holy.
Add some salt and make pure and holy incense blended like the product of an expert perfumer.
36 And thou shalt beat some of it to powder, and place thereof before the testimony, in the tent of meeting, where I am to meet with thee, —most holy, shall it be to you.
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 And the incense which thou shalt make, according to the proportions thereof, ye shall not make for yourselves, —holy, shall it be to thee, to Yahweh.
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 Whosoever shall make like it, to smell of it shall be cut off from among his people.
Anyone who makes incense like this for themselves to enjoy will be expelled from their people.”
