Exodus 25

1 Yahweh said to Moses/me, “There [are many things that I want] you to tell to the Israeli people.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 Tell them that they must give offerings/gifts to me. Receive from the people every offering/gift that they want to give to me.

“Speak to the sons of Israel, so that they may take the first-fruits to me. You shall accept these from every man who offers of his own accord.

3 These are the things that they may offer/give: Gold, silver, bronze,

Now these are the things that you must accept: Gold, and silver, and brass,

4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn/wool, fine (linen/white cloth), goats’ hair for making [cloth],

hyacinth and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine linen, the hair of goats,

5 rams’ skins that have been (tanned/dyed red), goatskins, [hard] wood from acacia [trees],

and the skins of rams, dyed red, and skins of violet, and setim wood,

6 olive oil [to burn] in the lamps, spices to [put in] the olive oil for anointing [the priests] and in the sweet-smelling incense,

oil to prepare lights, aromatics as ointments and sweet-smelling incense,

7 [expensive quartz] stones [called] onyx, and other expensive stones to be fastened [to the priest’s vest] and put on the pouches [that are to be fastened to the vest].

onyx stones and gems to adorn the ephod as well as the breastplate.

8 Tell the people to make a big Sacred Tent for me, so that I can live in it among them.

And they shall make a sanctuary for me, and I will live in their midst.

9 They must make the Sacred Tent and all the things that will be used inside it according to the plan/model that I will show you.”

According to exact likeness of the tabernacle, and all of the vessels for its rituals, that I will reveal to you, so shall you make it.

10 “[Tell the people to] make a [sacred] chest from acacia wood. It is to be (45 in./110 cm.) long, (27 in./66 cm.) wide, and (27 in./66 cm.) high.

Join together an ark of setim wood, whose length shall hold two and one half cubits; the width, one and one half cubits; the height, likewise, one and one half cubits.

11 Cover it with pure gold inside and outside, and put a gold border around the top of it.

And you shall overlay it with the finest gold, inside and out. And over it, you shall fashion a gold crown all around,

12 [They must] make/cast four rings from gold and fasten them to the legs of the chest. Put two rings on each side of the chest.

and four gold rings, which you shall set into the four corners of the ark. Let two rings be on one side and two on the other.

13 [They must] make [two] poles from acacia wood, and they must cover them with gold.

Likewise, you shall make bars of setim wood and cover them with gold.

14 [They must] put the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest, so that the chest can be carried by the poles.

And you shall put them through the rings that are in the sides of the ark, so that it may be carried on them.

15 The poles must always be left in the rings; they must not take the poles out [of the rings].

These must always be in the rings, neither shall they ever be drawn out of them.

16 Put inside the chest the [two stone slabs that I will give you, on which] I have written my commandments.

And you shall place the testimony, which I will give to you, in the ark.

17 [Tell them to] make a lid for the chest from pure gold. [It will be the place where I will] forgive people’s sins. It [also] is to be (45 in./110 cm.) long and (27 in./66 cm.) wide.

You shall also make a propitiatory of the finest gold. Its length shall hold two and one half cubits, and the width, one and one half cubits.

18 [Tell them to] hammer [huge lump of] gold into the form of two creatures that have wings.

Likewise, you shall make two Cherubim of formed gold, on both sides of the oracle.

19 One of these is to be put at each end of the chest, but the gold [from which] they [are made] must be joined to the gold from which the lid [is made].

Let one Cherub be on the one side, and the other be on the other.

20 [Tell them to place the] winged creatures so that their wings touch each other and spread out over the lid.

And let them cover both sides of the propitiatory, spreading their wings and covering the oracle, and let them look out toward one another, their faces being turned toward the propitiatory, with which the ark is to be covered,

21 Put inside the chest the stone slabs that I will give you. Then fasten the lid onto the top of the chest.

in which you will place the testimony that I will give to you.

22 I will set times to talk with you there. From above the lid of the chest, between the two winged creatures, I will tell to you all my laws that [you must tell] to the Israeli people.”

From there, I will warn you and speak to you, above the propitiatory and from the middle of the two Cherubim, which will be over the ark of the testimony, about everything that I will command of the sons of Israel through you.

23 “[Tell them to] make a table from acacia wood. It is to be (36 in./88 cm.) long, (18 in./66 cm.) wide, and (27 in./66 cm.) high.

You shall also make a table of setim wood, having two cubits of length, and one cubit in width, and one cubit and one half cubits in height.

24 [Tell them to] cover it with pure gold and put a gold border around it.

And you shall overlay it with the purest gold. And you shall make it with a gold lip all around,

25 [Tell them to] make a rim all around it, (3 in./7.5 cm.) wide, and put a gold border around the rim.

and for the lip itself an engraved crown, four fingers high, and above it another little gold crown.

26 [Tell them to] make/cast four rings from gold and fasten the rings to the four corners of the table, one ring close to each leg [of the table].

Likewise, you shall prepare four gold rings and set them in the four corners of the same table, over each foot.

27 The rings should be fastened to the table near the rim.

Under the crown, there shall be gold rings, so that the bars may be put through them and the table may be carried.

28 Make two poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. The poles for carrying the table are to be inserted in the rings.

Likewise, the bars themselves you shall make of setim wood, and surround them with gold, to lift up the table.

29 Also [tell them to] make plates, cups, jars, and bowls to be used [when the priests] pour out wine [to offer to me]. They must all be made from pure gold.

You shall also prepare small cups, as well as bowls, censers, and measuring cups, with which the libations shall be offered, out of the purest gold.

30 On the table, in front of the chest, there must always be the loaves of sacred bread [that the priests have offered] to me.”

And you shall place upon the table the bread of the presence, in my sight always.

31 “[Tell them to] make a lampstand from pure gold. They must hammer [one large lump of] gold to make its base and its shaft. [The branches of the lampstand], the cups for holding the oil, the flower buds and the [flower] petals [that decorate the branches of the lamp, the base, and the shaft are all to be hammered from] one [big] lump of gold.

You shall also make a lampstand, formed from the finest gold, along with its stem and arms, its bowl and little spheres, as well as the lilies proceeding from it.

32 There are to be six branches on the lampstand, three on each side [of the shaft].

Six branches shall go out from the sides: three out of one side and three out of the other.

33 Each of the branches is to have on it three [gold decorations that will look like] almond blossoms. These decorations must also have flower buds and [flower] petals.

Three bowls, the size of nuts, shall be on each branch, and a little sphere with it, and a lily. And three similar bowls, in the likeness of nuts, shall be on the other branch, and a little sphere with it, and a lily. This shall be the form of the six branches, which are to proceed from the stem.

34 On the [shaft of the] lampstand there are to be four [gold decorations that also look like] almond blossoms, each one with flower buds and petals.

Then, in the lampstand itself, there shall be four bowls, the size of nuts, and each with little spheres and lilies.

35 On each side, there is to be one [flower] bud beneath each of the branches.

Little spheres under two branches in three places, which together make six, shall proceed from one of the stems.

36 All these buds and branches, along with the shaft, are to be hammered from one large lump of pure gold.

Thus both the little spheres and the branches shall be made out of the same thing: entirely formed from the purest gold.

37 Also [tell them to] make seven small cups [for holding oil. One is to be put on top of the shaft and the others are to be put on top of the branches]. Place these cups so that [when the lamps are lit], the light will shine toward the (front of the lampstand/entrance).

You shall also make seven lamps, and you shall place them upon the lampstand, so that they may give light in every direction.

38 [Tell them to] make tongs from pure gold, [to remove the burned wicks] and trays [in which to put the burned wicks].

Likewise, the candle snuffers, and the place where the candles will be extinguished, shall be made from the purest gold.

39 [Tell them to] use (75 pounds/35 kg.) of pure gold to make the lampstand and the tongs and the trays.

The entire weight of the candlestick, with all its parts, shall hold one talent of the purest gold.

40 Make sure that they make these things according to the instructions that I am giving you [here] on [this] mountain.”

Observe, and then make it according to the example that was shown to you on the mountain.”