Exodus 30

1 “[Tell the skilled workers to] make an altar from acacia wood, for burning incense.

And thou shall make an altar to burn incense upon. Thou shall make it of acacia wood.

2 It is to be square, (18 in./45 cm.) on each side. It is to be (3 feet/90 cm.) high. [Tell them to] make [a projection that looks like] a horn on each of the top corners. The projections must be carved from the same block of wood that the altar [is made from].

A cubit shall be the length of it, and a cubit the breadth of it (it shall be foursquare), and two cubits shall be the height of it. The horns of it shall be of one piece with it.

3 [They must] cover the top and the four sides, including the projections, with pure gold. Put a gold border around the altar, [near the top].

And thou shall overlay it with pure gold, the top of it, and the sides of it round about, and the horns of it. And thou shall make to it a crown of gold round about.

4 [They must] make two gold rings for carrying the altar. [They must] attach them to the altar below the border, one on each side of the altar. These rings are for the poles for carrying the altar.

And two golden rings thou shall make for it under the crown of it, upon the two ribs of it, upon the two sides of it thou shall make them. And they shall be for places for staves with which to bear it.

5 [Tell them to] make these [two] poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold.

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

6 [They must] put this altar outside the curtain that hangs in front of the sacred chest and its lid. That is the place where I will talk with you.

And thou 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 thee.

7 Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on this altar. He must burn some every morning when he takes care of the lamps,

And Aaron shall burn in it incense of sweet spices. Every morning, when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn it.

8 and he must burn some in the evening when he lights the lamps. The incense must be burned continually, throughout all future generations.

And when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations.

9 The priests must not burn on the altar any incense that I have not told you to burn, or burn any animal on it, or any grain offering for me, or pour any wine on it as an offering.

Ye shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering. And ye shall pour no drink offering on it.

10 One time every year Aaron must perform the ritual for making this altar pure. He must do it by putting on its four projections some of the blood from the animal that was sacrificed (to remove the guilt of the people’s sins/so that the people would no longer be guilty for sins). This ritual is to be done by Aaron and his descendants throughout all future generations. This altar must be completely dedicated to me, Yahweh.”

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 he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to Jehovah.

11 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “When your [leaders] (take a census of/count) the Israeli people, each man [who is counted] must pay to me a price to save his life. They must do this in order that no disaster will happen to them while the people are being counted.

When thou take the sum of the sons of Israel, according to those who are numbered of them, then they shall give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah when thou number them, that there be no plague among them when thou number them.

13 Every man who is counted must pay to me (0.2 ounces/5.7 grams) of silver. They must use the official standard when they weigh the silver.

This they shall give, 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 Jehovah.

14 All the men who are at least 20 years old must pay this amount to me when the people are counted.

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

15 Rich men must not pay more than this amount, and poor men must not pay less than this amount, when they pay this money to save their lives.

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

16 Your leaders must collect this money from the Israeli people and give it to [those who will] take care of the Sacred Tent. This money is the payment for the lives of those who take care of the Sacred Tent, (to enable me not to forget them/and then I will remember to protect them).”

And thou shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

17 Yahweh [also] said to Moses/me,

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

18 “[Tell the skilled workers to] make a bronze washbasin and a bronze base for it. [They must] put it between the Sacred Tent and the altar, and fill it with water.

Thou shall also make a laver of brass, and the base of it of brass for washing. And thou shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shall put water in it.

19 Aaron and his sons must ritually wash their hands and their feet with this water

And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet there.

20 before they enter the Sacred Tent and before they come to the altar to sacrifice offerings that will be burned on it. If [they do that], they will not die [because of disobeying my instructions].

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 Jehovah.

21 They must wash their hands and their feet, in order that they will not die. They and the males descended from them must obey this ritual throughout all generations.”

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 seed throughout their generations.

22 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

Moreover Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

23 “[Tell the people to] collect some of the finest spices— (12 pounds/6 kg.) of (liquid myrrh/sweet-smelling sap named myrrh), (6 pounds/3 kg.) of sweet-smelling cinnamon, (6 pounds/3 kg.) of a sweet-smelling cane/reed,

Take thou also to 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,

24 and (12 pounds/6 kg.) of (cassia/a sweet-smelling bark named cassia). [Be sure] that they use the official standard when they weigh these things. Tell an expert perfumer to mix these with (one gallon/four liters) of olive oil

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

25 to make sacred oil for anointing.

And thou shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil.

26 Use this oil for anointing the Sacred Tent, the sacred chest,

And thou shall anoint with it the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony,

27 the table and all the things that are used with it, the lampstand and all the things that are used to take care of it, the altar for [burning] incense,

and the table and all the vessels of it, and the lampstand and the vessels of it, and the altar of incense,

28 and the altar for offering sacrifices that will be burned, along with its bases and the washbasin and all the things that are used with it.

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

29 Dedicate them by anointing them, in order that they will be completely holy/sacred. Anyone or anything that touches the altar will become taboo.

And thou shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

30 And anoint Aaron and his sons. [By doing that], you will dedicate them to serve me [by being] priests.

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

31 And tell the Israeli people, ‘This oil will be my sacred anointing oil that must be used throughout all future generations.

And thou shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.

32 You must not pour it on the bodies of people who are not priests, and you must not make other oil to be like it by mixing the same amount of those things. This oil is sacred, and you must consider it to be sacred.’

Upon the flesh of man it shall not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition of it. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

33 I will consider that anyone who makes ointment like this [for any other purpose], and anyone who puts any of this ointment on someone who is not a priest, no longer be allowed to associate with my people.”

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

34 Yahweh also said to Moses/me, “[Tell the people to] take equal parts of several sweet spices—stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—

And Jehovah said to Moses, Take to thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense, of each shall there be a like weight.

35 and tell an expert perfumer to mix them together to make some perfume. Add some salt to keep it pure and make it holy.

And thou shall make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

36 Beat some of it into a fine powder. Then take some of it into the Sacred Tent and sprinkle it in front of the sacred chest. You must all consider this incense to be very holy.

And thou shall 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 to you most holy.

37 The people must not mix the same spices to make incense for themselves. This incense must be completely dedicated to me, Yahweh.

And the incense which thou shall make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the composition of it. It shall be to thee holy for Jehovah.

38 I will consider that anyone who makes incense like this to use it for perfume will no longer be allowed to associate with my people.”

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