Exodus 30
1 “[Tell the skilled workers to] make an altar from acacia wood, for burning incense.
And thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense: of acacia-wood shalt thou make it;
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 the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof — square shall it be; and two cubits its height; of itself shall be its horns.
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 shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make upon it a border 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 rings of gold shalt thou make for it under its border; by its two corners shalt thou make [them], on the two sides thereof; and they shall be for receptacles for the staves, with which to carry it.
5 [Tell them to] make these [two] poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold.
And thou shalt 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 shalt put it in front of the veil which is before the ark of the testimony in front of the mercy-seat which 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 thereon fragrant incense: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn the incense.
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 lighteth the lamps between the two evenings, he shall burn the incense — a continual 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 up no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor oblation; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon.
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 for its horns once in the year: with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement shall he make atonement for it, once in the year, 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 shalt take the sum of the children of Israel according to those of them that are numbered, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah on their being numbered, that there be no plague among them on their being numbered.
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 shall they give — every one that passeth among them that are numbered — half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, — twenty gerahs the shekel; a half shekel shall be the heave-offering for Jehovah.
14 All the men who are at least 20 years old must pay this amount to me when the people are counted.
Every one that passeth among those that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give the heave-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 half a shekel, when ye give the heave-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 shalt take the atonement-money of the children of Israel, and devote it to the service of the tent of meeting; and it shall be a memorial to the children 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 shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt 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 out of it.
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 may not die; or when they come near to the altar to serve, to burn an offering 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.”
And they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they may not die; and it shall be an everlasting statute for them, for him and for his seed throughout their generations.
22 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
And 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,
And thou, take best spices — of liquid myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon the half — two hundred and fifty, and of sweet myrtle 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 make of it an oil of holy ointment, a perfume of perfumery after the work of the perfumer: it shall be the holy anointing oil.
26 Use this oil for anointing the Sacred Tent, the sacred chest,
And thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting with it, 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 its utensils, and the lamp-stand and its utensils, 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 and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand.
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 shalt hallow them, that they may be most holy: whatever toucheth 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 Aaron and his sons thou shalt anoint, and shalt hallow them, that they may serve me as priests.
31 And tell the Israeli people, ‘This oil will be my sacred anointing oil that must be used throughout all future generations.
And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, A holy anointing oil shall this be unto 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 man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make [any] like it, after the preparation of it: it is holy — holy shall it be unto 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 compoundeth [any] like it, or whoever putteth [any] of it upon any strange thing, shall be cut off from his peoples.
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 fragrant drugs — stacte, and onycha, and galbanum — fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be.
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 shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, 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 shalt beat [some] of it to powder, and put [some] of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto 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 that thou shalt make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to 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 maketh like unto it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his peoples.
