Exodus 25

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

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

2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they take an offering for me. From everyone whose heart makes him willing you shall take my offering.

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

3 This is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, bronze,

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

4 blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair,

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

5 rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood,

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

6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,

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

7 onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.

[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].

8 Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell amongst them.

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

9 According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all of its furniture, even so you shall make it.

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.”

10 “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.

“[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.

11 You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold moulding around it.

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

12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.

[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.

13 You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

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

14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.

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

15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it.

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

16 You shall put the covenant which I shall give you into the ark.

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

17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its width.

[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.

18 You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.

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

19 Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy seat.

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].

20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces towards one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be towards the mercy seat.

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

21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I will give you.

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

22 There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the covenant, all that I command you for the children of Israel.

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.”

23 “You shall make a table of acacia wood. Its length shall be two cubits, and its width a cubit, and its height one and a half cubits.

“[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.

24 You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a gold moulding around it.

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

25 You shall make a rim of a hand width around it. You shall make a golden moulding on its rim around it.

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

26 You shall make four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that are on its four feet.

[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].

27 The rings shall be close to the rim, for places for the poles to carry the table.

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

28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them.

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

29 You shall make its dishes, its spoons, its ladles, and its bowls with which to pour out offerings. You shall make them of pure gold.

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.

30 You shall set bread of the presence on the table before me always.

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

31 “You shall make a lamp stand of pure gold. The lamp stand shall be made of hammered work. Its base, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.

“[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.

32 There shall be six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lamp stand out of its one side, and three branches of the lamp stand out of its other side;

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

33 three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a bud and a flower; and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bud and a flower, so for the six branches going out of the lamp stand;

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.

34 and in the lamp stand four cups made like almond blossoms, its buds and its flowers;

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.

35 and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the lamp stand.

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

36 Their buds and their branches shall be of one piece with it, all of it one beaten work of pure gold.

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

37 You shall make its lamps seven, and they shall light its lamps to give light to the space in front of it.

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).

38 Its snuffers and its snuff dishes shall be of pure gold.

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

39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these accessories.

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

40 See that you make them after their pattern, which has been shown to you on the mountain.

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