Exodus 30
30
Plans for the Incense Altar
1“Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense. 2Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high,#30:2 Hebrew 1 cubit [46 centimeters] long and 1 cubit wide, a square, and 2 cubits [92 centimeters] high. with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself. 3Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar. 4Make two gold rings, and attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying poles. 5Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant,#30:6a Or Ark of the Testimony; also in 30:26. in front of the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.#30:6b Hebrew that covers the Testimony; see note on 25:16. I will meet with you there.
7“Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar. 8And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the Lord’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation. 9Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.
10“Once a year Aaron must purify#30:10 Or make atonement for; also in 30:10b. the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord’s most holy altar.”
Money for the Tabernacle
11Then the Lord said to Moses, 12“Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the Lord. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them. 13Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the Lord. (This payment is half a shekel,#30:13 Or 0.2 ounces [6 grams]. based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.) 14All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the Lord. 15When this offering is given to the Lord to purify your lives, making you right with him,#30:15 Or to make atonement for your lives; similarly in 30:16. the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give less. 16Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the Tabernacle.#30:16 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 30:18, 20, 26, 36. It will bring the Israelites to the Lord’s attention, and it will purify your lives.”
Plans for the Washbasin
17Then the Lord said to Moses, 18“Make a bronze washbasin with a bronze stand. Place it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water. 19Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there. 20They must wash with water whenever they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord and when they approach the altar to burn up their special gifts to the Lord—or they will die! 21They must always wash their hands and feet, or they will die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants, to be observed from generation to generation.”
The Anointing Oil
22Then the Lord said to Moses, 23“Collect choice spices—12-1/2 pounds of pure myrrh, 6-1/4 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6-1/4 pounds of fragrant calamus,#30:23 Hebrew 500 [shekels] [5.7 kilograms] of pure myrrh, 250 [shekels] [2.9 kilograms] of fragrant cinnamon, 250 [shekels] of fragrant calamus. 24and 12-1/2 pounds of cassia#30:24a Hebrew 500 [shekels] [5.7 kilograms] of cassia.—as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil.#30:24b Hebrew 1 hin [3.8 liters] of olive oil. 25Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil. 26Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, 27the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar, 28the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand. 29Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.
30“Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests. 31And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation. 32It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. 33Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.’”
The Incense
34Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts. 35Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense. 36Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant,#30:36 Hebrew in front of the Testimony; see note on 25:16. where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy. 37Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the Lord, and you must treat it as holy. 38Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.”
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Exodus 30: NLT
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Exodus 30
30
The Altar of Incense
1 # For ver. 1-5, see ch. 37:25-28 “You shall make #ch. 40:5; Lev. 4:7; Rev. 8:3an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2A cubit#30:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. #See ch. 27:2Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3You shall #ch. 39:38; 40:5, 26; Num. 4:11overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. 4And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be #See ch. 25:27holders for poles with which to carry it. 5You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the #ch. 25:21, 22mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7And Aaron shall #ver. 34; ch. 31:11; 37:29; 40:27; 1 Sam. 2:28; 1 Chr. 23:13; 2 Chr. 2:4; 29:11; Luke 1:9 burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he #See ch. 27:20, 21dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 9You shall not offer #Lev. 10:1unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10#Lev. 16:18; 23:27 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the #ch. 29:36sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
The Census Tax
11The Lord said to Moses, 12#Num. 1:2-4; 26:2; 2 Sam. 24:2 “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give #ch. 21:30; Num. 31:50; [Ps. 49:7]a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel#30:13 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams according to the #ch. 38:24; Lev. 5:15; 27:3, 25 shekel of the sanctuary (the #Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47; 18:16; Ezek. 45:12 shekel is twenty gerahs),#30:13 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram #ch. 38:26; Matt. 17:24; [Gen. 24:22]half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. 14Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord’s offering. 15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than #[See ver. 13 above]the half shekel, when you give the Lord’s offering to make atonement for your lives. 16You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall #See ch. 38:25-31 give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to #[ch. 28:12; 39:7; Num. 16:40]remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”
The Bronze Basin
17The Lord said to Moses, 18“You shall also make a #ch. 40:7, 30; [1 Kgs. 7:38]basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. #ch. 40:7, 30; [1 Kgs. 7:38]You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19with which Aaron and his sons #ch. 40:31, 32; Ps. 26:6; [Isa. 52:11; Heb. 10:22]shall wash their hands and their feet. 20When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering#30:20 Or an offering by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall #See ch. 27:21be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
The Anointing Oil and Incense
22The Lord said to Moses, 23“Take the #Song 4:14; Ezek. 27:22 finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of #Ezek. 27:19aromatic cane, 24and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a #ch. 29:40hin#30:24 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters of olive oil. 25And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the #ch. 37:29 perfumer; it shall be a #ch. 37:29; Num. 35:25; Ps. 89:20; 133:2holy anointing oil. 26#ch. 40:9; Lev. 8:10; Num. 7:1With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the #ch. 40:11basin and its stand. 29You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. #ch. 29:37Whatever touches them will become holy. 30#See ch. 29:7You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. #ver. 25, 37It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33#ver. 38Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
34The Lord said to Moses, #ver. 7; ch. 25:6; 37:29“Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), 35and make an #ver. 25 incense blended as by the #See ver. 25 perfumer, #[Lev. 2:13]seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting #See ch. 25:22 where I shall meet with you. #[ch. 40:10]It shall be most holy for you. 37And the incense that you shall make #ver. 32according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. 38#ver. 33Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”
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