Exodus 30
30
The Incense Altar
1“You are to make an altar for the burning of incense; make it of acacia wood. # 30:1 Ex 37:25; Rv 8:3 2It must be square, eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide; # 30:2 Lit one cubit its length and one cubit its width it must be thirty-six inches high. # 30:2 Lit wide; and two cubits its height Its horns must be of one piece with it. 3Overlay its top, all around its sides, and its horns with pure gold; make a gold molding all around it. 4Make two gold rings for it under the molding on two of its sides; put these on opposite sides of it to be holders for the poles to carry it with. 5Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6“You are to place the altar in front of the curtain by the ark of the testimony — in front of the mercy seat that is over the testimony — where I will meet with you. 7Aaron must burn fragrant incense on it; he must burn it every morning when he tends the lamps. # 30:7 Ex 27:21; 1Sm 2:28; 1Ch 23:13; Lk 1:9 8When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn incense. There is to be an incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 9You must not offer unauthorized incense on it, # 30:9 Lv 10:1 or a burnt or grain offering; you are not to pour a drink offering on it.
10“Once a year Aaron is to perform the atonement ceremony for the altar. Throughout your generations he is to perform the atonement ceremony for # 30:10 Or on it once a year, with the blood of the sin offering for atonement on the horns. # 30:10 Lv 16:18 The altar is especially holy to the Lord.”
The Atonement Money
11The Lord spoke to Moses: 12“When you take a census # 30:12 Nm 1:2; 2Sm 24:2 of the Israelites to register them, each of the men must pay a ransom # 30:12 Nm 31:50; Mt 20:28 for his life to the Lord as they are registered. Then no plague # 30:12 Ex 12:13; 2Sm 24:13,21,25 will come on them as they are registered. 13Everyone who is registered must pay half a shekel # 30:13 A shekel is about two-fifths of an ounce of silver according to the sanctuary shekel (twenty gerahs to the shekel). This half shekel is a contribution to the Lord. # 30:13 Ex 38:26; Nm 3:47; Mt 17:24 14Each man who is registered, twenty years old or more, must give this contribution to the Lord. 15The wealthy may not give more and the poor may not give less # 30:15 Pr 22:2; Eph 6:9 than half a shekel when giving the contribution to the Lord to atone for # 30:15 Or to ransom, also in v. 16 your lives. 16Take the atonement price # 30:16 Lit the silver of the atonement from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will serve as a reminder for the Israelites before the Lord to atone for your lives.” # 30:16 Ex 38:25–28; Nm 16:40
The Bronze Basin
17The Lord spoke to Moses: 18“Make a bronze basin # 30:18 Ex 38:8; 40:7,30; 1Kg 7:38 for washing and a bronze stand for it. Set it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet from the basin. 20Whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister by burning a food offering to the Lord, they must wash with water so that they will not die. 21They must wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this is to be a permanent statute # 30:21 Ex 27:21; 28:43 for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”
The Anointing Oil
22The Lord spoke to Moses: 23“Take for yourself the finest spices: # 30:23 Sg 4:14; Ezk 27:22 12 1/2 pounds # 30:23 Lit 500 (shekels), also in v. 24 of liquid myrrh, half as much (6 1/4 pounds # 30:23 Lit 250 (shekels)) of fragrant cinnamon, 6 1/4 pounds of fragrant cane, 2412 1/2 pounds of cassia (by the sanctuary shekel), and a gallon # 30:24 Lit a hin of olive oil. # 30:24 Ex 29:40; Ps 45:8 25Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a scented blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be holy anointing oil. # 30:25 Ex 37:29; Nm 35:25
26“With it you are to anoint # 30:26 Ex 40:9; Lv 8:10; Nm 7:1 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, 27the table with all its utensils, the lampstand with its utensils, the altar of incense, 28the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29Consecrate them and they will be especially holy. Whatever touches them will be consecrated. 30Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate # 30:30 Ex 29:7; Lv 8:12,30 them to serve me as priests.
31“Tell the Israelites: This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32It must not be used for ordinary anointing on a person’s body, and you must not make anything like it using its formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. 33Anyone who blends something like it or puts some of it on an unauthorized person must be cut off # 30:33 Gn 17:14; Ex 30:38 from his people.”
The Sacred Incense
34The Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices: stacte, onycha, and galbanum; the spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures. 35Prepare expertly blended incense from these; it is to be seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36Grind some of it into a fine powder and put some in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It must be especially holy # 30:36 Ex 29:37; Lv 2:3 to you. 37As for the incense you are making, you must not make any for yourselves using its formula. It is to be regarded by you as holy — belonging to the Lord. 38Anyone who makes something like it to smell its fragrance must be cut off from his people.”
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Exodus 30: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Exodus 30
30
The altar for burning incense
(Exodus 37.25-28)
The LORD said to Moses:
1Build an altar of acacia wood where you can burn incense. 2Make it forty-five centimetres square and ninety centimetres high, and make each of its four corners stick up like the horn of a bull. 3Cover it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it. 4Then below the edging on opposite sides attach two gold rings through which you can put the poles for carrying the altar. 5These poles are also to be made of acacia wood covered with gold.
6Put the altar in front of the inside curtain of the sacred tent. The chest with the place of mercy#30.6 place of mercy: See the note at 26.34. is kept behind that curtain, and I will talk with you there. 7-8From now on, when Aaron tends the lamp each morning and evening, he must burn sweet-smelling incense to me on the altar. 9Burn only the proper incense on the altar and never use it for grain sacrifices or animal sacrifices or drink offerings. 10Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing on its four corners#30.10 four corners: See 27.2; 30.2. the blood of an animal sacrificed for sin, and this practice must always be followed. The altar is sacred because it is dedicated to me.
The money for the sacred tent
11The LORD said to Moses:
12Find out how many grown men there are in Israel and require each of them to pay me to keep him safe from danger while you are counting them. 13-15Each man over nineteen, whether rich or poor, must pay me the same amount of money, weighed according to the official standards.#Ex 38.25,26; Mt 17.24. 16This money is to be used for the upkeep of the sacred tent, and because of it, I will never forget my people.
The large bronze bowl
(Exodus 38.8)
17The LORD said to Moses:
18-21Make a large bronze bowl and a bronze stand for it. Then put them between the altar for sacrifice and the sacred tent, so the priests can wash their hands and feet before entering the tent or offering a sacrifice on the altar. Each priest in every generation must wash himself in this way, or else he will die there.#Ex 38.8.
The oil for dedication and ordination
(Exodus 37.29)
22The LORD said to Moses:#Ex 37.29.
23-25Mix four litres of olive oil with the following costly spices: six kilogrammes of myrrh, three kilogrammes of cinnamon, three kilogrammes of cane, and six kilogrammes of cassia. Measure these according to the official standards. Then use this sacred mixture 26for dedicating the tent and chest, 27the table with its equipment, the lampstand with its equipment, the incense altar with all its utensils, 28the altar for sacrifices, and the large bowl with its stand. 29By dedicating them in this way, you will make them so holy that anyone who even touches them will become holy.
30When you ordain Aaron and his sons as my priests, sprinkle them with some of this oil, 31and say to the people of Israel: “This oil must always be used in the ordination service of a priest. It is holy because it is dedicated to the LORD. 32So treat it as holy! Don't ever use it for everyday purposes or mix any for yourselves. 33If you do, you will no longer belong to the LORD's people.”
The sweet-smelling incense
34-35Mix equal amounts of the costly spices stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, then add salt to make the mixture pure and holy. 36Pound some of it into powder and sprinkle it in front of the sacred chest, where I meet with you. Be sure to treat this incense as something very holy. 37It is truly holy because it is dedicated to me, so don't ever make any for yourselves. 38If you ever make any of it to use as perfume, you will no longer belong to my people.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012