Exodus 30
30
The Altar for Burning Incense
1“Make an altar from acacia wood. You will use this altar for burning incense. 2You must make the altar square—1 cubit#30:2 cubit 20 5/8" (51.83 cm). long and 1 cubit wide. It must be 2 cubits#30:2 2 cubits 3' 4 13/16" (104 cm). high. There will be horns at the four corners. These horns must be made as one piece with the altar. 3Cover the top, the horns, and all four sides of the altar with pure gold. Then put gold trim all around the altar. 4Below this trim there should be two gold rings. There should be two gold rings on opposite sides of the altar. These gold rings will be used with poles to carry the altar. 5Make the poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. 6Put the altar just outside the special curtain that hangs in front of the Box of the Agreement. So the altar will be in front of the mercy-cover that is above the Agreement. This is the place where I will meet with you.
7“Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on the altar every morning. He will do this when he comes to care for the lamps. 8He must burn incense again when he checks the lamps in the evening so that incense will be burned before the Lord every day forever. 9Don’t use this altar for offering any other kind of incense or burnt offering or for any kind of grain offering or drink offering.
10“Once a year Aaron must make a special sacrifice. He will use the blood of the sin offering to erase the sins of the people. He will do this at the horns of this altar. This day will be called the Day of Atonement, and it will be a very special day for the Lord.”
The Temple Tax
11The Lord said to Moses, 12“Count the Israelites so that you will know how many people there are. Every time this is done, each man must make a payment for himself to the Lord so that nothing terrible will happen to the people. 13Each man who is counted must pay 1/2 shekel of silver. (That is 1/2 shekel by the official measure. This shekel weighs 20 gerahs.#30:13 gerahs 1/50 of an ounce (.6 g).) This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 14Every man who is at least 20 years old must be counted. And every man who is counted must give the Lord this offering. 15The rich must not give more than 1/2 shekel, and the poor must not give less than 1/2 shekel. All people will make the same offering to the Lord. This will be a payment for your life. 16Gather this money from the Israelites. Use the money for the service in the Meeting Tent. This payment will be a way for the Lord to remember his people. They will be paying for their own lives.”
The Washing Bowl
17The Lord said to Moses, 18“Make a bronze bowl and put it on a bronze base. You will use this for washing. Put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar. Fill the bowl with water. 19Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet with the water from this bowl. 20Every time they enter the Meeting Tent, they must wash with that water so that they will not die. They must also wash every time they come near the altar to burn incense or to offer gifts to the Lord. 21They must wash their hands and their feet so that they will not die. This will be a law that continues forever for Aaron and his people who will live in the future.”
The Anointing Oil
22Then the Lord said to Moses, 23“Find the finest spices. Get 12 pounds#30:23 12 pounds Literally, “500 measures” (5.75 kg). of liquid myrrh, half that amount (that is, 6 pounds#30:23 6 pounds Literally, “250 measures” (2.9 kg).) of sweet-smelling cinnamon, and 12 pounds of sweet-smelling cane, 24and 12 pounds of cassia. Use the official measure to measure all these things. Also get 1 gallon#30:24 gallon Literally, “a hin” (3.2 l). of olive oil.
25“Mix all these things to make a special sweet-smelling anointing oil. 26Pour this oil on the Meeting Tent and on the Box of the Agreement. This will show that these things have a special purpose. 27Pour the oil on the table and on all the dishes on the table. And pour this oil on the lamp and on all its tools. Pour the oil on the incense altar. 28Also, pour the oil on the altar for burning offerings to God. Pour this oil on everything on that altar. Pour this oil on the bowl and on the base under the bowl. 29You will make all these things holy. They will be very special to the Lord. Anything that touches these things will also become holy.
30“Pour the oil on Aaron and his sons to show that they are separated from the rest of the people to serve as priests. 31Tell the Israelites that the anointing oil is holy—it must always be used only for me. 32This oil is holy and you must treat it as something special. Don’t use the same formula for making perfume and don’t let people use this oil like an ordinary perfume. 33Whoever makes a perfume like that and puts it on anyone except a priest#30:33 priest Literally, “stranger.” must be separated from the people.”
The Incense
34Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get these sweet-smelling spices: resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense. Be sure that you have equal amounts of these spices. 35Mix the spices together to make a sweet-smelling incense. Do this the same as a perfume maker would do it. Also mix salt with this incense. This will make it pure and special. 36Grind some of the incense until it becomes a fine powder. Put the powder in front of the Holy Box that holds the Agreement#30:36 Holy Box that holds the Agreement Literally, “Testimony.” See “Agreement” in the Word List. in the Meeting Tent. This is the place where I meet with you. You must use this incense powder only for its very special purpose. 37You must use it only in this special way for the Lord. You must also make it in a special way. Don’t make any other incense in this way. 38There may be people who will want to make some of this incense for themselves so that they can enjoy the smell. But whoever does this must be separated from their people.”
Currently Selected:
Exodus 30: ERV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Exodus 30
30
The Altar of Incense
1You shall make an altar on which to offer incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2It shall be one cubit long, and one cubit wide; it shall be square, and shall be two cubits high; its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, and its sides all around and its horns; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around. 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 hold the poles with which to carry it. 5You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 6You shall place it in front of the curtain that is above the ark of the covenant,#30.6 Or treaty, or testimony; Heb eduth in front of the mercy seat#30.6 Or the cover that is over the covenant,#30.6 Or treaty, or testimony; Heb eduth where I will meet with you. 7Aaron shall offer fragrant incense on it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall offer it, 8and when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall offer it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 9You shall not offer unholy incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10Once a year Aaron shall perform the rite of atonement on its horns. Throughout your generations he shall perform the atonement for it once a year with the blood of the atoning sin offering. It is most holy to the Lord.
The Half Shekel for the Sanctuary
11The Lord spoke to Moses: 12When you take a census of the Israelites to register them, at registration all of them shall give a ransom for their lives to the Lord, so that no plague may come upon them for being registered. 13This is what each one who is registered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. 14Each one who is registered, 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 the half shekel, when you bring this offering to the Lord to make atonement for your lives. 16You shall take the atonement money from the Israelites and shall designate it for the service of the tent of meeting; before the Lord it will be a reminder to the Israelites of the ransom given for your lives.
The Bronze Basin
17The Lord spoke to Moses: 18You shall make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it; 19with the water#30.19 Heb it Aaron and his sons 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 make 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 be a perpetual ordinance for them, for him and for his descendants throughout their generations.
The Anointing Oil and Incense
22The Lord spoke to Moses: 23Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty of aromatic cane, 24and five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil; 25and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant,#30.26 Or treaty, or testimony; Heb eduth 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 basin with its stand; 29you shall consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them will become holy. 30You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, in order that they may serve me as priests. 31You shall say to the Israelites, “This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32It shall not be used in any ordinary anointing of the body, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from the people.”
34The Lord said to Moses: Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (an equal part of each), 35and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy; 36and you shall beat some of it into powder, and put part of it before the covenant#30.36 Or treaty, or testimony; Heb eduth in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you; it shall be for you most holy. 37When you make incense according to this composition, you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be regarded by you as holy to the Lord. 38Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from the people.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.