Exodus 30
30
The Altar for Incense
(Exodus 37:25–29)
1 ⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Build an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense. 2Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high. The horns and altar must be made out of one piece ⌞of wood⌟. 3Cover all of it with pure gold—the top, the sides, and the horns. Put a gold molding around it. 4Make two gold rings, and put them below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles for carrying it. 5Make the poles out of acacia wood, and cover them with gold. 6Put the altar in front of the canopy which ⌞hangs⌟ over the ark containing the words of my promise. I will meet with you there in front of the throne of mercy that is on the ark.
7“Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on this altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps. 8Also, when Aaron lights the lamps at dusk, he must burn incense. For generations to come an incense offering must burn constantly in the Lord’s presence.
9“Never burn any unauthorized incense on this altar or any burnt offerings or grain offerings. Never pour a wine offering on it. 10Once a year Aaron must make peace with the Lord by putting blood on its horns. Once a year—for generations to come—blood from the offering must be placed on the altar to make peace with the Lord. It is most holy to the Lord.”
Counting the Israelites
11Then the Lord said to Moses, 12“When you take a census of the Israelites, each person must pay the Lord a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will happen to them when they are counted. 13As each person is counted, he must give one-fifth of an ounce of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.#30:13 Hebrew adds, “There are 20 gerahs to the standard shekel.” This one-fifth of an ounce of silver is a contribution to the Lord. 14Everyone counted who is at least 20 years old must give this contribution to the Lord. 15The rich must not give more than one-fifth of an ounce of silver, and the poor must not give less. This contribution is given to make peace with the Lord and make your lives acceptable to the Lord. 16Take the money the Israelites give to make peace with the Lord, and use it to pay the expenses of the tent of meeting. It will be a reminder for the Israelites in the Lord’s presence that the sins in their lives are removed.”
The Bronze Basin
(Exodus 38:8)
17The Lord said to Moses, 18“Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and fill it with water. 19Aaron and his sons will use it for washing their hands and feet. 20Before they go into the tent of meeting, they must wash so that they will not die. Before they come near the altar to serve as priests and burn an offering by fire to the Lord, 21they will wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This will be a permanent law for him and his descendants for generations to come.”
The Oil for Anointing
22The Lord said to Moses, 23“Take the finest spices: 12½ pounds of powdered #30:23 Or “liquid.” myrrh; half as much, that is, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cinnamon; 6¼ pounds of fragrant cane; 2412½ pounds of cassia—all weighed using the standard weight of the holy place—and 4 quarts of olive oil. 25Have a perfumer make these into a holy oil, a fragrant mixture, used only for anointing. This will be the holy oil used for anointing.
26“Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise, 27the table and all the dishes, the lamp stand and all the utensils, the altar for incense, 28the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, and the basin with its stand. 29In this way you will dedicate them for their holy purpose. Then they will be most holy, and anything that touches them will become holy. 30Anoint Aaron and his sons as well. In this way you will set them apart for their holy duties of serving me as priests.
31“Say to the Israelites, ‘For generations to come, this will be my holy oil used only for anointing. 32It must never be poured on the bodies of other people. Never make any perfumed oil using this formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. 33Whoever prepares a perfume like this or puts it on anyone who is not a priest must be excluded from the people.’ ”
The Incense for Use in the Tent
34The Lord said to Moses, “Take one part fragrant spices (two kinds of gum resin and aromatic mollusk shells), and mix them with one part pure frankincense. 35Have a perfumer make it into fragrant incense, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36Grind some of it into a fine powder, and put it in front of ⌞the ark containing⌟ the words of my promise in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You must treat it as most holy. 37Never make any incense for yourselves using this formula. Treat it as holy to the Lord. 38Whoever prepares anything like it for his own enjoyment must be excluded from his people.”
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
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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