The Altar of Incense (Exodus 37:25–29)
1 Brenton And thou shalt make the altar of incense of incorruptible wood. BSB BSB: “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.
2 Brenton And thou shalt make it a cubit in length, and a cubit in breadth: it shall be square; and the height of it shall be of two cubits, its horns shall be of the same piece. BSB BSB: It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns must be of one piece.
3 Brenton And thou shalt gild its grate with pure gold, and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou shalt make for it a wreathen border of gold round-about. BSB BSB: Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.
4 Brenton And thou shalt make under its wreathen border two rings of pure gold; thou shalt make it to the two corners on the two sides, and they shall be bearings for the staves, so as to bear it with them. BSB BSB: And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
5 Brenton And thou shalt make the staves of incorruptible wood, and shalt gild them with gold. BSB BSB: Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6 Brenton And thou shalt set it before the veil that is over the ark of the testimonies, wherein I will make myself known to thee from thence. BSB BSB: Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.
7 Brenton And Aaron shall burn upon it fine compound incense every morning; whensoever he trims the lamps he shall burn incense upon it. BSB BSB: And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.
8 Brenton And when Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he shall burn incense upon it; a constant incense-offering always before the Lord for their generations. BSB BSB: When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.
9 Brenton And thou shalt not offer strange incense upon it, nor an offering made by fire, nor a sacrifice; and thou shalt not pour a drink-offering upon it. BSB BSB: On this altar you must not offer unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.
10 Brenton And once in the year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns, he shall purge it with the blood of purification for their generations: it is most holy to the Lord. BSB BSB: Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”
The Census Offering (2 Samuel 24:1–9; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)
11 Brenton And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
12 Brenton If thou take account of the children of Israel in the surveying of them, and they shall give every one a ransom for his soul to the Lord, then there shall not be among them a destruction in the visiting of them. BSB BSB: “When you take a census of the Israelites to number them, each man must pay the LORD a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will come upon them when they are numbered.
13 Brenton And this is what they shall give, as many as pass the survey, half a didrachm which is according to the didrachm of the sanctuary: twenty oboli go to the didrachm, but the half of the didrachm is the offering to the Lord. BSB BSB: Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.
14 Brenton Every one that passes the survey from twenty years old and upwards shall give the offering to the Lord. BSB BSB: Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.
15 Brenton The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than the half didrachm in giving the offering to the Lord, to make atonement for your souls. BSB BSB: In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.
16 Brenton And thou shalt take the money of the offering from the children of Israel, and shalt give it for the service of the tabernacle of testimony; and it shall be to the children of Israel a memorial before the Lord, to make atonement for your souls. BSB BSB: Take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to make atonement for your lives.”
The Bronze Basin (Exodus 38:8)
17 Brenton And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
18 Brenton Make a brazen laver, and a brazen base for it, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of witness and the altar, and thou shalt pour forth water into it. BSB BSB: “You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it,
19 Brenton And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet with water from it. BSB BSB: with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.
20 Brenton Whensoever they shall go into the tabernacle of witness, they shall wash themselves with water, so they shall not die, whensoever they advance to the altar to do service and to offer the whole burnt-offerings to the Lord. BSB BSB: Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.
21 Brenton They shall wash their hands and feet with water, whensoever they shall go into the tabernacle of witness; they shall wash themselves with water, that they die not; and it shall be for them a perpetual statute, for him and his posterity after him. BSB BSB: Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”
The Anointing Oil 22 Brenton And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 Brenton Do thou also take sweet herbs, the flower of choice myrrh five hundred shekels, and the half of this two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cinnamon, and two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling calamus, BSB BSB: “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,
24 Brenton and of cassia five hundred shekels of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. BSB BSB: 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.
25 Brenton And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfumed ointment tempered by the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. BSB BSB: Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.
26 Brenton And thou shalt anoint with it the tabernacle of witness, and the ark of the tabernacle of witness, BSB BSB: Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,
27 Brenton and all its furniture, and the candlestick and all its furniture, and the altar of incense, BSB BSB: the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,
28 Brenton and the altar of whole burnt-offerings and all its furniture, and the table and all its furniture, and the laver. BSB BSB: the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
29 Brenton And thou shalt sanctify them, and they shall be most holy: every one that touches them shall be hallowed. BSB BSB: You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30 Brenton And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them that they may minister to me as priests. BSB BSB: Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
31 Brenton And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, This shall be to you a holy anointing oil throughout your generations. BSB BSB: And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.
32 Brenton On man's flesh it shall not be poured, and ye shall not make any for yourselves according to this composition: it is holy, and shall be holiness to you. BSB BSB: It must not be used to anoint an ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.
33 Brenton Whosoever shall make it in like manner, and whosoever shall give of it to a stranger, shall be destroyed from among his people. BSB BSB: Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
The Incense 34 Brenton And the Lord said to Moses, Take for thyself sweet herbs, stacte, onycha, sweet galbanum, and transparent frankincense; there shall be an equal weight of each. BSB BSB: The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,
35 Brenton And they shall make with it perfumed incense, tempered with the art of a perfumer, a pure holy work. BSB BSB: and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36 Brenton And of these thou shalt beat some small, and thou shalt put it before the testimonies in the tabernacle of testimony, whence I will make myself known to thee: it shall be to you a most holy incense. BSB BSB: Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
37 Brenton Ye shall not make any for yourselves according to this composition; it shall be to you a holy thing for the Lord. BSB BSB: You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.
38 Brenton Whosoever shall make any in like manner, so as to smell it, shall perish from his people. BSB BSB: Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”