The Altar of Incense (Exodus 37:25–29)
1 CPDV “You shall also make an altar, for the burning of incense, from setim wood, BSB BSB: “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.
2 CPDV having one cubit in length, and another in width, that is, four equal sides, and two cubits in height. Horns shall proceed from the same. 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 CPDV And you shall clothe it with the purest gold, both its grating and the walls around it, and also the horns. And you shall make for it a crown of gold in a circle, BSB BSB: Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.
4 CPDV and two gold rings under the crown on each side, so that the bars may be set in them and the altar may be carried. BSB BSB: And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
5 CPDV Also, you shall make its bars of setim wood, and you shall overlay them with gold. BSB BSB: Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6 CPDV And you shall set the altar opposite the veil, which hangs in front of the ark of the testimony, before the propitiatory with which the testimony is covered, where I will speak to you. 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 CPDV And Aaron shall burn incense upon it, a sweet fragrance, in the morning. When he lights the lamps, he shall burn it. BSB BSB: And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.
8 CPDV And when he assembles them in the evening, he shall burn an everlasting incense before the Lord throughout your 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 CPDV You shall not offer upon it incense of another composition, nor an oblation, nor a victim; neither shall you offer libations. 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 CPDV And Aaron shall pray over its horns once a year, with the blood of what was offered for sin. And he shall make atonement over it in your generations. It shall be the Holy of holies 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 CPDV And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
12 CPDV “When you have taken the sum of the sons of Israel, according to their number, each shall give a price for their souls to the Lord, and there will be no scourge among them, when they will be reviewed. 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 CPDV Then all those who pass shall give by name: one half shekel, according to the measure at the temple. A shekel has twenty obols. The half part of a shekel shall be offered 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 CPDV He who has been numbered from twenty years and above shall give the price. BSB BSB: Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.
15 CPDV The rich shall not add to the half shekel, and the poor shall diminish nothing. 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 CPDV And the money received, which was collected from the sons of Israel, you shall deliver for the uses of the tabernacle of the testimony, so that it may be a memorial of them before the Lord, and he may act favorably toward their 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 CPDV And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
18 CPDV “You shall also make a bronze washtub with its base to wash in; and you shall place it between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar. And when water has been added, 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 CPDV Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet in it: BSB BSB: with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.
20 CPDV when they enter the tabernacle of the testimony, and when they approach to the altar so as to offer incense to the Lord upon it, 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 CPDV otherwise, they may die. This shall be an everlasting law to him, and to his offspring, throughout their successions.” 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 CPDV And the Lord spoke to Moses, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 CPDV saying: “Take for yourself aromatics: of the first and best myrrh, five hundred shekels, and of cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred and fifty shekels; of sweet flag similarly two hundred and fifty, 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 CPDV but of cassia, five hundred shekels by the weight of the sanctuary, and of the oil of olives the measure of a hin. BSB BSB: 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.
25 CPDV And you shall make the holy oil of unction, an ointment composed with the skills of a perfumer, 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 CPDV and with it you shall anoint the tabernacle of the testimony, and the ark of the testament, BSB BSB: Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,
27 CPDV and the table with its vessels, and the lampstand and its utensils, the altars of incense BSB BSB: the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,
28 CPDV and of holocaust, and all the items that pertain to their rituals. BSB BSB: the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
29 CPDV And you shall sanctify everything, and they shall be the Holy of holies. He who will touch them must be sanctified. BSB BSB: You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30 CPDV You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and you shall sanctify them, so that they may exercise the priesthood for me. BSB BSB: Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
31 CPDV Likewise, you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘This oil of unction will be holy to me 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 CPDV The flesh of man shall not be anointed from it, and you shall not make any similar compound, for it has been sanctified and it shall be holy 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 CPDV Whatever man will have composed such a thing and have given it to a stranger, he shall be exterminated from 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 CPDV And the Lord said to Moses: “Take to yourself aromatics: stacte, and onycha, galbanum of sweet odor, and the clearest frankincense, all these shall be of equal weight. BSB BSB: The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,
35 CPDV And you shall make incense composed with the skills of a perfumer, diligently mixed, and pure, and most worthy of sanctification. BSB BSB: and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36 CPDV And when you have crushed all these into a very fine powder, you shall place some of it before the tabernacle of the testimony, in the place where I will appear to you. The Holy of holies shall this incense be to you. 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 CPDV You shall not make such a compound for your own uses, because it is holy to 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 CPDV Whatever man will have made anything similar, so as to thoroughly enjoy its smell, he shall perish from his people.” BSB BSB: Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”