The Altar of Incense (Exodus 37:25–29)
1 DBY And thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense: of acacia-wood shalt thou make it; BSB BSB: “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.
2 DBY a cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof — square shall it be; and two cubits its height; of itself shall be its horns. 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 DBY And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make upon it a 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 DBY And two rings of gold shalt thou make for it under its border; by its two corners shalt thou make them , on the two sides thereof; and they shall be for receptacles for the staves, with which to carry it. BSB BSB: And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
5 DBY And thou shalt make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. BSB BSB: Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6 DBY And thou shalt put it in front of the veil which is before the ark of the testimony in front of the mercy-seat which is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. 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 DBY And Aaron shall burn thereon fragrant incense: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn the incense. BSB BSB: And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.
8 DBY And when Aaron lighteth the lamps between the two evenings, he shall burn the incense — a continual incense before Jehovah 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 DBY Ye shall offer up no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor oblation; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon. 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 DBY And Aaron shall make atonement for its horns once in the year: with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement shall he make atonement for it, once in the year, throughout your generations: it is most holy to Jehovah. 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 DBY And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
12 DBY When thou shalt take the sum of the children of Israel according to those of them that are numbered, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah on their being numbered, that there be no plague among them on their being numbered. 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 DBY This shall they give — every one that passeth among them that are numbered — half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, — twenty gerahs the shekel; a half shekel shall be the heave-offering for Jehovah. 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 DBY Every one that passeth among those that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give the heave-offering of Jehovah. BSB BSB: Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.
15 DBY The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when ye give the heave-offering of Jehovah, 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 DBY And thou shalt take the atonement-money of the children of Israel, and devote it to the service of the tent of meeting; and it shall be a memorial to the children of Israel before Jehovah, 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 DBY And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
18 DBY Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water in 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 DBY And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet out of it. BSB BSB: with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.
20 DBY When they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they come near to the altar to serve, to burn an offering by fire to Jehovah. 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 DBY And they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they may not die; and it shall be an everlasting statute for them, for him and for his seed throughout their generations. 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 DBY And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 DBY And thou, take best spices — of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels , and of sweet cinnamon the half — two hundred and fifty, and of sweet myrtle 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 DBY and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin; BSB BSB: 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.
25 DBY and make of it an oil of holy ointment, a perfume of perfumery after the work of the perfumer: it shall be the 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 DBY And thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony, BSB BSB: Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,
27 DBY and the table and all its utensils, and the lamp-stand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, BSB BSB: the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,
28 DBY and the altar of burnt-offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. BSB BSB: the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
29 DBY And thou shalt hallow them, that they may be most holy: whatever toucheth them shall be holy. BSB BSB: You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30 DBY And Aaron and his sons thou shalt anoint, and shalt hallow them, that they may serve me as priests. BSB BSB: Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
31 DBY And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, A holy anointing oil shall this be unto 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 DBY Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, after the preparation of it: it is holy — holy shall it be unto 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 DBY Whoever compoundeth any like it, or whoever putteth any of it upon any strange thing, shall be cut off from his peoples. BSB BSB: Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
The Incense 34 DBY And Jehovah said to Moses, Take fragrant drugs — stacte, and onycha, and galbanum — fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be. BSB BSB: The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,
35 DBY And thou shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy. BSB BSB: and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36 DBY And thou shalt beat some of it to powder, and put some of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. 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 DBY And the incense that thou shalt make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah. BSB BSB: You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.
38 DBY Whoever maketh like unto it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his peoples. BSB BSB: Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”