The Altar of Incense (Exodus 37:25–29)
1 UST Make an altar from acacia wood for burning incense. BSB BSB: “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.
2 UST It is to be square, one- half meter on each side. It is to be one meter high. Make{ projections that look like} horns on the same block of wood as the altar. 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 UST Cover the top and the four sides, including the projections, with pure gold. Put a gold molding all around it. BSB BSB: Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.
4 UST Make two gold rings and attach them to the altar below the molding, one on each side of the altar. These rings are to hold the poles for carrying the altar. BSB BSB: And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
5 UST Make these two poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. BSB BSB: Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6 UST Put this incense altar outside the curtain that hangs in front of the sacred chest.(The chest that has a lid covering the stone slabs, where I will talk with 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 UST Aaron must burn sweet- smelling incense on this altar. He must burn some every morning when he takes care of the lamps, BSB BSB: And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.
8 UST and he must burn some in the evening when he lights the lamps. Always keep incense burning for me throughout all future 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 UST Do not burn on the altar any incense that I have not told you to burn, or burn any animal on it, or any flour offering for me, nor pour any wine on it as an offering. 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 UST Once a year, Aaron must take the purifying blood from the annual sacrifice that covers up the bad things people do and put it on the projections on the altar to cover the altar’ s flaws.{ Each high priest} will cover the altar’ s flaws{ this way} throughout all future generations. The altar will be very holy, dedicated to me, Yahweh.” 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 UST Yahweh said to Moses, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
12 UST “Whenever{ your leaders} count to find out how many Israelites there are, each man who{ they} count must pay a price to me to save his life. This is so I do not cause the people to become sick and die when{ the leaders} count 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 UST When a man walks by a leader so he can count him he must pay{ silver} that weighs half of a standard weight.(Use the official tabernacle weight standard, which is about 11 grams.) This half- weight{ of silver} is an offering to me, Yahweh. 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 UST Every man who is at least 20 years old must pay this amount to me, Yahweh, when he walks by a leader so the leader can count him. BSB BSB: Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.
15 UST Rich men must not pay more than this amount, and poor men must not pay less than this amount when they pay this money to me, Yahweh, to save their lives. 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 UST Take the life- saving money from the Israelites and use it for work on the sacred tent. It will remind me, Yahweh, that the Israelites have paid money to save their lives.” 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 UST Yahweh said to Moses, BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
18 UST “Make a bronze washbasin and a bronze base for it. Put it between the sacred tent and the altar and fill it with water. 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 UST Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet in the basin. BSB BSB: with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.
20 UST They must wash with water before they enter the sacred tent so they will not die. Before they come to the altar to burn offerings as sacrifices to me, Yahweh, 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 UST they must wash their hands and their feet so that they will not die. This will be a ritual for them and every generation of men descended from Aaron for all time.” 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 UST Yahweh said to Moses, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 UST “Collect to yourself some of the finest spices— six kilograms of liquid myrrh, and then half that much: three kilograms of sweet- smelling cinnamon, three kilograms of a sweet- smelling cane, 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 UST and six kilograms of cassia.{ Weigh everything} according to the tabernacle standard. Also,{ collect} four liters of olive oil. BSB BSB: 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.
25 UST Make a sacred oil for anointing with these ingredients. A perfume mixer must mix this mixed perfume. It will be a sacred oil for anointing. 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 UST Use this oil to anoint the sacred tent, the sacred chest, BSB BSB: Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,
27 UST the table and all the things that the priests use with it, the lampstand and all the things that the priests use to take care of it, the altar for burning incense, BSB BSB: the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,
28 UST and the altar for burning sacrifices, and all the things that the priests use with it, and the washbasin and its base. BSB BSB: the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
29 UST { In that way,} you will dedicate those items to me. They will be so very holy that they will make anything that touches them holy too. BSB BSB: You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30 UST Dedicate Aaron and his sons to be my priests by anointing them. BSB BSB: Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
31 UST Tell the Israelites,‘This oil will be my sacred oil for anointing throughout all future generations. BSB BSB: And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.
32 UST You must not pour it on the bodies of people{ who are not priests}, and you must not make other oil to be like it by mixing those same things. This oil is reserved for me, and you must consider it sacred. 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 UST You must drive out from Israel anyone who makes a perfume like this or who puts it on anyone who is not a priest.’” BSB BSB: Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
The Incense 34 UST Yahweh also said to Moses,“Collect equal parts of several sweet spices: stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense. BSB BSB: The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,
35 UST A perfume mixer must mix these, along with salt, into a perfumed incense. It will be clean and sacred. BSB BSB: and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36 UST Beat some of it into a fine powder. Then take some of it into the sacred tent and set it in front of the sacred chest where I meet you. You all must consider this incense to be very sacred. 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 UST The people must not mix the same spices to make this incense for themselves. They must consider this incense sacred, only for me, Yahweh. BSB BSB: You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.
38 UST You must drive out from Israel anyone who makes a perfume like this.” BSB BSB: Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”
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