The Altar of Incense (Exodus 37:25–29)
1 WBS And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. BSB BSB: “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.
2 WBS A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be its hight: its horns shall be of 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 WBS And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou shalt make to it a crown 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 WBS And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by its two corners, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it ; and they shall be for places for the staffs to bear it with. BSB BSB: And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
5 WBS And thou shalt make the staffs of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. BSB BSB: Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6 WBS And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that 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 WBS And Aaron shall burn upon it sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth 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 WBS And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense upon it; a perpetual 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 WBS Ye shall offer no strange incense upon it, nor burnt-sacrifice, nor meat-offering; neither shall ye pour 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 WBS And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year, with the blood of the sin-offering of atonements: once in a year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your 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 WBS And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
12 WBS When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when thou numberest them: that there may be no plague among them, when thou numberest 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 WBS This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) a half shekel shall be the offering of 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 WBS Every one that passeth among them that are numbered from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. BSB BSB: Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.
15 WBS The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering to the LORD to make an 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 WBS And thou shalt take the atonement-money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial to the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an 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 WBS And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
18 WBS Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and its foot also of brass, to wash in : and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 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 WBS For Aaron and their sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: BSB BSB: with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.
20 WBS When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not: or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire 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 WBS So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to 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 WBS Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 WBS Take thou also to thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels , and of sweet cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty shekels , and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels , 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 WBS And of cassia five hundred shekels , 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 WBS And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: 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 WBS And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation 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 WBS And the table and all its vessels, and the candlestick and its vessels, and the altar of incense, BSB BSB: the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,
28 WBS And the altar of burnt-offering with all its vessels, and the laver and its foot. BSB BSB: the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
29 WBS And thou shalt sanctify 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 WBS And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office. BSB BSB: Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
31 WBS And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil 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 WBS Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, 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 WBS Whoever compoundeth any like it, or whoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off 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 WBS And the LORD said to Moses, Take to thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight : BSB BSB: The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,
35 WBS And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: BSB BSB: and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36 WBS And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be to 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 WBS And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to its composition: it shall be to thee holy 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 WBS Whoever shall make the like to that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people. BSB BSB: Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”