< Exodus 30 >

1 “You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.
Thou shalt make also an altar to burn incense, of setim wood.
2 Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit. It shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.
It shall be a cubit in length, and another in breadth, that is, foursquare, and two in height. Horns shall go out of the same.
3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold moulding around it.
And thou shalt overlay it with the purest gold, as well as the grate thereof, as the walls round about and the horns. And thou shalt make to it a crown of gold round about,
4 You shall make two golden rings for it under its moulding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it.
And two golden rings under the crown on either side, that the bars may be put into them, and the altar be carried.
5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
And thou shalt make the bars also of setim wood, and shalt overlay them with gold.
6 You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the covenant, before the mercy seat that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you.
And thou shalt set the altar over against the veil, that hangeth before the ark of the testimony before the propitiatory wherewith the testimony is covered, where I will speak to thee.
7 Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it.
And Aaron shall burn sweet smelling incense upon it in the morning. When he shall dress the lamps, he shall burn it:
8 When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
And when he shall place them in the evening, he shall burn an everlasting incense before the Lord throughout your generations.
9 You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it.
You shall not offer upon it incense of another composition nor oblation, and victim, neither shall you offer libations.
10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”
And Aaron shall pray upon the horns thereof once a year, with the blood of that which was offered for sin, and shall make atonement upon it in your generations. It shall be most holy to the Lord.
11 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
12 “When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are counted amongst them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to the LORD when you count them, that there be no plague amongst them when you count them.
When thou shalt take the sum of the children of Israel according to their number, every one of them shall give a price for their souls to the Lord, and there shall be no scourge among them, when they shall be reckoned.
13 They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs); half a shekel for an offering to the LORD.
And this shall every one give that passeth at the naming, half a sicle according to the standard of the temple. A sicle hath twenty obols. Half a sicle shall be offered to the Lord.
14 Everyone who passes over to those who are counted, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering to the LORD.
He that is counted in the number from twenty years and upwards, shall give the price.
15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.
The rich man shall not add to half a sicle, and the poor man shall diminish nothing.
16 You shall take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.”
And the money received which was contributed by the children of Israel, thou shalt deliver unto the uses of the tabernacle of the testimony, that it may be a memorial of them before the Lord, and he may be merciful to their souls.
17 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, in which to wash. You shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
Thou shalt make also a brazen laver with its foot, to wash in: and thou shalt set it between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar. And water being put into it,
19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it.
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet in it:
20 When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD.
When they are going into the tabernacle of the testimony, and when they are to come to the altar, to offer on it incense to the Lord,
21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. This shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”
Lest perhaps they die. It shall be an everlasting law to him, and to his seed by successions.
22 Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
And the Lord spoke to Moses,
23 “Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels; and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty;
Saying: Take spices, of principal and chosen myrrh five hundred sicles, and of cinnamon half so much, that is, two hundred and fifty sicles, of calamus in like manner two hundred and fifty.
24 and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin of olive oil.
And of cassia five hundred sicles by the weight of the sanctuary, of oil of olives the measure hin:
25 You shall make it into a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.
And thou shalt make the holy oil of unction, an ointment compounded after the art of the perfumer,
26 You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant,
And therewith thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the testimony, and the ark of the testament,
27 the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense,
And the table with the vessels thereof, the candlestick and furniture thereof, the altars of incense,
28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base.
And of holocaust, and all the furniture that belongeth to the service of them.
29 You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
And thou shalt sanctify all, and they shall be most holy: he that shall touch them shall be sanctified.
30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.
Thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and shalt sanctify them, that they may do the office of priesthood unto me.
31 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.
And thou shalt say to the children of Israel: This oil of unction shall be holy unto me throughout your generations.
32 It shall not be poured on man’s flesh, and do not make any like it, according to its composition. It is holy. It shall be holy to you.
The flesh of man shall not be anointed therewith, and you shall make none other of the same composition, because it is sanctified, and shall be holy unto you.
33 Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.’”
What man soever shall compound such, and shall give thereof to a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.
34 The LORD said to Moses, “Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, onycha, and galbanum: sweet spices with pure frankincense. There shall be an equal weight of each.
And the Lord said to Moses: Take unto thee spices, stacte, and onycha, galbanum of sweet savour, and the clearest frankincense, all shall be of equal weight.
35 You shall make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
And thou shalt make incense compounded by the work of the perfumer, well tempered together, and pure, and most worthy of sanctification.
36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the covenant in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy.
And when thou has beaten all into very small powder, thou shalt set of it before the tabernacle of the testimony, in the place where I will appear to thee. Most holy shall this incense be to you.
37 You shall not make this incense, according to its composition, for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for the LORD.
You shall not make such a composition for your own uses, because it is holy to the Lord.
38 Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
What man soever shall make the like, to enjoy the smell thereof, he shall perish out of his people.

< Exodus 30 >