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The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

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- Chapter 30 -

(Exodus 37:25–29)
1
“You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.
2
It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high.(a) Its horns must be of one piece.
3
Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.
4
And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
5
Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6
Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony (b)—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.
7
And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.
8
When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight,(c) he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.
9
On this altar you must not offer unauthorized (d) incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.
10
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 (e) of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”

The Census Offering

(2 Samuel 24:1–9; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)
11
Then the LORD said to Moses,
12
“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
Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel,(f) according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.(g) This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.
14
Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.
15
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
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
And the LORD said to Moses,
18
“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
with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.
20
Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.
21
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
Then the LORD said to Moses,
23
“Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh,(h) half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon,(i) 250 shekels of fragrant cane,(j)
24
500 shekels of cassia (k)—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.(l)
25
Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.
26
Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,
27
the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,
28
the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
29
You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30
Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
31
And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.
32
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
Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

34
The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,
35
and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36
Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony (m) in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
37
You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.
38
Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”

Footnotes

(a)30:2 The altar was approximately 1.5 feet in length and width, and 3 feet high (45.7 centimeters in length and width, and 91.4 centimeters high).
(b)30:6 That is, the ark of the covenant; also in verse 26
(c)30:8 Hebrew between the two evenings
(d)30:9 Or strange
(e)30:10 Or purification offering
(f)30:13 A half shekel is approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams; also in verse 15.
(g)30:13 20 gerahs is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).
(h)30:23 500 shekels is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of myrrh.
(i)30:23 250 shekels is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cinnamon.
(j)30:23 250 shekels is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cane.
(k)30:24 500 shekels is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of cassia.
(l)30:24 A hin is approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters of olive oil.
(m)30:36 The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
(Exodus 37:25–29)
1
“You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.
2
Its length shall be a cubit,(a) 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.
3
You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding around it.
4
You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; 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.
5
You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and 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.
7
Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends 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.
9
You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it.
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.”

The Census Offering

(2 Samuel 24:1–9; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)
11
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12
“When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are counted among them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to the LORD when you count them, that there be no plague among them when you count them.
13
They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel (b) of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs (c)); half a shekel for an offering 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.
15
The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel,(d) when they give the offering of the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.
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.”

The Bronze Basin

(Exodus 38:8)
17
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.
19
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their 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.
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.”

The Anointing Oil

22
Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
23
“Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels;(e) and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty;
24
and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin (f) of olive oil.
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.
26
You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant,
27
the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense,
28
the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base.
29
You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30
You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.
31
You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to 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.
33
Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

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.
35
You shall make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
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.
37
You shall not make this incense, according to its composition, for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for the LORD.
38
Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

Footnotes

(a)30:2 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.
(b)30:13 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.
(c)30:13 a gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains
(d)30:15 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.
(e)30:23 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 500 shekels is about 5 kilograms or about 11 pounds.
(f)30:24 A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons.
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