Exodus 30
The Altar of Incense
“You shall make aan altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width—it shall be square—and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around. 4 Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it before the aveil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the bmercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.
7 “Aaron shall burn on it asweet incense every morning; when bhe tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8 And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer astrange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. 10 And aAaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
The Ransom Money
11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 a“When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give ba ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no cplague among them when you number them. 13 aThis is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary b(a shekel is twenty gerahs). cThe half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the Lord. 15 The arich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and ashall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be ba memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”
The Bronze Laver
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 18 a“You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall bput it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons ashall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And ait shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”
The Holy Anointing Oil
22 Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Also take for yourself aquality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid bmyrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling ccane, 24 five hundred shekels of acassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a bhin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be aa holy anointing oil. 26 aWith it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; awhatever touches them must be holy. 30 aAnd you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests.
31 “And 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; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. aIt is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 aWhoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, bshall be cut off from his people.’ ”
The Incense
34 And the Lord said to Moses: a“Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound aaccording to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting awhere I will meet with you. bIt shall be most holy to you. 37 But as for the incense which you shall make, ayou shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. 38 aWhoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson.
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