Exodus 30
1 “[Tell the skilled workers to] make an altar from acacia wood, for burning incense.
And you shall make the altar of incense of incorruptible wood.
2 It is to be square, (18 in./45 cm.) on each side. It is to be (3 feet/90 cm.) high. [Tell them to] make [a projection that looks like] a horn on each of the top corners. The projections must be carved from the same block of wood that the altar [is made from].
And you shall make it a cubit in length, and a cubit in breadth: it shall be square; and the height of it shall be of two cubits, its horns shall be of the same piece.
3 [They must] cover the top and the four sides, including the projections, with pure gold. Put a gold border around the altar, [near the top].
And you shall gild its grate with pure gold, and its sides round about, and its horns; and you shall make for it a wreathen border of gold roundabout.
4 [They must] make two gold rings for carrying the altar. [They must] attach them to the altar below the border, one on each side of the altar. These rings are for the poles for carrying the altar.
And you shall make under its wreathen border two rings of pure gold; you shall make it to the two corners on the two sides, and they shall be bearings for the staves, so as to bear it with them.
5 [Tell them to] make these [two] poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold.
And you shall make the staves of incorruptible wood, and shall gild them with gold.
6 [They must] put this altar outside the curtain that hangs in front of the sacred chest and its lid. That is the place where I will talk with you.
And you shall set it before the veil that is over the ark of the testimonies, wherein I will make myself known to you from thence.
7 Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on this altar. He must burn some every morning when he takes care of the lamps,
And Aaron shall burn upon it fine compound incense every morning; whenever he trims the lamps he shall burn incense upon it.
8 and he must burn some in the evening when he lights the lamps. The incense must be burned continually, throughout all future generations.
And when Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he shall burn incense upon it; a constant incense-offering always before the Lord for their generations.
9 The priests must not burn on the altar any incense that I have not told you to burn, or burn any animal on it, or any grain offering for me, or pour any wine on it as an offering.
And you shall not offer strange incense upon it, [nor] and offering made by fire, [nor] a sacrifice; and you shall not pour a drink-offering upon it.
10 One time every year Aaron must perform the ritual for making this altar pure. He must do it by putting on its four projections some of the blood from the animal that was sacrificed (to remove the guilt of the people’s sins/so that the people would no longer be guilty for sins). This ritual is to be done by Aaron and his descendants throughout all future generations. This altar must be completely dedicated to me, Yahweh.”
And once in the year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns, he shall purge it with the blood of purification for their generations: it is most holy to the Lord.
11 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
12 “When your [leaders] (take a census of/count) the Israeli people, each man [who is counted] must pay to me a price to save his life. They must do this in order that no disaster will happen to them while the people are being counted.
If you take account of the children of Israel in the surveying of them, and they shall give every one a ransom for his soul to the Lord, then there shall not be among them a destruction in the visiting of them.
13 Every man who is counted must pay to me (0.2 ounces/5.7 grams) of silver. They must use the official standard when they weigh the silver.
And this is what they shall give, as many as pass the survey, half a didrachm which is according to the didrachm of the sanctuary: twenty oboli [go to] the didrachm, but the half of the didrachm is the offering to the Lord.
14 All the men who are at least 20 years old must pay this amount to me when the people are counted.
Every one that passes the survey from twenty years old and upwards shall give the offering to the Lord.
15 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 save their lives.
The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than the half didrachm in giving the offering to the Lord, to make atonement for your souls.
16 Your leaders must collect this money from the Israeli people and give it to [those who will] take care of the Sacred Tent. This money is the payment for the lives of those who take care of the Sacred Tent, (to enable me not to forget them/and then I will remember to protect them).”
And you shall take the money of the offering from the children of Israel, and shall give it for the service of the tabernacle of testimony; and it shall be to the children of Israel a memorial before the Lord, to make atonement for your souls.
17 Yahweh [also] said to Moses/me,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
18 “[Tell the skilled workers to] make a bronze washbasin and a bronze base for it. [They must] put it between the Sacred Tent and the altar, and fill it with water.
Make a brazen laver, and a brazen base for it, for washing; and you shall put it between the tabernacle of witness and the altar, and you shall pour forth water into it.
19 Aaron and his sons must ritually wash their hands and their feet with this water
And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet with water from it.
20 before they enter the Sacred Tent and before they come to the altar to sacrifice offerings that will be burned on it. If [they do that], they will not die [because of disobeying my instructions].
Whenever they shall go into the tabernacle of witness, they shall wash themselves with water, so they shall not die, whenever they advance to the altar to do service and to offer the whole burnt offerings to the Lord.
21 They must wash their hands and their feet, in order that they will not die. They and the males descended from them must obey this ritual throughout all generations.”
They shall wash their hands and feet with water, whenever they shall go into the tabernacle of witness; they shall wash themselves with water, that they die not; and it shall be for them a perpetual statute, for him and his posterity after him.
22 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
23 “[Tell the people to] collect some of the finest spices— (12 pounds/6 kg.) of (liquid myrrh/sweet-smelling sap named myrrh), (6 pounds/3 kg.) of sweet-smelling cinnamon, (6 pounds/3 kg.) of a sweet-smelling cane/reed,
Do you also take sweet herbs, the flower of choice myrrh five hundred shekels, and the half of this two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet smelling cinnamon, and two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet smelling calamus,
24 and (12 pounds/6 kg.) of (cassia/a sweet-smelling bark named cassia). [Be sure] that they use the official standard when they weigh these things. Tell an expert perfumer to mix these with (one gallon/four liters) of olive oil
and of cassia five hundred shekels of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.
25 to make sacred oil for anointing.
And you shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfumed ointment [tempered] by the are of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.
26 Use this oil for anointing the Sacred Tent, the sacred chest,
And you shall anoint with it the tabernacle of witness, and the ark of the tabernacle of witness,
27 the table and all the things that are used with it, the lampstand and all the things that are used to take care of it, the altar for [burning] incense,
and all its furniture, and the candlestick and all its furniture, and the altar of incense,
28 and the altar for offering sacrifices that will be burned, along with its bases and the washbasin and all the things that are used with it.
and the altar of whole burnt offerings and all its furniture, and the table and all its furniture, and the laver.
29 Dedicate them by anointing them, in order that they will be completely holy/sacred. Anyone or anything that touches the altar will become taboo.
And you shall sanctify them, and they shall be most holy: every one that touches them shall be hallowed.
30 And anoint Aaron and his sons. [By doing that], you will dedicate them to serve me [by being] priests.
And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them that they may minister to me as priests.
31 And tell the Israeli people, ‘This oil will be my sacred anointing oil that must be used throughout all future generations.
And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, This shall be to you a holy anointing oil throughout your generations.
32 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 the same amount of those things. This oil is sacred, and you must consider it to be sacred.’
On man's flesh it shall not be poured, and you shall not make [any] for yourselves according to this composition: it is holy, and shall be holiness to you.
33 I will consider that anyone who makes ointment like this [for any other purpose], and anyone who puts any of this ointment on someone who is not a priest, no longer be allowed to associate with my people.”
Whosoever shall make it in like manner, and whoever shall give of it to a stranger, shall be destroyed from among his people.
34 Yahweh also said to Moses/me, “[Tell the people to] take equal parts of several sweet spices—stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—
And the Lord said to Moses, Take for yourself sweet herbs, stacte, onycha, sweet galbanum, and transparent frankincense; there shall be an equal weight of each.
35 and tell an expert perfumer to mix them together to make some perfume. Add some salt to keep it pure and make it holy.
And they shall make with it perfumed incense, tempered with the are of a perfumer, a pure holy work.
36 Beat some of it into a fine powder. Then take some of it into the Sacred Tent and sprinkle it in front of the sacred chest. You must all consider this incense to be very holy.
And of these you shall beat some small, and you shall put it before the testimonies in the tabernacle of testimony, whence I will make myself known to you: it shall be to you a most holy incense.
37 The people must not mix the same spices to make incense for themselves. This incense must be completely dedicated to me, Yahweh.
You shall not make any for yourselves according to this composition; it shall be to you a holy thing for the Lord.
38 I will consider that anyone who makes incense like this to use it for perfume will no longer be allowed to associate with my people.”
Whosoever shall make any in like manner, so as to smell it, shall perish from his people.
