The Altar of Incense
(Exodus 37:25–29)

1“ And you shall make an altar to burn incense. Of acacia wood you shall make it. 2A cubit its length, and a cubit its width. It shall be square, and two cubits its height.† from it its horns shall be. 3And you shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around. 4And you shall make two gold rings for it, under its molding, on two of its sides. You shall place them on both of its flanks, and they will be as holders for poles, to carry it with them. 5And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and you shall overlay them with gold.

6And you shall put it before the face of the veil that is over the ark of the Testimony,† before the face of the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you there. 7And Aaron shall burn on it incense of spices morning by morning; when he makes good the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8And when Aaron lifts up the lamps between the evenings,† he shall burn incense continually before the face of YHWH throughout your⁺ generations. 9You⁺ shall not lift up strange† incense on it, and a burnt offering, and a grain offering; and a drink offering you⁺ shall not pour on it.

10And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once in the year from the blood of the sin offering† of the atonements; once in the year he shall make atonement upon it. Throughout your⁺ generations it is holy of holies† to YHWH.”

The Census Offering
(2 Samuel 24:1–9; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)

11And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 12“When you take up the census of the sons of Israel for their number, then they shall give each man a ransom for his soul to YHWH when numbering them, and there shall not be plague among them when numbering them. 13This they shall give—everyone passing over among those who are numbered—a half shekel† according to the shekel of the sanctuary (twenty gerahs is the shekel).† The half shekel is a contribution to YHWH.

14Everyone passing over among those who are numbered, from a son of twenty years and above, shall give a contribution of YHWH. 15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than the half shekel, to give a contribution of YHWH to make atonement upon your⁺ souls. 16And you shall take the silver of the atonements from the sons of Israel, and you shall give it to the service of the Tent of Meeting, and it shall be for the sons of Israel, for a memorial before the face of YHWH, to make atonement upon your⁺ souls.”

The Bronze Basin
(Exodus 38:8)

17And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 18“And you shall make a basin of bronze, and its stand of bronze, for washing. And you shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and between the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19And Aaron and his sons shall wash from it their hands and their feet. 20When they go into the Tent of Meeting they shall wash with water, and they shall not die; or when they draw near to the altar to minister, to burn a fire offering to YHWH. 21And they shall wash their hands and their feet, and they shall not die; and it shall be to them a statute forever, to him and to his seed throughout their generations.”

The Anointing Oil

22And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 23“And you, take for yourself the finest myrrh: five hundred shekels of liquid spices;† and half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon, two hundred and fifty shekels;† and sweet-smelling cane, two hundred and fifty shekels;† 24and cassia, five hundred shekels,† according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and olive oil, a hin.† 25And you shall make it holy anointing oil, a compounded ointment, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.

26And you shall anoint with it the Tent of Meeting and the Ark of the Testimony, 27and the table and all its vessels, and the lampstand and its vessels, and the altar of incense, 28and the altar of the burnt offering and all its vessels, and the basin and its stand. 29And you shall sanctify them, that they may be holy of holies. All that touches them shall be holy. 30And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons and sanctify them to minister as priests to Me.

31And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘A holy anointing oil this is to Me throughout your⁺ generations. 32On the flesh of man it shall not be poured, and with its proportion you⁺ shall make no other like it. It is holy; it shall be holy to you⁺. 33A man who compounds like it, and whoever puts from it on an outsider, he shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

34And YHWH said to Moses, “Take unto you spices—gum resin, and onycha, and galbanum—spices and pure frankincense; there shall be part for part. 35And you shall make it incense, a compound, the work of a perfumer; salted, pure, and holy. 36And you shall grind some of it very fine and put some of it before the face of the Testimony† in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you there. It shall be holy of holies to you⁺. 37And the incense that you shall make with its proportion, you⁺ shall not make for yourselves. It shall be Holy to you for YHWH. 38A man who makes something like it to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

Footnotes:

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).
6 That is, the ark of the covenant; also in verse 26
8 That is, at twilight
9 Or unauthorized
10 Or purification offering
10 Or most holy; also in verses 29 and 36
13 A half shekel is approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams; also in verse 15.
13 20 gerahs is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).
23 500 shekels is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of myrrh.
23 250 shekels is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cinnamon.
23 250 shekels is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cane.
24 500 shekels is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of cassia.
24 A hin is approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters of olive oil.
36 The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.