Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version

1"You are to make an altar for the burning of incense; make it of acacia wood.

1“You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

2It must be square, eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide; it must be thirty-six inches high. Its horns must be of one piece with it.

2A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.

3Overlay its top, all around its sides, and its horns with pure gold; make a gold molding all around it.

3You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.

4Make two gold rings for it under the molding on two of its sides; put these on opposite sides of it to be holders for the poles to carry it with.

4And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.

5Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

5You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

6"You are to place the altar in front of the curtain by the ark of the testimony--in front of the mercy seat that is over the testimony--where I will meet with you.

6And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.

7Aaron must burn fragrant incense on it; he must burn it every morning when he tends the lamps.

7And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it,

8When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn incense. There is to be an incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.

8and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.

9You must not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt or grain offering; you are not to pour a drink offering on it.

9You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.

10"Once a year Aaron is to perform the atonement ceremony for the altar. Throughout your generations he is to perform the atonement ceremony for it once a year, with the blood of the sin offering for atonement on the horns. The altar is especially holy to the LORD."

10Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”

11The LORD spoke to Moses:

11The LORD said to Moses,

12"When you take a census of the Israelites to register them, each of the men must pay a ransom for his life to the LORD as they are registered. Then no plague will come on them as they are registered.

12“When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.

13Everyone who is registered must pay half a shekel according to the sanctuary shekel (twenty gerahs to the shekel). This half shekel is a contribution to the LORD.

13Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the LORD.

14Each man who is registered, twenty years old or more, must give this contribution to the LORD.

14Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the LORD’s offering.

15The wealthy may not give more and the poor may not give less than half a shekel when giving the contribution to the LORD to atone for your lives.

15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD’s offering to make atonement for your lives.

16Take the atonement price from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will serve as a reminder for the Israelites before the LORD to atone for your lives."

16You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the LORD, so as to make atonement for your lives.”

17The LORD spoke to Moses:

17The LORD said to Moses,

18"Make a bronze basin for washing and a bronze stand for it. Set it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

18“You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it,

19Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet from the basin.

19with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.

20Whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister by burning an offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.

20When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die.

21They must wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this is to be a permanent statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations."

21They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”

22The LORD spoke to Moses:

22The LORD said to Moses,

23"Take for yourself the finest spices: 12 1/2 pounds of liquid myrrh, half as much (6 1/4 pounds) of fragrant cinnamon, 6 1/4 pounds of fragrant cane,

23“Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane,

2412 1/2 pounds of cassia (by the sanctuary shekel), and a gallon of olive oil.

24and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.

25Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a scented blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be holy anointing oil.

25And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.

26"With it you are to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony,

26With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,

27the table with all its utensils, the lampstand with its utensils, the altar of incense,

27and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

28the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.

28and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand.

29Consecrate them and they will be especially holy. Whatever touches them will be consecrated.

29You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.

30Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve me as priests.

30You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.

31"Tell the Israelites: This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.

31And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.

32It must not be used for ordinary anointing on a person's body, and you must not make anything like it using its formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.

32It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

33Anyone who blends something like it or puts some of it on an unauthorized person must be cut off from his people."

33Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

34The LORD said to Moses: "Take fragrant spices: stacte, onycha, and galbanum; the spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures.

34The LORD said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part),

35Prepare expertly blended incense from these; it is to be seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

35and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

36Grind some of it into a fine powder and put some in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It must be especially holy to you.

36You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you.

37As for the incense you are making, you must not make any for yourselves using its formula. It is to be regarded by you as holy--belonging to the LORD.

37And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the LORD.

38Anyone who makes something like it to smell its fragrance must be cut off from his people."

38Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.