New King James Version

New Living Translation

The Altar of Incense

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

Plans for the Incense Altar

“Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense.

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.

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Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high,a with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself.

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And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a [a]molding of gold all around.

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Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.

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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.

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Make two gold rings, and attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying poles.

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

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

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And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

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Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant,b in front of the Ark’s cover — the place of atonement — that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.c I will meet with you there.

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“Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.

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“Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar.

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And when Aaron lights the lamps [b]at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

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And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the LORD’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation.

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You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it.

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Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.

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And Aaron 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.”

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“Once a year Aaron must purifyd the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the LORD’s most holy altar.”

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The Ransom Money

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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Money for the Tabernacle

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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“When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a[c] ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them.

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“Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the LORD. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them.

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This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord.

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Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the LORD. (This payment is half a shekel,e based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.)

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Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an [d]offering to the Lord.

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All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the LORD.

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The rich 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.

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When this offering is given to the LORD to purify your lives, making you right with him,f the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give less.

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And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall [e]appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”

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Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the Tabernacle.g It will bring the Israelites to the LORD’s attention, and it will purify your lives.”

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The Bronze Laver

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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Plans for the Washbasin

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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“You shall also make a [f]laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it,

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“Make a bronze washbasin with a bronze stand. Place it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water.

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for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it.

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Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there.

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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.

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They must wash with water whenever they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the LORD and when they approach the altar to burn up their special gifts to the LORD — or they will die!

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So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a [g]statute forever to them — to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”

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They must always wash their hands and feet, or they will die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants, to be observed from generation to generation.”

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The Holy Anointing Oil

Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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The Anointing Oil

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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“Also take for yourself quality spices — five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane,

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“Collect choice spices — 12 1/2 pounds of pure myrrh, 6 1/4 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6 1/4 pounds of fragrant calamus,h

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five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.

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and 12 1/2 pounds of cassiai — as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil.j

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And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil.

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Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil.

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With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony;

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Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant,

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

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the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar,

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the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base.

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

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You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them must be holy.

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Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.

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And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests.

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“Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests.

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“And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.

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And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation.

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It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

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It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.

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Whoever [h]compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, shall be [i]cut off from his people.’ ”

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Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.’”

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The Incense

And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.

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The Incense

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices — resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum — and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts.

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You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.

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Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense.

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And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

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Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant,k where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy.

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But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its [j]composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.

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Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the LORD, and you must treat it as holy.

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Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

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Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.”

Parallel

New King James Version

New Living Translation

Exodus 30

Exodus 30