New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Plans for the Incense Altar

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

The Altar of Incense

And thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense: of acacia-wood shalt thou make it;

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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a cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof -- square shall it be; and two cubits its height; of itself shall be its horns.

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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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And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make upon it a border of gold round about.

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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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And two rings of gold shalt thou make for it under its border; by its two corners shalt thou make [them], on the two sides thereof; and they shall be for receptacles for the staves, with which to carry it.

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

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And thou shalt make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold.

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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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And thou shalt put it in front of the veil which is before the ark of the testimony in front of the mercy-seat which is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

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

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And Aaron shall burn thereon fragrant incense: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn the incense.

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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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And when Aaron lighteth the lamps between the two evenings, he shall burn the incense -- a continual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations.

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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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Ye shall offer up no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor oblation; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon.

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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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And Aaron shall make atonement for its horns once in the year: with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement shall he make atonement for it, once in the year, throughout your generations: it is most holy to Jehovah.

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Money for the Tabernacle

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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The Atonement Money

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

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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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When thou shalt take the sum of the children of Israel according to those of them that are numbered, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah on their being numbered, that there be no plague among them on their being numbered.

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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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This shall they give -- every one that passeth among them that are numbered -- half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, -- twenty gerahs the shekel; a half shekel shall be the heave-offering for Jehovah.

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

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Every one that passeth among those that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give the heave-offering of Jehovah.

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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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The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when ye give the heave-offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

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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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And thou shalt take the atonement-money of the children of Israel, and devote it to the service of the tent of meeting; and it shall be a memorial to the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

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Plans for the Washbasin

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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The Bronze Basin

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

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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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Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water in it.

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

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And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet out of it.

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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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When they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they come near to the altar to serve, to burn an offering by fire to Jehovah.

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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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And they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they may not die; and it shall be an everlasting statute for them, for him and for his seed throughout their generations.

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The Anointing Oil

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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The Anointing Oil

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

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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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And thou, take best spices -- of liquid myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon the half -- two hundred and fifty, and of sweet myrtle two hundred and fifty,

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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 of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin;

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

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and make of it an oil of holy ointment, a perfume of perfumery after the work of the perfumer: it shall be the holy anointing oil.

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

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And thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony,

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

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and the table and all its utensils, and the lamp-stand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

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

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and the altar of burnt-offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand.

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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 thou shalt hallow them, that they may be most holy: whatever toucheth them shall be holy.

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

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And Aaron and his sons thou shalt anoint, and shalt hallow them, that they may serve me as priests.

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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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And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, A holy anointing oil shall this be unto me throughout your generations.

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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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Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make [any] like it, after the preparation of it: it is holy -- holy shall it be unto you.

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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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Whoever compoundeth [any] like it, or whoever putteth [any] of it upon any strange thing, shall be cut off from his peoples.

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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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The Incense

And Jehovah said to Moses, Take fragrant drugs -- stacte, and onycha, and galbanum -- fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be.

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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 thou shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy.

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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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And thou shalt beat [some] of it to powder, and put [some] of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

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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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And the incense that thou shalt make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah.

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

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Whoever maketh like unto it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his peoples.

Parallel

New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Exodus 30

Exodus 30