Exodus 30–32

1“You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.

2It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns must be of one piece.

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

4And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.

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

6Place the altar in front of 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.

7And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.

8When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.

9On this altar you must not offer unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.

10Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”

11Then the LORD said to Moses,

12“When you take a census of the Israelites to number them, each man must pay the LORD a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will come upon them when they are numbered.

13Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.

14Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.

15In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.

16Take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to make atonement for your lives.”

17And the LORD said to Moses,

18“You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it,

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

20Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.

21Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

22Then the LORD said to Moses,

23“Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,

24500 shekels of cassia —all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.

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

26Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,

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

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

29You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

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

31And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.

32It must not be used to anoint an ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.

33Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

34The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,

35and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

36Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

37You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.

38Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”

1Then the LORD said to Moses,

2“See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

3And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship,

4to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze,

5to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.

6Moreover, I have selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. I have also given skill to all the craftsmen, that they may fashion all that I have commanded you:

7the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat upon it, and all the other furnishings of the tent—

8the table with its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense,

9the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand—

10as well as the woven garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests,

11in addition to the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them according to all that I have commanded you.”

12And the LORD said to Moses,

13“Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

14Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people.

15For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.

16The Israelites must keep the Sabbath, celebrating it as a permanent covenant for the generations to come.

17It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”

18When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

1Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”

2So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

3Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

4He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”

6So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

7Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

8How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”

9The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.

10Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

11But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

12Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.

13Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”

14So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.

15Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.

16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

17When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.”

18But Moses replied: “It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!”

19As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain.

20Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.

21“What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”

22“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.

23They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’

24So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”

25Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies.

26So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.

27He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”

28The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead.

29Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.”

30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

31So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves.

32Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.”

33The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.

34Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”

35And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.