Exodus 30:1–21

The Altar of Incense

30 “You shall make aan altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 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. 3 And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a 1molding of gold all around. 4 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. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it before the bveil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the cmercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

7 “Aaron shall burn on it dsweet incense every morning; when ehe tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8 And when Aaron lights the lamps 2at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer fstrange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. 10 And gAaron 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.”

The Ransom Money

11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 h“When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give ia 3ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no jplague among them when you number them. 13 kThis is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary l(a shekel is twenty gerahs). mThe half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an 4offering to the Lord. 15 The nrich 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. 16 And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and oshall 5appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be pa memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”

The Bronze Laver

17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 18 q“You shall also make a 6laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall rput it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons sshall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 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. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And tit shall be a 7statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”