^30:34The Lord said to Moses: “Take⁷¹ spices, gum resin,⁷² onycha,⁷³ galbanum,⁷⁴ and pure frankincense⁷⁵ of equal amounts⁷⁶^30:35and make it into an incense,⁷⁷ a perfume,⁷⁸ the work of a perfumer. It is to be finely ground,⁷⁹ and pure and sacred. ^30:36You are to beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the ark of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it is to be most holy to you. ^30:37And the incense that you are to make, you must not make for yourselves using the same recipe; it is to be most holy to you, belonging to the Lord. ^30:38Whoever makes anything like it, to use as perfume,⁸⁰ will be cut off from his people.”

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Footnotes

71 The construction is “take to you,” which could be left in that literal sense, but more likely the suffix is an ethical dative, stressing the subject of the imperative.
72 This is from a word that means “to drip”; the spice is a balsam that drips from a resinous tree.
73 This may be a plant, or it may be from a species of mollusks; it is mentioned in Ugaritic and Akkadian; it gives a pungent odor when burnt.
74 This is a gum from plants of the genus Ferula; it has an unpleasant odor, but when mixed with others is pleasant.
75 The word “spice is repeated here, suggesting that the first three formed half of the ingredient and this spice the other half—but this is conjecture (U. Cassuto, Exodus, ).
76 Heb “of each part there will be an equal part.”
77 This is an accusative of result or product.
78 The word is in apposition to “incense,” further defining the kind of incense that is to be made.
79 The word מְמֻלָּח (mémullakh), a passive participle, is usually taken to mean “salted.” Since there is no meaning like that for the Pual form, the word probably should be taken as “mixed,” as in Rashi and . Seasoning with salt would work if it were food, but since it is not food, if it means “salted” it would be a symbol of what was sound and whole for the covenant. Some have thought that it would have helped the incense burn quickly with more smoke.
80 Or to smell it, to use for the maker’s own pleasure.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

The 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), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You 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. And 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. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from their people.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices: stacte, onycha, and galbanum; the spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures. Prepare expertly blended incense from these; it is to be seasoned with salt, pure and holy. Grind 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. As 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. Anyone who makes something like it to smell its fragrance must be cut off from his people.”

NLTNew Living Translation

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. Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense. Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy. Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the Lord, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And Yahweh said to Moses, “Take for yourself fragrant perfumes—stacte resin and onycha and galbanum—fragrant perfumes and pure frankincense, an equal part of each, and make it into a compound of incense, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, holy. And you will grind part of it to powder, and you will put part of it before the testimony in the tent of assembly where I will meet with you; it will be a most holy thing to you. And the incense that you will make with its measurements you will not make for yourselves; it will be holy to you for Yahweh. Anyone who makes any like it to smell it will be cut off from his people.”

KJV 1900King James Version

And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord. Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

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