Exodus 24–31

The Blood of the Covenant

24The Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel must come up to me. Do not come close when you worship. ²Only Moses can come close to me. The others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him.”

³Moses went and told the people all of the Lord’s words and laws. They answered with one voice. They said, “We will do everything the Lord has told us to do.” ⁴Then Moses wrote down everything the Lord had said.

Moses got up early the next morning. He built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He set up 12 stone pillars. They stood for the 12 tribes of Israel.

⁵Then he sent young Israelite men to offer burnt offerings. They also sacrificed young bulls as friendship offerings to the Lord. ⁶Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls. He sprinkled the other half on the altar.

⁷Then he took the Scroll of the Covenant and read it to the people.

They answered, “We will do everything the Lord has told us to do. We will obey him.”

⁸Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people. He said, “This is the blood that puts the covenant into effect. The Lord has made this covenant with you in keeping with all of these words.”

⁹Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the 70 elders of Israel went up. ¹⁰They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a street made out of sapphire. It was as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹But God didn’t raise his hand against those leaders of the people of Israel. They saw God. And they ate and drank.

¹²The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay here. I will give you the stone tablets. They contain the law and commands I have written to teach the people.”

¹³Then Moses and Joshua, his helper, started out. Moses went up on the mountain of God. ¹⁴He said to the elders, “Wait for us here until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. Anyone who has a problem can go to them.”

¹⁵Moses went up on the mountain. Then the cloud covered it. ¹⁶The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. The cloud covered the mountain for six days.

On the seventh day the Lord called out to Moses from inside the cloud. ¹⁷The people of Israel saw the glory of the Lord. It looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain. ¹⁸Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.

Offerings for the Holy Tent

25The Lord said to Moses, ²“Tell the people of Israel to bring me an offering. You must receive the offering for me from all whose hearts move them to give.

³“Here are the offerings you must receive from them.

“gold, silver and bronze

⁴blue, purple and bright red yarn and fine linen

goat hair

⁵ram skins that are dyed red

the hides of sea cows

acacia wood

⁶olive oil for the lights

spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet-smelling incense

⁷onyx stones and other jewels for the linen apron and chest cloth

⁸“Have them make a sacred tent for me. I will live among them. ⁹Make the holy tent and everything that belongs to it. Make them exactly like the pattern I will show you.

The Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰“Have them make a chest out of acacia wood. Make it three feet nine inches long and two feet three inches wide and high. ¹¹Cover it inside and outside with pure gold. Put a strip of gold around it.

¹²“Make four gold rings for it. Join them to its four bottom corners. Put two rings on one side and two rings on the other.

¹³“Then make poles out of acacia wood. Cover them with gold. ¹⁴Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. ¹⁵The poles must remain in the rings of the chest. Do not remove them. ¹⁶I will give you the tablets of the covenant. When I do, put them into the chest.

¹⁷“Make its cover out of pure gold. The cover is the place where sin will be paid for. Make it three feet nine inches long and two feet three inches wide.

¹⁸“Make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ¹⁹Put one cherub on each end of it. Make the cherubim as part of the cover itself. ²⁰The cherubim must have their wings spread up over the cover. The cherubim must face each other and look toward the cover.

²¹“Place the cover on top of the chest. I will give you the tablets of the covenant. Put them into the chest.

²²“The chest is the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept. I will meet with you above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark. There I will give you all of my commands for the people of Israel.

The Table for the Holy Bread

²³“Make a table out of acacia wood. Make it three feet long, one foot six inches wide and two feet three inches high. ²⁴Cover it with pure gold. Put a strip of gold around it. ²⁵Also make a rim around it that is three inches wide. Put a strip of gold around the rim.

²⁶“Make four gold rings for the table. Join them to the four corners, where the four legs are. ²⁷The rings must be close to the rim. They must hold the poles that will be used to carry the table.

²⁸“Make the poles out of acacia wood. Cover them with gold. Use them to carry the table.

²⁹“Make its plates and dishes out of pure gold. Also make its pitchers and bowls out of pure gold. Use the pitchers and bowls to pour out drink offerings.

³⁰“Put the holy bread on the table. It must be near my holy throne on the ark of the covenant at all times.

The Gold Lampstand

³¹“Make a lampstand out of pure gold. Hammer out its base and stem. Its buds, blooms and cups must branch out from it.

³²“Six branches must come out from the sides of the lampstand. Make three on one side and three on the other. ³³On one branch make three cups that are shaped like almond flowers with buds and blooms. Then put three on the next branch. Do the same with all six branches that come out from the lampstand.

³⁴“On the lampstand there must be four cups that are shaped like almond flowers with buds and blooms. ³⁵One bud must be under the first pair of branches that come out from the lampstand. Put a second bud under the second pair. And put a third bud under the third pair. Make a total of six branches. ³⁶The buds and branches must come out from the lampstand.

“The whole lampstand must be one piece that is hammered out of pure gold.

³⁷“Then make its seven lamps. Set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. ³⁸The trays and wick cutters must be made out of pure gold. ³⁹Use 75 pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and everything that is used with it.

⁴⁰“Be sure to make everything just like the pattern I showed you on the mountain.

The Holy Tent

26“Make ten curtains out of finely twisted linen for the holy tent. Make them with blue, purple and bright red yarn. Have a skilled worker sew cherubim into the pattern. ²Make all of the curtains the same size. They must be 42 feet long and six feet wide.

³“Join five of the curtains together. Do the same thing with the other five. ⁴Make loops out of blue strips of cloth along the edge of the end curtain in one set. Do the same thing with the end curtain in the other set. ⁵Make 50 loops on the end curtain of the one set. Do the same thing on the end curtain of the other set. Put the loops across from each other. ⁶Make 50 gold hooks. Use them to join the curtains together so that the holy tent is all one piece.

⁷“Make a total of 11 curtains out of goat hair to put over the holy tent. ⁸Make all 11 curtains the same size. They must be 45 feet long and six feet wide.

⁹“Join five of the curtains together into one set. Do the same thing with the other six. Fold the sixth curtain in half at the front of the tent. ¹⁰Make 50 loops along the edge of the end curtain in the one set. Do the same thing with the other set. ¹¹Then make 50 bronze hooks. Put them in the loops to join the tent together all in one piece.

¹²“Let the extra half curtain hang down at the rear of the holy tent. ¹³The tent curtains will be one foot six inches longer on both sides. What is left over will hang over the sides of the holy tent and cover it.

¹⁴“Make a covering for the tent. Make it out of ram skins that are dyed red. Put a covering of the hides of sea cows over that.

¹⁵“Make frames out of acacia wood for the holy tent. ¹⁶Make each frame 15 feet long and two feet three inches wide. ¹⁷Add two small wooden pins to each frame. Make the pins stick out so that they are even with each other. Make all of the frames for the holy tent in the same way.

¹⁸“Make 20 frames for the south side of the holy tent. ¹⁹And make 40 silver bases to go under them. Make two bases for each frame. Put one under each pin that sticks out.

²⁰“For the north side of the holy tent make 20 frames ²¹and 40 silver bases. Put two bases under each frame.

²²“Make six frames for the west end of the holy tent. ²³Make two frames for the corners at the far end. ²⁴At those two corners the frames must be double from top to bottom. They must be fitted into a single ring. Make both of them the same. ²⁵There will be eight frames and 16 silver bases. There will be two bases under each frame.

²⁶“Also make crossbars out of acacia wood. Make five for the frames on one side of the holy tent. ²⁷Make five for the frames on the other side. And make five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the holy tent. ²⁸The center crossbar must reach from end to end at the middle of the frames.

²⁹“Cover the frames with gold. Make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also cover the crossbars with gold.

³⁰“Set up the holy tent in keeping with the plan I showed you on the mountain.

³¹“Make a curtain out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and finely twisted linen. Have a skilled worker sew cherubim into the pattern. ³²Hang the curtain with gold hooks on four posts that are made out of acacia wood. Cover the posts with gold. Stand them on four silver bases. ³³Hang the curtain from the hooks.

“Place the ark of the covenant behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Room from the Most Holy Room. ³⁴Put the cover on the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Room. The cover will be the place…