Exodus 38–40

The Altar for Burnt Offerings

38The workers made the altar for burnt offerings out of acacia wood. It was four feet six inches high and seven feet six inches square. ²They made a horn stick out from each of its four upper corners. They covered the altar with bronze.

³They made all of its tools out of bronze. They made its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and pans for carrying ashes.

⁴They made a bronze grate for the altar. They put the grate halfway up the altar on the inside. ⁵They made a bronze ring for each of the four corners of the grate.

⁶They made poles out of acacia wood. They covered them with bronze. ⁷They put the poles through the rings. The poles were on two sides of the altar for carrying it.

The workers made the altar out of boards. They made it hollow.

The Large Bowl for Washing

⁸The workers made the large bronze bowl and its bronze stand. They made them out of the bronze mirrors that belonged to the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

The Courtyard

⁹Next, the workers made the courtyard. The south side was 150 feet long. It had curtains that were made out of finely twisted linen. ¹⁰The curtains had 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The posts had silver hooks and bands on them.

¹¹The north side was also 150 feet long. Its curtains had 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The posts had silver hooks and bands on them.

¹²The west end was 75 feet wide. It had curtains with ten posts and ten bases. The posts had silver hooks and bands on them.

¹³The east end, toward the sunrise, was also 75 feet wide. ¹⁴Curtains that were 22 feet six inches long were on one side of the entrance. They were hung on three posts. Each post had a base. ¹⁵Curtains that were 22 feet six inches long were also on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard. They were hung on three posts. Each post had a base.

¹⁶All of the curtains that were around the courtyard were made out of finely twisted linen. ¹⁷The bases for the posts were made out of bronze. The hooks and bands that were on the posts were made out of silver. Their tops were covered with silver. So all of the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.

¹⁸The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was made out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and finely twisted linen. A person who sewed skillfully made it. It was 30 feet long. Like the curtains of the courtyard, it was seven feet six inches high. ¹⁹It had four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were made out of silver. Their tops were covered with silver.

²⁰All of the tent stakes of the holy tent were made out of bronze. So were all of the stakes of the courtyard that was around it.

The Amounts of the Metals Used

²¹Here are the amounts of the metals that were used for the holy tent, where the tablets of the covenant were kept. Moses commanded the Levites to record the amounts. The Levites did the work under the direction of Ithamar. Ithamar was the son of the priest Aaron.

²²Bezalel, the son of Uri, made everything the Lord had commanded Moses. Uri was the son of Hur. Bezalel was from the tribe of Judah. ²³Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, helped Bezalel. Oholiab was from the tribe of Dan. He could carve things and make patterns. And he could sew skillfully with blue, purple and bright red yarn and on fine linen.

²⁴The total weight of the gold from the wave offering was more than a ton. It was weighed out in keeping with the standard weights that are used in the sacred tent. The gold was used for all of the work that was done in connection with the sacred tent.

²⁵The silver that was received from the men in the community who were listed and counted weighed four tons. It was weighed out in keeping with the weights used in the sacred tent. ²⁶It amounted to a fifth of an ounce for each person. It was weighed out in keeping with the weights used in the sacred tent. The silver was received from the men who had been listed and counted. All of them were 20 years old or more. Their total number was 603,550.

²⁷The four tons of silver were used to make the bases for the holy tent and for the curtain. The 100 bases were made from the four tons. Each base used more than 75 pounds of silver. ²⁸The workers used 45 pounds to make the hooks for the posts, to cover the tops of the posts, and to make their bands.

²⁹The bronze from the wave offering weighed two and a half tons. ³⁰The workers used some of it to make the bases for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. They used some for the bronze altar for burnt offerings and its bronze grate and all of its tools. ³¹They used some for the bases for the courtyard that was around the holy tent. They used some for the bases for the courtyard entrance. And they used the rest to make all of the tent stakes for the holy tent and the courtyard that was around it.

The Clothes for the Priests

39The workers made clothes from the blue, purple and bright red yarn. The clothes were worn by those who served in the holy tent. The workers also made sacred clothes for Aaron. They made them just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Linen Apron

²The workers made the linen apron out of fine gold wire, and out of blue, purple and bright red yarn, and out of finely twisted linen. ³They hammered out thin sheets of gold. They cut it into fine wire. They sewed it into the blue, purple and bright red yarn and fine linen. A skilled worker made it. ⁴The workers made shoulder straps for the apron. The straps were joined to two of its corners.

⁵Its skillfully made waistband was made like it. The waistband was part of the apron itself. It was made out of fine gold wire, and out of blue, purple and bright red yarn, and out of finely twisted linen. The workers made it just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶They put the onyx stones in fancy gold settings. They carved the names of the sons of Israel on them. They did it the way a person carves a seal. ⁷Then they connected them to the shoulder straps of the linen apron. The stones stood for the sons of Israel and were a reminder for them. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Chest Cloth

⁸Skilled workers made the chest cloth. They made it like the linen apron. They used fine gold wire, and blue, purple and bright red yarn, and finely twisted linen. ⁹The chest cloth was nine inches square. It was folded in half.

¹⁰They put four rows of valuable jewels on it. A ruby, a topaz and a beryl were in the first row. ¹¹A turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald were in the second row. ¹²A jacinth, an agate and an amethyst were in the third row. ¹³And a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper were in the fourth row. The workers put them in fancy gold settings.

¹⁴They used a total of 12 stones. There was one stone for each of the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was carved like a seal with the name of one of the 12 tribes.

¹⁵The workers made braided chains out of pure gold for the chest cloth. They made them like ropes. ¹⁶They made two fancy gold settings and two gold rings. They connected them to two corners of the chest cloth. ¹⁷They joined the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the chest cloth. ¹⁸They joined the other ends of the chains to the two settings. They joined them to the shoulder straps on the front of the linen apron.

¹⁹The workers made two gold rings. They connected them to the other two corners of the chest cloth. They put them on the inside edge next to the apron. ²⁰They made two more gold rings. They connected them to the bottom of the shoulder straps on the front of the apron. They put them close to the seam right above the waistband of the apron. ²¹They tied the rings of the chest cloth to the rings of the apron with blue cord. That connected it to the waistband. Then the chest cloth would not swing out from the linen apron. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

More Clothes for the Priests

²²The workers made the outer robe of the linen apron completely from blue cloth. The cloth was made by a skillful person. ²³The workers made an opening like a collar in the center of the robe. They made an edge around the opening. Then it couldn’t tear.

²⁴They made pomegranates out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and finely twisted linen. They sewed them around the hem of the robe.

²⁵They made bells out of pure gold. They sewed them around the hem between the pomegranates. ²⁶They sewed a bell between every two pomegranates all around the hem of the robe. Aaron had to wear the robe when he served as priest. That’s what the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁷The workers made inner robes out of fine linen for Aaron and his sons. The linen cloth was made by a skillful person. ²⁸The workers also made the turban out of fine linen. And they made the headbands and the underwear out of finely twisted linen. ²⁹The belt was made out of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and bright red yarn. A person who sewed skillfully made it. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰They made the plate out of pure gold. It was a sacred crown. They carved words on it as if it were a seal. They carved the words Set Apart for the Lord. ³¹Then they tied the plate to the turban with a blue cord. They did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Holy Tent is Completed

³²So all of the work on the holy tent, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The people of Israel did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³³Then they brought the holy tent to Moses along with everything that belonged to it. Here are the things they brought.

hooks

frames

crossbars

posts

bases

³⁴the covering of ram skins that were dyed red

the covering of the hides of sea cows

the curtain that screens the ark

³⁵the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept

the poles and cover for the ark

³⁶the table for the holy bread with all of its articles

the holy bread

³⁷the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and everything that is used with it

the olive oil that gives light

³⁸the gold altar for…