Exodus 24–31

The Covenant Confirmed

Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,^a Nadab and Abihu,^b and seventy of the elders^c of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach^d the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,^e they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”^f Moses then wrote^g down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar^h at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillarsⁱ representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings^j and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings^k to the Lord. Moses^l took half of the blood^m and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashedⁿ against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant^o and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”^p

Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people^q and said, “This is the blood of the covenant^r that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders^s of Israel went up and saw^t the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,^u as bright blue as the sky.^v But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw^w God, and they ate and drank.^x

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone^y with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

Then Moses set out with Joshua^z his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain^a of God. He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur^b are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute^c can go to them.”

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud^d covered it, and the glory^e of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.^f For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.^g To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire^h on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain fortyⁱ days and forty nights.^j

Offerings for the Tabernacle

25:1-7^pp — Ex 35:4–9

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts^a them to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn^b and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and another durable leather;^c acacia wood;^d olive oil^e for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;^f and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod^g and breastpiece.^h

“Then have them make a sanctuaryⁱ for me, and I will dwell^j among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern^k I will show you.

The Ark

25:10-20^pp — Ex 37:1–9

“Have them make an ark^a of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay^b it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings^c on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.^d Insert the poles^e into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.^f Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law,^g which I will give you.

“Make an atonement cover^h of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubimⁱ out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. The cherubim^j are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing^k the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. Place the cover on top of the ark^l and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law^m that I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubimⁿ that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet^o with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.^p

The Table

25:23-29^pp — Ex 37:10–16

“Make a table^a of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold^b and carry the table with them. And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings.^c Put the bread of the Presence^d on this table to be before me at all times.

The Lampstand

25:31-39^pp — Ex 37:17–24

“Make a lampstand^a of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.^b

“Then make its seven lamps^c and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays^d are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern^e shown you on the mountain.

The Tabernacle

26:1-37^pp — Ex 36:8–38

“Make the tabernacle^a with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim^b worked into them by skilled hands. All the curtains are to be the same size^c—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit.^d

“Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. All eleven curtains are to be the same size^e—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit.^f As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the tabernacle. The tent curtains will be a cubit longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover it. Make for the tent a covering^g of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.^h

“Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle and make forty silver basesⁱ to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames and forty silver bases^j—two under each frame. Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, and make two frames for the corners at the far end. At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.

“Also make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. The center crossbar is to extend from end to end at the middle of the frames. Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.

“Set up the tabernacle^k according to the plan^l shown you on the mountain.

“Make a curtain^m of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubimⁿ worked into it by skilled hands. Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.^o Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain.^p The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.^q Put the atonement cover^r on the ark of the covenant law in the Most Holy Place. Place the table^s outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand^t opposite it on the south side.

“For the entrance to the tent make a curtain^u of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer.^v Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for…