Chapter 30

The Altar of Incense

1 “Moreover, you shall make aan altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

2 “Its length shall be a 1cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be 2of one piece with it.

3 “You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its 1sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it.

4 “You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on 1opposite sides—and 2they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.

5 “You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

6 “You shall put 1this altar in front of the veil that is 2near the ark of the testimony, in front of the 3amercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you.

7 “Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps.

8 “When Aaron 1trims the lamps at 2twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

9 “You shall not offer any strange incense on 1this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.

10 “Aaron shall amake atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

11 The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “When you take aa 1census of the sons of Israel 2to number them, then each one of them shall give ba ransom for 3himself to the Lord, when you 4number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you 4number them.

13 “This is what everyone who 1is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (athe shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a 2contribution to the Lord.

14 “Everyone who 1is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the 2contribution to the Lord.

15 “The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the 1contribution to the Lord to make atonement for 2yourselves.

16 “You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for 1yourselves.”

17 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

18 “You shall also make aa laver of 1bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall bput it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.

19 “Aaron and his sons shall awash their hands and their feet from it;

20 when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord.

21 “So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and ait shall be a perpetual statute for them, for 1Aaron and his 2descendants throughout their generations.”

The Anointing Oil

22 Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

23 “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty,

24 and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.

25 “You shall make 1of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be aa holy anointing oil.

26 “With it ayou shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,

27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand.

29 “You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy.

30 “aYou shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me.

31 “You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.

32 ‘It shall not be poured on 1anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in 2the same proportions; ait is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

33 ‘aWhoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a 1layman 2bshall be cut off from his people.’ ”

The Incense

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.

35 “With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.

36 “You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting awhere I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you.

37 “The incense which you shall make, ayou shall not make in 1the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord.

38 “aWhoever shall make any like it, to 1use as perfume, 2shall be cut off from his people.”