Instructions for the Altar of Incense

1“You are to make an altar to burn incense on. You are to make it of acacia wood. 2It is to be a square, one cubit+30:2 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. long, one cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns are to be of one piece with it. 3You are to overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns, and you are to make a gold molding around it. 4You are to make two golden rings for it under its molding on its two ribs, on its two sides you are to make them. They will be for places for poles with which to bear it. 5You are to make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 6You are to put it before the veil that is by the ark of the covenant, before the mercy seat that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you. 7Aaron is to burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he will burn it. 8When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he is to burn it, a perpetual incense before YHWH throughout y’all’s generations. 9Y’all must not offer strange incense on it, or burnt offering or meal offering; and y’all must not pour a drink offering on it. 10Once in the year, Aaron is to make atonement on its horns. He is to make atonement with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a the year throughout y’all’s generations. It is be most holy to YHWH.”

Census Tax

11YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 12“When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are counted among them, then each man must give a ransom for his soul to YHWH when you count them, that there be no plague among them when you count them. 13They are to give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel+30:13 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces. of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs+30:13 a gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains); half a shekel for an offering to YHWH. 14Everyone who passes over to those who are counted, from twenty years old and upward, are to give the offering to YHWH. 15The rich are not to give more than the half shekel,+30:15 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces. and the poor are not give less, when they give the offering of YHWH, to make atonement for y’all’s souls. 16You are to take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and give it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial for the children of Israel before YHWH, to make atonement for y’all’s lives.”

Instructions for the Bronze Washing Basin

17YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 18“You are to also make a basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, in which to wash. Put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it. 19Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet in it. 20When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they must wash with water, so that they not die, or when they come near to the altar to minister by presenting a burnt offering to YHWH. 21So they are to wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. This will be a permanent statute to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”

Instructions for the Anointing Oil

22Moreover YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels;+30:23 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 500 shekels is about 5 kilograms or about 11 pounds. and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty; 24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin+30:24 A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons. of olive oil. 25You are to make it into a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it will be a holy anointing oil. 26You are to use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant, 27the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base. 29You are to sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy. 30You are to anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. 31You are to tell to the children of Israel, ‘This will be my sacred anointing oil throughout y’all’s generations. 32It must not be poured on a human body, and y’all must not make anything like it using the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to y’all. 33Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he will be cut off from his people.’”

Instructions for the Incense

34YHWH said to Moses, “Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, onycha, and galbanum: sweet spices with pure frankincense. There must be an equal weight of each. 35You are to make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36You are to grind some of it into powder and put some of it in front of the covenant in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It is to be most holy to y’all. 37As for the incense you are making with this formula, y’all are not to make any for yourselves. It is to be holy to you for YHWH. 38Whoever makes incense like it to smell it must be cut off from his people.”