1   Make an altar on which to burn incense; make it of acacia-wood. 2   It shall be square, a cubit long by a cubit broad and two cubits high; the horns of one piece with it. 3   Overlay it with pure gold, the top, the sides all round, and the horns; and put round it a band of gold. 4   Make pairs of gold rings for it; put them under the band at the two corners

Israel at Mount Sinai on both sides to receive the poles by which it is to be carried. 5   Make the poles of acacia-wood and overlay them with gold. 6   Put it before the Veil in front of the Ark of the Tokens ^note where I will meet you. 7   On it Aaron shall burn fragrant incense; every morning when he tends the lamps he shall burn the incense, 8   and when he mounts the lamps between dusk and dark, he shall burn the incense; so there shall be a regular burning of incense before the Lord for all time. 9   You shall not offer on it any unauthorized incense, nor any whole-offering or grain-offering; and you shall not pour a drink-offering over it. 10   Aaron shall make expiation with blood on its horns once a year; with blood from the sin-offering of the yearly Expiation ^note he shall do this for all time. It is most holy to the Lord.

11    12   The Lord spoke to Moses and said: When you number the Israelites for the purpose of registration, each man shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord, ^note to avert plague among them during the registration. 13   As each man crosses over to those already counted he shall give half a shekel by the sacred standard (twenty gerahs to the shekel) as a contribution to the Lord. 14   Everyone from twenty years old and upwards who has crossed over to those already counted shall give a contribution to the Lord. 15   The rich man shall give no more than the half-shekel, and the poor man shall give no less, when you give the contribution to the Lord to make expiation for your lives. 16   The money received from the Israelites for expiation you shall apply to the service of the Tent of the Presence. The expiation for your lives shall be a reminder of the Israelites to the Lord.

17    18   The Lord spoke to Moses and said: Make a bronze basin for ablution with its stand of bronze; put it between the Tent of the Presence and the altar, 19   and fill it with water with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet. 20   When they enter the Tent of the Presence they shall wash with water, lest they die. So also when they approach the altar to minister, 21   to burn a food-offering to the Lord, they shall wash their hands and feet, lest they die. It shall be a rule for all time binding on him and his descendants in every generation.

22    23   The Lord spoke to Moses and said: You yourself shall take spices as follows: five hundred shekels of sticks of myrrh, half that amount (two hundred and fifty shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, two hundred and fifty shekels of aromatic cane, 24   five hundred shekels of cassia by the sacred standard, and a hin of olive oil. 25   From these prepare sacred anointing oil, a perfume compounded by the perfumer's art. This shall be the sacred anointing oil. 26   Anoint with it the Tent of the Presence and the Ark of the Tokens, 27   the table and all its vessels, the lamp-stand and

Israel at Mount Sinai its fittings, 28   the altar of incense, the altar of whole-offering and all its vessels, the basin and its stand. 29   You shall consecrate them, and they shall be most holy; whatever touches them shall be forfeit as sacred. 30   Anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them to be my priests. 31   Speak to the Israelites and say: This shall be the holy anointing oil for my service in every generation. 32   It shall not be used for anointing the human body, and you must not prepare any oil like it after the same prescription. 33   It is holy, and you shall treat it as holy. The man who compounds perfume like it, or who puts any of it on any unqualified person, shall be cut off from his father's kin.

34   The Lord said to Moses, Take fragrant spices: gum resin, ^note aromatic shell, galbanum; add pure frankincense to the spices in equal proportions. 35   Make it into incense, perfume made by the perfumer's craft, salted and pure, a holy thing. 36   Pound some of it into fine powder, and put it in front of the Tokens in the Tent of the Presence, where I shall meet you; you shall treat it as most holy. 37   The incense prepared according to this prescription you shall not make for your own use. 38   You shall treat it as holy to the Lord. The man who makes any like it for his own pleasure shall be cut off from his father's kin.

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