Exodus

Altar of Incense

You must make an altar on which to burn incense; you are to make it out of acacia wood.

It is to be one cubit long and one cubit wide—that is to say, square—and to stand two cubits high; its horns are to be one piece with it.

The top of the altar, its surrounding sides, and horns are to be covered with pure gold and decorated with a gold edge all around.

You are to put two gold rings on it below the edge on its two opposite sides: these are to hold the poles used for carrying it.

These poles you must make of acacia wood and cover with gold.

You are to set up the altar before the veil that protects the Ark of the Covenant, opposite the Ark and the mercy Seat from where I speak to you.

On this altar, Aaron must burn fragrant incense each morning when he prepares the lamps,

and in the evening twilight, when Aaron puts the lamps back, he must burn it again. You must make these offerings of incense before the Lord unfailingly from generation to generation.

You must not offer unholy incense on this altar, or animal or grain offering, or pour out any wine offering.

Once a year, Aaron is to perform the atonement on the horns of this altar; he shall do this atonement with the blood of the victim to take away sins. And you shall do the same once a year in future generations.

This ceremony will be extremely holy in the eyes of the Lord.”

Tribute for the Ransom

The Lord spoke to Moses and said:

“When you take a census and make a register of the people of Israel, each is to pay the Lord a ransom for his life, so that no disaster comes on them when the census is being made.

Everyone subject to the census must pay the required amount of money, weighed according to the official standard, and this shall be set aside for the Lord.

Everyone subject to the census, that is to say, twenty years and over, must pay the sum set aside for the Lord.

The rich man is not to give more, nor the poor man less, when they pay this amount for their lives.

You will use this ransom money given to you by the people of Israel for the upkeep of the Tent of Meeting. It will remind the Lord of the people of Israel and be the ransom for your lives.”

Fountain of Bronze

The Lord spoke to Moses and said:

“You must also make a bronze basin on a stand for washing. You must place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and fill it with water.

Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet.

When they are about to enter the Tent of Meeting, they must wash in water lest they die, and when they have to approach the altar for their service, to burn the offering burned in honor of the Lord,

they must wash their hands and feet lest they die.

This is a lasting rule for them, for Aaron, and for his descendants from generation to generation.”

Anointing Oil

The Lord spoke to Moses and said:

“Take the choicest spices: twelve pounds of liquid myrrh, six pounds of sweet-smelling cinnamon, six pounds of scented cane, and twelve pounds

of cassia (all weighed according to the official standard) and one gallon of olive oil.

These you are to make into a holy oil for anointing, such a blend as the perfumer might make.

With it you are to anoint the Tent of Meeting and the Ark of the Covenant,

the table and all its furnishings, the lampstand and all its accessories,

the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its furnishings, and the basin with its stand.

In this way, you shall consecrate them and they will remain extremely holy, and whatever touches them will become holy.

You must anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so that they may be priests in my service.

Then you are to say to the people of Israel: ‘Such will be the oil of holy anointing from generation to generation.

It is not to be used in any ordinary anointing of the body, nor are you to make any other oil of the same mixture. It is a holy thing, and you must treat it as such.

Whoever makes any like it or uses it on an ordinary person shall be outlawed from the people.”

Incense

The Lord said to Moses:

“Take sweet spices: storax, onycha, galbanum, sweet spices, and pure frankincense in equal parts,

and make incense, such as the perfumer might make, salted, pure, and holy.

Crush a part of it into a fine powder and put some of this in front of the Ark of the Covenant in the Tent of Meeting, the place appointed for my meetings with you. You must regard it as most holy.

You are not to make incense like it for your own use. You must hold it as a holy thing reserved for the Lord.

Whoever copies it for use as perfume shall be outlawed from his people.”