Exodus 25-27

Easy-to-Read Version

Gifts for the Holy Things

25 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to bring me gifts. You will accept gifts for me from everyone who is willing to give. ³ Here is the list of the things that you should accept from the people: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and red yarn and fine linen; goat hair, ⁵ ram skins dyed red, and fine leather; acacia wood; ⁶ oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and spices for the sweet-smelling incense. ⁷ Also accept onyx stones and other jewels to be put on the ephod and the judgment pouch.

The Holy Tent

⁸ “The people will build a holy place for me. Then I can live among them. ⁹ I will show you what the Holy Tent and everything in it should look like. Build everything exactly as I show you.

The Box of the Agreement

¹⁰ “Use acacia wood and build a special box. This Holy Box must be 2 1/2 cubits^[a] long, 1 1/2 cubits^[b] wide, and 1 1/2 cubits high. ¹¹ Use pure gold to cover the Box inside and out. Put gold trim around the edges of the Box. ¹² Make four gold rings for carrying the Box. Put the gold rings on the four corners, two rings on each side. ¹³ Then make poles for carrying the Box. These poles should be made from acacia wood and covered with gold. ¹⁴ Put the poles through the rings on the corners of the Box. Use these poles to carry the Box. ¹⁵ These poles should always stay in the rings of the Box. Don’t take the poles out.

¹⁶ “I will give you the Agreement. Put it into this Box. ¹⁷ Then make a lid, the mercy-cover. Make it from pure gold. Make it 2 1/2 cubits long and 1 1/2 cubits wide. ¹⁸ Then make two Cherub angels and put them on each end of the mercy-cover. Hammer gold to make these angels. ¹⁹ Put one angel on one end of the mercy-cover, and put the other angel on the other end. Join the angels together with the mercy-cover to make one piece. ²⁰ The wings of these angels should spread up toward the sky. The angels should cover the Box with their wings and should face each other, looking toward the mercy-cover.

²¹ “I will give you the Agreement. Put it in the Box, and put the mercy-cover on the Box. ²² When I meet with you, I will speak from between the Cherub angels on the mercy-cover that is on the Box of the Agreement. From that place, I will give all my commands to the Israelites.

The Table

²³ “Make a table from acacia wood. The table must be 2 cubits^[c] long, 1 cubit^[d] wide, and 1 1/2 cubits high. ²⁴ Cover the table with pure gold and put gold trim around it. ²⁵ Then make a frame 1 handbreadth^[e] wide around the table. And put gold trim on the frame. ²⁶ Then make four gold rings and put them on the four corners of the table, where the four legs are. ²⁷ Put the rings close to the frame around the top of the table. These rings will hold the poles used to carry the table. ²⁸ Use acacia wood to make the poles, and cover them with gold. The poles are for carrying the table. ²⁹ Make the plates, the spoons, the pitchers, and the bowls from pure gold. The pitchers and bowls will be used for pouring the drink offerings. ³⁰ Put the special bread^[f] before me on the table. It must always be there in front of me.

The Lampstand

³¹ “Then you must make a lampstand. Use pure gold and hammer it to make the base and the shaft.^[g] Make flowers, buds, and petals from pure gold. Join all these things together into one piece.

³² “The lampstand must have six branches—three branches on one side and three branches on the other. ³³ Each branch must have three flowers. Make these flowers like almond flowers with buds and petals. ³⁴ Make four more flowers for the lampstand. These flowers must be made like almond flowers with buds and petals. ³⁵ There will be six branches on the lampstand—three branches coming out from each side of the shaft. Make a flower with buds and petals below each of the three places where the branches join the shaft. ³⁶ The whole lampstand with the flowers and branches must be made from pure gold. All this gold must be hammered and joined together into one piece. ³⁷ Then make seven lamps^[h] to go on the lampstand. These lamps will give light to the area in front of the lampstand. ³⁸ Use pure gold to make the lamp snuffers and trays. ³⁹ Use 75 pounds^[i] of pure gold to make the lampstand and the things to be used with it. ⁴⁰ Be very careful to make everything exactly the way I showed you on the mountain.

The Holy Tent

26 “The Holy Tent should be made from ten curtains. These curtains must be made from fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn. A skilled worker should sew pictures of Cherub angels with wings into the curtains. ² Make each curtain the same size. Each curtain should be 28 cubits^[j] long and 4 cubits^[k] wide. ³ Join the curtains together into two groups. Join five curtains together to make one group and join five curtains together to make the other group. ⁴ Use blue cloth to make loops along the edge of the end curtain in one group. Do the same on the end curtain in the other group. ⁵ There must be 50 loops on the end curtain of the first group. And there must be 50 loops on the end curtain of the other group. These loops must be opposite each other. ⁶ Then make 50 gold rings to join the curtains together. This will join the Holy Tent together into one piece.

⁷ “Make another tent that will cover the Holy Tent. Use eleven curtains to make this tent. Make these curtains from goat hair. ⁸ All these curtains must be the same size. They must be 30 cubits^[l] long and 4 cubits wide. ⁹ Join five of the curtains together into one group. Then join the other six curtains together into another group. Fold back half of the sixth curtain at the front of the Tent. ¹⁰ Make 50 loops down the edge of the end curtain of one group. Do the same for the end curtain of the other group. ¹¹ Then make 50 bronze rings to join the curtains together. This will join the tent together into one piece. ¹² Half of the end curtain of this tent will hang down below the back edge of the Holy Tent. ¹³ On the sides, the curtains of this tent will hang down 1 cubit^[m] below the bottom edges of the Holy Tent. So this tent will completely cover the Holy Tent. ¹⁴ Make two coverings to go over the outer tent. One covering should be made from ram skins dyed red. The other covering should be made from fine leather.

¹⁵ “Use acacia wood to make frames to support the Holy Tent. ¹⁶ The frames should be 10 cubits^[n] high and 1 1/2 cubits^[o] wide. ¹⁷ Two side poles should be joined together with cross pieces to make each frame. All the frames for the Holy Tent must be the same. ¹⁸ Make 20 frames for the south side of the Holy Tent. ¹⁹ And make 40 silver bases for the frames. Each frame should have two silver bases to go under it—one base for each side pole. ²⁰ Make 20 more frames for the other side (the north side) of the Holy Tent. ²¹ And make 40 silver bases for these frames—two bases under each frame. ²² Make six more frames for the back (the west side) of the Holy Tent. ²³ Make two frames for the corners at the back of the Holy Tent. ²⁴ The frames at the corners should be joined together at the bottom. At the top a ring will hold the frames together. Do the same for both corners. ²⁵ There will be a total of eight frames for the west end of the Tent. There will be 16 silver bases—two bases under each frame.

²⁶ “Use acacia wood and make braces for the frames of the Holy Tent. There should be five braces for the first side of the Holy Tent. ²⁷ And there should be five braces for the frames on the other side of the Holy Tent. And there should be five braces for the frames at the back (the west side) of the Holy Tent. ²⁸ The middle brace should pass through the frames from one end to the other.

²⁹ “Cover the frames with gold. And make rings for the frames to hold the braces. Make these rings from gold. Also cover the braces with gold. ³⁰ Build the Holy Tent the way I showed you on the mountain.

Inside the Holy Tent

³¹ “Use fine linen and make a special curtain for the inside of the Holy Tent. Use blue, purple, and red yarn and sew pictures of Cherub angels into the curtain. ³² Make four posts from acacia wood, and cover the posts with gold. Put hooks made from gold on the four posts. Put four silver bases under the posts. Then hang the curtain on the gold hooks. ³³ Put the curtain under the gold rings.^[p] Then put the Box of the Agreement behind the curtain. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. ³⁴ Put the mercy-cover on the Box of the Agreement in the Most Holy Place.

³⁵ “Put the special table you made outside of the curtain. The table should be on the north side of the Holy Tent. Then put the lampstand on the south side, across from the table.

The Door of the Holy Tent

³⁶ “Then make a curtain to cover the entrance to the Holy Tent. Use blue, purple, and red yarn and fine linen to make this curtain. Weave pictures into it. ³⁷ Make gold hooks for this curtain. Make five posts using acacia wood covered with gold and make five bronze bases for the five posts.

The Altar for Burning Offerings

27 “Use acacia wood and build an altar. The altar should be square. It must be 5 cubits^[q] long, 5 cubits wide, and 3 cubits^[r] high. ² Make a horn for each of the four corners of the altar. Join each horn to its corner so that everything is one piece. Then cover the altar with bronze.

³ “Use bronze to make all the tools and dishes that will be used on the altar. Make pots, shovels, bowls, forks, and pans. These will be used for cleaning ashes from the altar. ⁴ Make a grating for the altar. This grating will be shaped like a net. And make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the grating. ⁵ Put the grating under the ledge at the bottom of the altar. The grating will go halfway up into the altar from below.

⁶ “Use acacia wood to make poles for the altar, and cover them with bronze. ⁷ Put the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar. Use these poles for carrying the altar. ⁸ Make the altar like an empty box with the sides made from boards. Make the altar just as I showed you on the mountain.

The Courtyard Around the Holy Tent

⁹ “Make a courtyard for the Holy Tent. The south side should have a wall of curtains 100 cubits^[s] long. These curtains must be made from fine linen. ¹⁰ Use 20 posts and 20 bronze bases under the posts. The hooks for the posts and the curtain rods^[t] should be made from silver. ¹¹ The north side must also have a wall of curtains 100 cubits long. It must have 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks for the posts and the curtain rods must be made from silver.

¹² “On the west side of the courtyard there must be a wall of curtains 50 cubits^[u] long. There must be ten posts and ten bases. ¹³ The east side of the courtyard must also be 50 cubits long. ¹⁴ Here at the entrance to the courtyard, one side must have curtains 15 cubits^[v] long. There must be three posts and three bases on this side. ¹⁵ The other side of the entrance must also have curtains 15 cubits long. There must be three posts and three bases on that side.

¹⁶ “Make a curtain 20 cubits^[w] long to cover the entrance to the courtyard. Make that curtain from fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn. Weave designs into that curtain. There must be four posts and four bases for that curtain. ¹⁷ All the posts around the courtyard must be joined with silver curtain rods. The hooks on the posts must be made from silver, and the bases for the posts must be bronze. ¹⁸ The courtyard should be 100 cubits long and 50 cubits wide. The wall of curtains around the courtyard should be 5 cubits high. The curtains must be made from fine linen. The bases under the posts must be bronze. ¹⁹ All the tools, tent pegs, and other things used in the Holy Tent must be made from bronze. And all the pegs for the curtains around the courtyard must be made from bronze.

Oil for the Lamp

²⁰ “Command the Israelites to bring their best olive oil for the lamp that must be lit each evening. ²¹ This lamp is in the first room of the Meeting Tent, outside the curtain for the room where the Agreement is. Aaron and his sons will make sure this lamp is burning before the Lord every day from evening until morning. The Israelites and their descendants must obey this law forever.