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Exodus 30-32
GOD’S WORD Translation
Exodus 30-32
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Altar for Incense(A)
30 ⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Build an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high. The horns and altar must be made out of one piece ⌞of wood⌟. 3 Cover all of it with pure gold—the top, the sides, and the horns. Put a gold molding around it. 4 Make two gold rings, and put them below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles for carrying it. 5 Make the poles out of acacia wood, and cover them with gold. 6 Put the altar in front of the canopy which ⌞hangs⌟ over the ark containing the words of my promise. I will meet with you there in front of the throne of mercy that is on the ark.
7 “Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on this altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps. 8 Also, when Aaron lights the lamps at dusk, he must burn incense. For generations to come an incense offering must burn constantly in the Lord’s presence.
9 “Never burn any unauthorized incense on this altar or any burnt offerings or grain offerings. Never pour a wine offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron must make peace with the Lord by putting blood on its horns. Once a year—for generations to come—blood from the offering must be placed on the altar to make peace with the Lord. It is most holy to the Lord.”
Counting the Israelites
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites, each person must pay the Lord a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will happen to them when they are counted. 13 As each person is counted, he must give one-fifth of an ounce of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.[a] This one-fifth of an ounce of silver is a contribution to the Lord. 14 Everyone counted who is at least 20 years old must give this contribution to the Lord. 15 The rich must not give more than one-fifth of an ounce of silver, and the poor must not give less. This contribution is given to make peace with the Lord and make your lives acceptable to the Lord. 16 Take the money the Israelites give to make peace with the Lord, and use it to pay the expenses of the tent of meeting. It will be a reminder for the Israelites in the Lord’s presence that the sins in their lives are removed.”
The Bronze Basin(B)
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and fill it with water. 19 Aaron and his sons will use it for washing their hands and feet. 20 Before they go into the tent of meeting, they must wash so that they will not die. Before they come near the altar to serve as priests and burn an offering by fire to the Lord, 21 they will wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This will be a permanent law for him and his descendants for generations to come.”
The Oil for Anointing
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: 12½ pounds of powdered [b] myrrh; half as much, that is, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cinnamon; 6¼ pounds of fragrant cane; 24 12½ pounds of cassia—all weighed using the standard weight of the holy place—and 4 quarts of olive oil. 25 Have a perfumer make these into a holy oil, a fragrant mixture, used only for anointing. This will be the holy oil used for anointing.
26 “Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise, 27 the table and all the dishes, the lamp stand and all the utensils, the altar for incense, 28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, and the basin with its stand. 29 In this way you will dedicate them for their holy purpose. Then they will be most holy, and anything that touches them will become holy. 30 Anoint Aaron and his sons as well. In this way you will set them apart for their holy duties of serving me as priests.
31 “Say to the Israelites, ‘For generations to come, this will be my holy oil used only for anointing. 32 It must never be poured on the bodies of other people. Never make any perfumed oil using this formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. 33 Whoever prepares a perfume like this or puts it on anyone who is not a priest must be excluded from the people.’ ”
The Incense for Use in the Tent
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Take one part fragrant spices (two kinds of gum resin and aromatic mollusk shells), and mix them with one part pure frankincense. 35 Have a perfumer make it into fragrant incense, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 Grind some of it into a fine powder, and put it in front of ⌞the ark containing⌟ the words of my promise in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You must treat it as most holy. 37 Never make any incense for yourselves using this formula. Treat it as holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever prepares anything like it for his own enjoyment must be excluded from his people.”
The Craftsmen for the Tent(C)
31 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, making him highly skilled, resourceful, and knowledgeable in all trades. 4 He’s a master artist familiar with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He knows how to cut and set stones and how to work with wood. He’s an expert in all trades. 6 Also, I have appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, to help him. I have given every craftsman the skill necessary to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise with the throne of mercy on it, and all the ⌞other⌟ furnishings for the tent, 8 the table and the dishes, the pure ⌞gold⌟ lamp stand and all its utensils, the altar for incense, 9 the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, the basin with its stand, 10 the special clothes—the holy clothes for the priest Aaron and the clothes for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place. They will make all these things as I commanded you.”
The Sign between the Lord and His People
12 The Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘Be sure to observe my days of rest as holy days. This will be a sign between me and you for generations to come so that you will know that I am the Lord who makes you holy.
14 “ ‘Observe the day of rest because it is holy to you. Whoever treats it like any other day must be put to death. Whoever works on that day must be excluded from the people. 15 You may work for six days, but the seventh day is a day of rest—a holy day, a day when you don’t work. It is holy to the Lord. Whoever works on that day must be put to death. 16 The Israelites must observe this day of rest as a holy day, celebrating it for generations to come as a permanent reminder of my promise.[c] 17 It will be a permanent sign between me and the Israelites, because the Lord made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’ ”
18 The Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then he gave him the two tablets with his words on them, stone tablets inscribed by God himself.
The Gold Calf
32 When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, “We don’t know what has happened to this Moses, who led us out of Egypt. Make gods who will lead us.”
2 Aaron said to them, “Have your wives, sons, and daughters take off the gold earrings they are wearing, and bring them to me.”
3 So all the people took off their gold earrings and handed them to Aaron. 4 After he had worked on the gold with a tool, he made it into a statue of a calf.
Then they said, “Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival in the Lord’s honor.”
6 Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Afterward, they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy.
7 The Lord said to Moses, “Go back down there. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined ⌞everything⌟. 8 They’ve already turned from the way I commanded them to live. They’ve made a statue of a calf for themselves. They’ve bowed down to it and offered sacrifices to it. They’ve said, ‘Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’ ”
9 The Lord added, “I’ve seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with. 10 Now leave me alone. I’m so angry with them I am going to destroy them. Then I’ll make you into a great nation.”
11 But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why are you so angry with your people whom you brought out of Egypt using your great power and mighty hand? 12 Don’t let the Egyptians say, ‘He was planning all along to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth. That’s why he brought them out ⌞of our land⌟.’ Don’t be so angry. Reconsider your decision to bring this disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You took an oath, swearing on yourself. You told them, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give to your descendants all the land I spoke of. It will be their permanent possession.’ ”
14 So the Lord reconsidered his threat to destroy his people.
15 Moses turned and went down the mountain carrying the two tablets with God’s words. They were written on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing inscribed on the tablets.
17 Then Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting. He said to Moses, “It’s the sound of war in the camp!”
18 Moses replied,
“It’s not the sound of winners shouting.
It’s not the sound of losers crying.
It’s the sound of a wild celebration that I hear.”
19 When he came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. In a burst of anger Moses threw down the tablets and smashed them at the foot of the mountain. 20 Then he took the calf they had made, burned it, ground it into powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
21 Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you encouraged them to commit such a serious sin?”
22 “Don’t be angry, sir,” Aaron answered. “You know that these people are evil. 23 They said to me, ‘We don’t know what’s happened to this Moses who brought us out of Egypt. Make gods for us. They will lead us.’ 24 So I told them to take off any gold they were wearing. They gave it to me. I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”
25 Aaron had let the people get out of control, and they became an object of ridicule to their enemies. When Moses saw this, 26 he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “If you’re on the Lord’s side, come over here to me!” Then all the Levites gathered around him.
27 He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Each of you put on your sword. Go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other, and kill your relatives, friends, and neighbors.”
28 The Levites did what Moses told them, and that day about 3,000 people died.
29 Moses said, “Today you are ordained as the Lord’s priests. God gave you a blessing today because each of you fought with your own sons and brothers.”[d]
Moses Begs the Lord to Spare the People
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a serious sin. Now I will go up the mountain to the Lord. Maybe I will be able to make a payment for your sin and make peace with the Lord for your sin.”
31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “These people have committed such a serious sin! They made gods out of gold for themselves. 32 But will you forgive their sin? If not, please wipe me out of the book you have written.”
33 The Lord answered Moses, “I will wipe out of my book whoever sins against me. 34 Now, go! Lead the people to the place I told you about. My Messenger will go ahead of you. But when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 So the Lord killed people because they had Aaron make the calf.
Exodus 30-32
New International Version
Exodus 30-32
New International Version
The Altar of Incense(A)
30 “Make an altar(B) of acacia wood for burning incense.(C) 2 It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high[a]—its horns(D) of one piece with it. 3 Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.(E) 4 Make two gold rings(F) for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.(G) 6 Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover(H) that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you.
7 “Aaron must burn fragrant incense(I) on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.(J) 9 Do not offer on this altar any other incense(K) or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year(L) Aaron shall make atonement(M) on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering[b](N) for the generations to come.(O) It is most holy to the Lord.”
Atonement Money
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census(P) of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom(Q) for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague(R) will come on them when you number them. 13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel,[c] according to the sanctuary shekel,(S) which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more,(T) are to give an offering to the Lord. 15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less(U) when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives. 16 Receive the atonement(V) money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting.(W) It will be a memorial(X) for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives.”
Basin for Washing
17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin,(Y) with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet(Z) with water(AA) from it. 20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die.(AB) Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance(AC) for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”(AD)
Anointing Oil
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the following fine spices:(AE) 500 shekels[d] of liquid myrrh,(AF) half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon,(AG) 250 shekels[e] of fragrant calamus,(AH) 24 500 shekels(AI) of cassia(AJ)—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin[f] of olive oil. 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer.(AK) It will be the sacred anointing oil.(AL) 26 Then use it to anoint(AM) the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them(AN) so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.(AO)
30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate(AP) them so they may serve me as priests.(AQ) 31 Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil(AR) for the generations to come.(AS) 32 Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.(AT) 33 Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off(AU) from their people.’”
Incense
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices(AV)—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense,(AW) the work of a perfumer.(AX) It is to be salted and pure and sacred. 36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet(AY) with you. It shall be most holy(AZ) to you. 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy(BA) to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off(BB) from their people.”
Bezalel and Oholiab(BC)
31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel(BD) son of Uri, the son of Hur,(BE) of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge(BF) and with all kinds of skills(BG)— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab(BH) son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan,(BI) to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers(BJ) to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting,(BK) the ark of the covenant law(BL) with the atonement cover(BM) on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table(BN) and its articles, the pure gold lampstand(BO) and all its accessories, the altar of incense,(BP) 9 the altar of burnt offering(BQ) and all its utensils, the basin(BR) with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments(BS), both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil(BT) and fragrant incense(BU) for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded(BV) you.”
The Sabbath
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths.(BW) This will be a sign(BX) between me and you for the generations to come,(BY) so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.(BZ)
14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death;(CA) those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work(CB) is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,(CC) holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath,(CD) celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign(CE) between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.(CF)’”(CG)
18 When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai,(CH) he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone(CI) inscribed by the finger of God.(CJ)
The Golden Calf
32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,(CK) they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[g] who will go before(CL) us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”(CM)
2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings(CN) that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol(CO) cast in the shape of a calf,(CP) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[h](CQ) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”(CR)
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival(CS) to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.(CT) Afterward they sat down to eat and drink(CU) and got up to indulge in revelry.(CV)
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt,(CW) have become corrupt.(CX) 8 They have been quick to turn away(CY) from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol(CZ) cast in the shape of a calf.(DA) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed(DB) to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’(DC)
9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked(DD) people. 10 Now leave me alone(DE) so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy(DF) them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”(DG)
11 But Moses sought the favor(DH) of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?(DI) 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?(DJ) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster(DK) on your people. 13 Remember(DL) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:(DM) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars(DN) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land(DO) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented(DP) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law(DQ) in his hands.(DR) They were inscribed(DS) on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.(DT)
17 When Joshua(DU) heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”
18 Moses replied:
“It is not the sound of victory,
it is not the sound of defeat;
it is the sound of singing that I hear.”
19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf(DV) and the dancing,(DW) his anger burned(DX) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces(DY) at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned(DZ) it in the fire; then he ground it to powder,(EA) scattered it on the water(EB) and made the Israelites drink it.
21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”
22 “Do not be angry,(EC) my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil.(ED) 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’(EE) 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”(EF)
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock(EG) to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”(EH) 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin.(EI) But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement(EJ) for your sin.”
31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed!(EK) They have made themselves gods of gold.(EL) 32 But now, please forgive their sin(EM)—but if not, then blot me(EN) out of the book(EO) you have written.”
33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out(EP) of my book. 34 Now go, lead(EQ) the people to the place(ER) I spoke of, and my angel(ES) will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,(ET) I will punish them for their sin.”
35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf(EU) Aaron had made.
Footnotes
- Exodus 30:2 That is, about 1 1/2 feet long and wide and 3 feet high or about 45 centimeters long and wide and 90 centimeters high
- Exodus 30:10 Or purification offering
- Exodus 30:13 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.8 grams; also in verse 15
- Exodus 30:23 That is, about 12 1/2 pounds or about 5.8 kilograms; also in verse 24
- Exodus 30:23 That is, about 6 1/4 pounds or about 2.9 kilograms
- Exodus 30:24 That is, probably about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters
- Exodus 32:1 Or a god; also in verses 23 and 31
- Exodus 32:4 Or This is your god; also in verse 8
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
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