The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 "Make an Altar for burning incense. Construct it from acacia wood,
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“You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.
2 one and one-half feet square and three feet high with its horns of one piece with it.
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A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.
3 Cover it with a veneer of pure gold, its top, sides, and horns, and make a gold molding around it
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You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.
4 with two rings of gold beneath the molding. Place the rings on the two opposing sides to serve as holders for poles by which it will be carried.
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And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.
5 Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold.
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You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6 "Place the Altar in front of the curtain that hides the Chest of The Testimony, in front of the Atonement-Cover that is over The Testimony where I will meet you.
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And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.
7 Aaron will burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he polishes the lamps,
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And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it,
8 and again in the evening as he prepares the lamps for lighting, so that there will always be incense burning before God, generation after generation.
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and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.
9 But don't burn on this Altar any unholy incense or Whole-Burnt-Offering or Grain-Offering. And don't pour out Drink-Offerings on it.
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You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.
10 Once a year Aaron is to purify the Altar horns. Using the blood of the Absolution-Offering of atonement, he is to make this atonement every year down through the generations. It is most holy to God." The Atonement-Tax
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Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord. ”
11 God spoke to Moses:
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The Lord said to Moses,
12 "When you take a head count of the Israelites to keep track of them, all must pay an atonement-tax to God for their life at the time of being registered so that nothing bad will happen because of the registration.
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“When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.
13 Everyone who gets counted is to give a half-shekel (using the standard Sanctuary shekel of a fifth of an ounce to the shekel) - a half-shekel offering to God.
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Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.
14 Everyone counted, age twenty and up, is to make the offering to God.
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Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord’s offering.
15 The rich are not to pay more nor the poor less than the half-shekel offering to God, the atonement-tax for your lives.
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The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord’s offering to make atonement for your lives.
16 Take the atonement-tax money from the Israelites and put it to the maintenance of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial fund for the Israelites in honor of God, making atonement for your lives." The Washbasin
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You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives. ”
17 God spoke to Moses:
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The Lord said to Moses,
18 "Make a bronze Washbasin; make it with a bronze base. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar. Put water in it.
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“You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it,
19 Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet in it.
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with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.
20 When they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the Altar to serve there or offer gift offerings to God, they are to wash so they will not die.
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When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die.
21 They are to wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is the rule forever, for Aaron and his sons down through the generations." Holy Anointing Oil
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They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations. ”
22 God spoke to Moses:
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The Lord said to Moses,
23 "Take the best spices: twelve and a half pounds of liquid myrrh; half that much, six and a quarter pounds, of fragrant cinnamon; six and a quarter pounds of fragrant cane;
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“Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane,
24 twelve and a half pounds of cassia - using the standard Sanctuary weight for all of them - and a gallon of olive oil.
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and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.
25 Make these into a holy anointing oil, a perfumer's skillful blend.
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And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.
26 "Use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Chest of The Testimony,
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With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,
27 the Table and all its utensils, the Lampstand and its utensils, the Altar of Incense,
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and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,
28 the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offerings and all its utensils, and the Washbasin and its base.
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and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand.
29 Consecrate them so they'll be soaked in holiness, so that anyone who so much as touches them will become holy.
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You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.
30 "Then anoint Aaron and his sons. Consecrate them as priests to me.
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You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.
31 Tell the Israelites, 'This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.'
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And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.
32 Don't pour it on ordinary men. Don't copy this mixture to use for yourselves. It's holy; keep it holy.
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It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.
33 Whoever mixes up anything like it, or puts it on an ordinary person, will be expelled." Holy Incense
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Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people. ’”
34 God spoke to Moses: "Take fragrant spices - gum resin, onycha, galbanum - and add pure frankincense. Mix the spices in equal proportions
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The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part),
35 to make an aromatic incense, the art of a perfumer, salted and pure - holy.
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and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36 Now crush some of it into powder and place some of it before The Testimony in the Tent of Meeting where I will meet with you; it will be for you the holiest of holy places.
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You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you.
37 When you make this incense, you are not to copy the mixture for your own use. It's holy to God; keep it that way.
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And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord.
38 Whoever copies it for personal use will be excommunicated."
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Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people. ”
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025