New Revised Standard NRS
Common English Bible CEB
1 You shall make an altar on which to offer incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.
1
Make an acacia-wood altar for burning incense.
2 It shall be one cubit long, and one cubit wide; it shall be square, and shall be two cubits high; its horns shall be of one piece with it.
2
The altar should be square, eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide. It should be three feet high. Its horns should be permanently attached.
3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, and its sides all around and its horns; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around.
3
Cover the altar with pure gold, including its top, all its sides, and its horns. You should also make a gold molding all around it.
4 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 hold the poles with which to carry it.
4
Make two gold rings and attach them under the molding on two opposite sides of the altar. They will house the poles used to carry the altar.
5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
5
Make acacia-wood poles and cover them with gold.
6 You shall place it in front of the curtain that is above the ark of the covenant, in front of the mercy seat that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you.
6
Place the incense altar in front of the veil that hangs before the chest containing the covenant, in front of the cover that is on top of the covenant document where I will meet with you.
7 Aaron shall offer fragrant incense on it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall offer it,
7
Aaron will burn sweet-smelling incense on the incense altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps.
8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall offer it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.
8
And again when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he will burn incense. It should be a regular incense offering in the LORD's presence in every generation.
9 You shall not offer unholy incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.
9
Don't offer the wrong incense on the altar or an entirely burned offering or a grain offering. Don't pour a drink offering on it.
10 Once a year Aaron shall perform the rite of atonement on its horns. Throughout your generations he shall perform the atonement for it once a year with the blood of the atoning sin offering. It is most holy to the Lord.
10
Once a year Aaron should perform a ritual of reconciliation on its horns with the blood of the purification offering for reconciliation. Once a year in every generation he should perform a ritual of reconciliation at the altar. It is most holy to the LORD.
11 The Lord spoke to Moses:
11
The LORD spoke to Moses:
12 When you take a census of the Israelites to register them, at registration all of them shall give a ransom for their lives to the Lord, so that no plague may come upon them for being registered.
12
When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each of them should pay compensation for their life to the LORD when they are counted. Then no plague will descend on them when they are counted.
13 This is what each one who is registered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.
13
Every one who is counted should pay a half shekel according to the official shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs). The half shekel is a gift offering to the LORD.
14 Each one who is registered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering.
14
Every one who is counted, from 20 years old and above, should present a gift offering to the LORD.
15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you bring this offering to the Lord to make atonement for your lives.
15
When you bring this gift offering to the LORD to pay compensation for your lives, the rich shouldn't give more and the poor shouldn't give less than the half shekel.
16 You shall take the atonement money from the Israelites and shall designate it for the service of the tent of meeting; before the Lord it will be a reminder to the Israelites of the ransom given for your lives.
16
Take the compensation money from the Israelites and use it to support the service of the meeting tent. It will serve for the Israelites as a reminder in the LORD's presence of the compensation paid for your lives.
17 The Lord spoke to Moses:
17
The LORD spoke to Moses:
18 You shall make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it;
18
Make a copper basin for washing along with its copper stand. Put it between the meeting tent and the altar, and put water in it.
19 with the water Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.
19
Aaron and his sons will use it to wash their hands and their feet.
20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to make an offering by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die.
20
When they go into the meeting tent or approach the altar to minister and to offer a food gift to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they don't die.
21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die: it shall be a perpetual ordinance for them, for him and for his descendants throughout their generations.
21
They must wash their hands and their feet so that they don't die. This will be a permanent regulation for them, for Aaron and his descendants in every generation.
22 The Lord spoke to Moses:
22
The LORD spoke to Moses:
23 Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty of aromatic cane,
23
Now take for yourself high-quality spices: five hundred weight of solid myrrh; half as much of sweet-smelling cinnamon, that is, two hundred fifty; two hundred fifty weight of sweet-smelling cane;
24 and five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil;
24
five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.
25 and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.
25
Prepare a holy anointing oil, blending them like a skilled perfume maker to produce the holy anointing oil.
26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant,
26
Use it to anoint the meeting tent, the chest containing the covenant,
27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,
27
the table and all its equipment, the lampstand and its equipment, the incense altar,
28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand;
28
the altar for entirely burned offerings and all its equipment, and the washbasin with its stand.
29 you shall consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them will become holy.
29
Make them holy so that they may be perfectly holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.
30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, in order that they may serve me as priests.
30
Then anoint Aaron and his sons and make them holy to serve me as priests.
31 You shall say to the Israelites, "This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.
31
Say to the Israelites: This will be my holy anointing oil in every generation.
32 It shall not be used in any ordinary anointing of the body, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.
32
Don't allow anyone else to use this oil. Don't make another oil like it by using the same formula. This oil is holy, and you should regard it as holy.
33 Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from the people."
33
Whoever blends an oil like it or whoever uses the oil on someone else will be cut off from the people.
34 The Lord said to Moses: Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (an equal part of each),
34
The LORD said to Moses: Take an equal amount of each of these spices: gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense.
35 and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy;
35
Like a skilled perfume maker, carefully blend them together and make incense, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36 and you shall beat some of it into powder, and put part of it before the covenant in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you; it shall be for you most holy.
36
Beat some of it into a fine powder and put part of it in front of the covenant document in the meeting tent where I will meet with you. You should regard it as perfectly holy.
37 When you make incense according to this composition, you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be regarded by you as holy to the Lord.
37
When you make incense according to this formula, you shouldn't make any of it for your own use. You should regard it as holy to the LORD.
38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from the people.
38
Whoever makes incense with this same formula to enjoy its fragrance will be cut off from the people.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible