Exodus 36; Exodus 37; Exodus 38; Matthew 23:1-22

Exodus 36

1 "Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other workers to whom the Lord has given skill and understanding, who know how to make everything needed to build the sacred Tent, are to make everything just as the Lord has commanded."

2 Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other skilled men to whom the Lord had given ability and who were willing to help, and Moses told them to start working.

3 They received from him all the offerings which the Israelites had brought for constructing the sacred Tent. But the people of Israel continued to bring Moses their offerings every morning.

4 Then the skilled men who were doing the work went

5 and told Moses, "The people are bringing more than is needed for the work which the Lord commanded to be done."

6 So Moses sent a command throughout the camp that no one was to make any further contribution for the sacred Tent; so the people did not bring any more.

7 What had already been brought was more than enough to finish all the work.

8 The most skilled men among those doing the work made the Tent of the Lord's presence. They made it out of ten pieces of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with figures of winged creatures.

9 Each piece was the same size, 14 yards long and 2 yards wide.

10 They sewed five of them together in one set and did the same with the other five.

11 They made loops of blue cloth on the edge of the outside piece in each set.

12 They put fifty loops on the first piece of the first set and fifty loops matching them on the last piece of the second set.

13 They made fifty gold hooks, with which to join the two sets into one piece.

14 Then they made a cover for the Tent out of eleven pieces of cloth made of goats' hair.

15 They made them all the same size, 15 yards long and 2 yards wide.

16 They sewed five of them together in one set and the other six in another set.

17 They put fifty loops on the edge of the last piece of one set and fifty loops on the edge of the other set.

18 They made fifty bronze hooks to join the two sets, so as to form one cover.

19 They made two more coverings, one of rams' skin dyed red and the other of fine leather, to serve as an outer cover.

20 They made upright frames of acacia wood for the Tent.

21 Each frame was 15 feet tall and 27 inches wide,

22 with two matching projections, so that the frames could be joined together. All the frames had these projections.

23 They made twenty frames for the south side

24 and forty silver bases to go under them, two bases under each frame to hold its two projections.

25 They made twenty frames for the north side of the Tent

26 and forty silver bases, two under each frame.

27 For the back of the Tent, on the west, they made six frames

28 and two frames for the corners.

29 These corner frames were joined at the bottom and connected all the way to the top. The two frames that formed the two corners were made in this way.

30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases, two under each frame.

31 They made fifteen crossbars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the Tent,

32 five for the frames on the other side, and five for the frames on the west end, at the back.

33 The middle crossbar, set halfway up the frames, extended from one end of the Tent to the other.

34 They covered the frames with gold and fitted them with gold rings to hold the crossbars, which were also covered with gold.

35 They made a curtain of fine linen, woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered it with figures of winged creatures.

36 They made four posts of acacia wood to hold the curtain, covered them with gold, and fitted them with gold hooks. Then they made four silver bases to hold the posts.

37 For the entrance of the Tent they made a curtain of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and decorated with embroidery.

38 For this curtain they made five posts fitted with hooks, covered their tops and their rods with gold, and made five bronze bases for the posts.

Exodus 37

1 Bezalel made the Covenant Box out of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

2 He covered it with pure gold inside and out and put a gold border all around it.

3 He made four carrying rings of gold for it and attached them to its four feet, with two rings on each side.

4 He made carrying poles of acacia wood, covered them with gold,

5 and put them through the rings on each side of the Box.

6 He made a lid of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.

7 He made two winged creatures of hammered gold,

8 one for each end of the lid. He made them so that they formed one piece with the lid.

9 The winged creatures faced each other across the lid, and their outspread wings covered it.

10 He made the table out of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

11 He covered it with pure gold and put a gold border around it.

12 He made a rim 3 inches wide around it and put a gold border around the rim.

13 He made four carrying rings of gold for it and put them at the four corners, where the legs were.

14 The rings to hold the poles for carrying the table were placed near the rim.

15 He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.

16 He made the dishes of pure gold for the table: the plates, the cups, the jars, and the bowls to be used for the wine offering.

17 He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made its base and its shaft of hammered gold; its decorative flowers, including buds and petals, formed one piece with it.

18 Six branches extended from its sides, three from each side.

19 Each of the six branches had three decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals.

20 The shaft of the lampstand had four decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals.

21 There was one bud below each of the three pairs of branches.

22 The buds, the branches, and the lampstand were a single piece of pure hammered gold.

23 He made seven lamps for the lampstand, and he made its tongs and trays of pure gold.

24 He used seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and all its equipment.

25 He made an altar out of acacia wood, for burning incense. It was square, 18 inches long and 18 inches wide, and it was 36 inches high. Its projections at the four corners formed one piece with it.

26 He covered its top, all four sides, and its projections with pure gold and put a gold border around it.

27 He made two gold carrying rings for it and attached them below the border on the two sides, to hold the poles with which it was to be carried.

28 He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.

29 He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure sweet-smelling incense, mixed like perfume.

Exodus 38

1 For burning offerings, he made an altar out of acacia wood. It was square, 7 1/2 feet long and 7 1/2 feet wide, and it was 4 1/2 feet high.

2 He made the projections at the top of the four corners, so that they formed one piece with the altar. He covered it all with bronze.

3 He also made all the equipment for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the bowls, the hooks, and the fire pans. All this equipment was made of bronze.

4 He made a bronze grating and put it under the rim of the altar, so that it reached halfway up the altar.

5 He made four carrying rings and put them on the four corners.

6 He made carrying poles of acacia wood, covered them with bronze,

7 and put them in the rings on each side of the altar. The altar was made of boards and was hollow.

8 He made the bronze basin and its bronze base out of the mirrors belonging to the women who served at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence.

9 For the Tent of the Lord's presence he made the enclosure out of fine linen curtains. On the south side the curtains were 50 yards long,

10 supported by twenty bronze posts in twenty bronze bases, with hooks and rods made of silver.

11 The enclosure was the same on the north side.

12 On the west side there were curtains 25 yards long, with ten posts and ten bases and with hooks and rods made of silver.

13 On the east side, where the entrance was, the enclosure was also 25 yards wide.

14 On each side of the entrance there were 7 1/2 yards of curtains, with three posts and three bases.

16 All the curtains around the enclosure were made of fine linen.

17 The bases for the posts were made of bronze, and the hooks, the rods, and the covering of the tops of the posts were made of silver. All the posts around the enclosure were connected with silver rods.

18 The curtain for the entrance of the enclosure was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and decorated with embroidery. It was 10 yards long and 2 1/2 yards high, like the curtains of the enclosure.

19 It was supported by four posts in four bronze bases. Their hooks, the covering of their tops, and their rods were made of silver.

20 All the pegs for the Tent and for the surrounding enclosure were made of bronze.

21 Here is a list of the amounts of the metals used in the Tent of the Lord's presence, where the two stone tablets were kept on which the Ten Commandments were written. The list was ordered by Moses and made by the Levites who worked under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

22 Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur from the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded.

23 His helper, Oholiab son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, was an engraver, a designer, and a weaver of fine linen and of blue, purple, and red wool.

24 All the gold that had been dedicated to the Lord for the sacred Tent weighed 2,195 pounds, weighed according to the official standard.

25 The silver from the census of the community weighed 7,550 pounds, weighed according to the official standard.

26 This amount equaled the total paid by all persons enrolled in the census, each one paying the required amount, weighed according to the official standard. There were 603,550 men twenty years old or older enrolled in the census.

27 Of the silver, 7,500 pounds were used to make the hundred bases for the sacred Tent and for the curtain, 75 pounds for each base.

28 With the remaining 50 pounds of silver Bezalel made the rods, the hooks for the posts, and the covering for their tops.

29 The bronze which was dedicated to the Lord amounted to 5,310 pounds.

30 With it he made the bases for the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence, the bronze altar with its bronze grating, all the equipment for the altar,

31 the bases for the surrounding enclosure and for the entrance of the enclosure, and all the pegs for the Tent and the surrounding enclosure.

Matthew 23:1-22

1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples.

2 "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law.

3 So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practice what they preach.

4 They tie onto people's backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads

5 They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks!

6 They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues;

7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them "Teacher.'

8 You must not be called "Teacher,' because you are all equal and have only one Teacher.

9 And you must not call anyone here on earth "Father,' because you have only the one Father in heaven.

10 Nor should you be called "Leader,' because your one and only leader is the Messiah.

11 The greatest one among you must be your servant.

12 Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

13 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, but you yourselves don't go in, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter!

15 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You sail the seas and cross whole countries to win one convert; and when you succeed, you make him twice as deserving of going to hell as you yourselves are!

16 "How terrible for you, blind guides! You teach, "If someone swears by the Temple, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound.'

17 Blind fools! Which is more important, the gold or the Temple which makes the gold holy?

18 You also teach, "If someone swears by the altar, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound.'

19 How blind you are! Which is the more important, the gift or the altar which makes the gift holy

20 So then, when a person swears by the altar, he is swearing by it and by all the gifts on it;

21 and when he swears by the Temple, he is swearing by it and by God, who lives there

22 and when someone swears by heaven, he is swearing by God's throne and by him who sits on it.