1 "Moreover, you shall make1an altar as a place for burningincense; you shall make it of acaciawood.
2
"Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it.
3
"You shall overlay it with puregold, its top and its sidesallaround, and its horns; and you shall make a goldmoldingallaround for it.
4
"You shall maketwogoldrings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its twosidewalls -on oppositesides -and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.
5
"You shall make the poles of acaciawood and overlay them with gold.
6
"You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the 2mercyseat that is over the ark of the testimony, where* I will meet with you.
7
"Aaron shall burnfragrantincense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps.
8
"When Aarontrims the lamps at twilight, he shall burnincense. There shall be perpetualincensebefore the LORD throughout your generations.
9
"You shall not offer any strangeincense on this altar, or burntoffering or mealoffering; and you shall not pour out a drinkoffering on it.
10
"Aaron shall 3makeatonement on its hornsonce a year; he shall makeatonement on it with the blood of the sinoffering of atonementonce a year throughout your generations. It is mostholy to the LORD."
12
"When you take4a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then eachone of them shall give5a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be noplague among them when you number them.
13
"This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (6the shekel is twentygerahs ), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD.
14
"Everyone who is numbered, from twentyyearsold and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD.
15
"The rich shall not paymore and the poor shall not paylessthan the halfshekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to makeatonement for yourselves.
16
"You shall take the atonementmoney from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israelbefore the LORD, to makeatonement for yourselves."
18
"You shall also make7a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall 8put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall putwater in it.
19
"Aaron and his sons shall 9wash their hands and their feet from it;
20
when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD.
21
"So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and 10it shall be a perpetualstatute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations."