Exodus 30:1-21

The Altar of Incense

1 "Moreover, you shall make 1an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.
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 pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it.
4 "You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls -on opposite sides -and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.
5 "You shall make the poles of acacia wood 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 2mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where * I will meet with you.
7 "Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps.
8 "When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
9 "You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.
10 "Aaron shall 3make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."
11 The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying,
12 "When you take 4a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give 5a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague 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 twenty gerahs ), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD.
14 "Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD.
15 "The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves.
16 "You shall take the atonement money 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 Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves."
17 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
18 "You shall also make 7a 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 put water 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 perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations."

Cross References 10

  • 1. Exodus 37:25-29
  • 2. Exodus 25:21
  • 3. Leviticus 16:18
  • 4. Exodus 38:25, 26; Numbers 1:2; Numbers 26:2
  • 5. Numbers 31:50
  • 6. Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47; Ezekiel 45:12
  • 7. Exodus 38:8
  • 8. Exodus 40:30
  • 9. Exodus 40:31; Isaiah 52:11
  • 10. Exodus 28:43

Footnotes 26

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