Exodus 39; Exodus 40; Matthew 23:23-39

1 They used blue, purple, and red thread to make woven clothes for the priests to wear when they served in the Holy Place. They made the holy clothes for Aaron as the Lord had commanded Moses.

2 They made the holy vest of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen.

3 They hammered the gold into sheets and then cut it into long, thin strips. They worked the gold into the blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. This was done by skilled craftsmen.

4 They made the shoulder straps for the holy vest, which were attached to the top corners of the vest and tied together over each shoulder.

5 The skillfully woven belt was made in the same way; it was joined to the holy vest as one piece. It was made of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, the way the Lord commanded Moses.

6 They put gold around the onyx stones and then wrote the names of the sons of Israel on these gems, as a person carves words and designs on a seal.

7 Then they attached the gems on the shoulder straps of the holy vest, as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. This was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

8 The skilled craftsmen made the chest covering like the holy vest; it was made of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen.

9 The chest covering was square -- nine inches long and nine inches wide -- and it was folded double to make a pocket.

10 Then they put four rows of beautiful jewels on it: In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz, and a yellow quartz;

11 in the second there was a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;

12 in the third there was a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

13 in the fourth there was a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. Gold was put around these jewels to attach them to the chest covering,

14 and the names of the sons of Israel were carved on these twelve jewels as a person carves a seal. Each jewel had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

15 They made chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope, for the chest covering.

16 The workers made two gold pieces and two gold rings. They put the two gold rings on the two upper corners of the chest covering.

17 Then they put two gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the chest covering,

18 and they fastened the other two ends of the chains to the two gold pieces. They attached these gold pieces to the two shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest.

19 They made two gold rings and put them at the lower corners of the chest covering on the inside edge next to the holy vest.

20 They made two more gold rings on the bottom of the shoulder straps in front of the holy vest, near the seam, just above the woven belt of the holy vest.

21 They used a blue ribbon and tied the rings of the chest covering to the rings of the holy vest, connecting it to the woven belt. In this way the chest covering would not swing out from the holy vest. They did all these things the way the Lord commanded.

22 Then they made the outer robe to be worn under the holy vest. It was woven only of blue cloth.

23 They made a hole in the center of the outer robe, with a woven collar sewn around it so it would not tear.

24 Then they made balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen and hung them around the bottom of the outer robe.

25 They also made bells of pure gold and hung these around the bottom of the outer robe between the balls.

26 So around the bottom of the outer robe there was a bell and a pomegranate ball, a bell and a pomegranate ball. The priest wore this outer robe when he served as priest, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

27 They wove inner robes of fine linen for Aaron and his sons,

28 and they made turbans, headbands, and underclothes of fine linen.

29 Then they made the cloth belt of fine linen, and blue, purple, and red thread, and designs were sewn onto it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 They made a strip of pure gold, which is the holy crown, and carved these words in the gold, as one might carve on a seal: "Holy to the Lord."

31 Then they tied this flat piece to the turban with a blue ribbon, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

32 So all the work on the Meeting Tent was finished. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

33 Then they brought the Holy Tent to Moses: the Tent and all its furniture, hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases;

34 the covering made of male sheepskins colored red, the covering made of fine leather, and the curtain that covered the entrance to the Most Holy Place;

35 the Ark of the Agreement, its poles and lid;

36 the table, all its containers, and the bread that showed they were in God's presence;

37 the pure gold lampstand with its lamps in a row, all its tools, and the olive oil for the light;

38 the gold altar, the special olive oil used for appointing priests, the sweet-smelling incense, and the curtain that covered the entrance to the Tent;

39 the bronze altar and its screen, its poles and all its tools, the bowl and its stand;

40 the curtains for the courtyard with their posts and bases, the curtain that covered the entry to the courtyard, the cords, pegs, and all the things in the Meeting Tent.

41 They brought the clothes for the priests to wear when they served in the Holy Tent -- the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and the clothes for his sons, which they wore when they served as priests.

42 The Israelites had done all this work just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

43 Moses looked closely at all the work and saw they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

1 Then the Lord said to Moses:

2 "On the first day of the first month, set up the Holy Tent, which is the Meeting Tent.

3 Put the Ark of the Agreement in it and hang the curtain in front of the Ark.

4 Bring in the table and arrange everything on the table that should be there. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.

5 Put the gold altar for burning incense in front of the Ark of the Agreement, and put the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.

6 "Put the altar of burnt offerings in front of the entrance of the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent.

7 Put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in it.

8 Set up the courtyard around the Holy Tent, and put the curtain at the entry to the courtyard.

9 "Use the special olive oil and pour it on the Holy Tent and everything in it, in order to give the Tent and all that is in it for service to the Lord. They will be holy.

10 Pour the special oil on the altar for burnt offerings and on all its tools. Give the altar for service to God, and it will be very holy.

11 Then pour the special olive oil on the bowl and the base under it so that they will be given for service to God.

12 "Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and wash them with water.

13 Then put the holy clothes on Aaron. Pour the special oil on him, and give him for service to God so that he may serve me as a priest.

14 Bring Aaron's sons and put the inner robes on them.

15 Pour the special oil on them in the same way that you appointed their father as priest so that they may also serve me as priests. Pouring oil on them will make them a family of priests, they and their descendants from now on."

16 Moses did everything that the Lord commanded him.

17 So the Holy Tent was set up on the first day of the first month during the second year after they left Egypt.

18 When Moses set up the Holy Tent, he put the bases in place, and he put the frames on the bases. Next he put the crossbars through the rings of the frames and set up the posts.

19 After that, Moses spread the cloth over the Holy Tent and put the covering over it, just as the Lord commanded.

20 Moses put the stone tablets that had the Agreement written on them into the Ark. He put the poles through the rings of the Ark and put the lid on it.

21 Next he brought the Ark into the Tent and hung the curtain to cover the Ark, just as the Lord commanded him.

22 Moses put the table in the Meeting Tent on the north side of the Holy Tent in front of the curtain.

23 Then he put the bread on the table before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him.

24 Moses put the lampstand in the Meeting Tent on the south side of the Holy Tent across from the table.

25 Then he put the lamps on the lampstand before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him.

26 Moses put the gold altar for burning incense in the Meeting Tent in front of the curtain.

27 Then he burned sweet-smelling incense on it, just as the Lord commanded him.

28 Then he hung the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.

29 He put the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance to the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent, and offered a whole burnt offering and grain offerings on it, just as the Lord commanded him.

30 Moses put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar for burnt offerings, and he put water in it for washing.

31 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons used this water to wash their hands and feet.

32 They washed themselves every time they entered the Meeting Tent and every time they went near the altar for burnt offerings, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the Holy Tent and the altar, and he put up the curtain at the entry to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

34 Then the cloud covered the Meeting Tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent.

35 Moses could not enter the Meeting Tent, because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent.

36 When the cloud rose from the Holy Tent, the Israelites would begin to travel,

37 but as long as the cloud stayed on the Holy Tent, they did not travel. They stayed in that place until the cloud rose.

38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the Holy Tent during the day, and there was a fire in the cloud at night. So all the Israelites could see the cloud while they traveled.

23 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give to God one-tenth of everything you earn -- even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you don't obey the really important teachings of the law -- justice, mercy, and being loyal. These are the things you should do, as well as those other things.

24 You guide the people, but you are blind! You are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and then swallows a camel!

25 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside they are full of things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves.

26 Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean, and then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.

27 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine, but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of unclean things.

28 It is the same with you. People look at you and think you are good, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and evil.

29 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and you show honor to the graves of those who lived good lives.

30 You say, 'If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped them kill the prophets.'

31 But you give proof that you are children of those who murdered the prophets.

32 And you will complete the sin that your ancestors started.

33 "You are snakes! A family of poisonous snakes! How are you going to escape God's judgment?

34 So I tell you this: I am sending to you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will beat in your synagogues and chase from town to town.

35 So you will be guilty for the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth -- from the murder of that good man Abel to the murder of Zechariahn son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.

36 I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to you people who are living now

37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you did not let me.

38 Now your house will be left completely empty

39 I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, 'God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.'"