The Altar for Burning Offerings

38 Then Bezalel used acacia wood to build the altar. This was the altar used for burning offerings. The altar was square. It was 5 cubits* long, 5 cubits wide, and 3 cubits* high. ²He made a horn for each of the four corners of the altar. He joined each horn to its corner so that everything was one piece. He covered the altar with bronze.* ³Then he used bronze to make all the tools to be used on the altar. He made the pots, shovels, bowls, forks, and pans. ⁴Then he made a bronze grating for the altar. This grating was shaped like a net. The grating was put under the ledge at the bottom of the altar. It went halfway up into the altar from below. ⁵Then he made bronze rings. These rings were used to hold the poles for carrying the altar. He put the rings at the four corners of the grating. ⁶Then he used acacia wood to make the poles and covered them with bronze. ⁷He put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar. The poles were used for carrying the altar. He used boards to make the sides of the altar. It was hollow, {like an empty box}. ⁸He made the bowl and its base with bronze.* He used the bronze mirrors that the women gave. These were the women that served at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.*

The Courtyard Around the Holy Tent

⁹Then he made {a wall of curtains around} the courtyard. On the south side he made a wall of curtains 100 cubits* long. The curtains were made from fine linen.* ¹⁰The curtains on the south side were supported by 20 posts. The posts were on 20 bronze* bases. The hooks for the posts and the curtain rods* were made from silver. ¹¹The north side of the courtyard also had a wall of curtains 100 cubits long. There were 20 posts with 20 bronze bases. The hooks for the posts and the curtain rods were made from silver. ¹²On the west side of the courtyard the wall of curtains was 50 cubits* long. There were 10 posts and 10 bases. The hooks for the posts and the curtain rods* were made from silver. ¹³The east side of the courtyard was 50 cubits* wide. The entrance to the courtyard was on this side. ¹⁴On one side of the entrance the wall of curtains was 15 cubits* long. There were three posts and three bases on this side. ¹⁵The wall of curtains on the other side of the entrance was also 15 cubits long. There were three posts and three bases on that side. ¹⁶All the curtains around the courtyard were made from fine linen.* ¹⁷The bases for the posts were made from bronze.*The hooks and the curtain rods* were made from silver. The tops of the posts were covered with silver also. All the posts in the courtyard had silver curtain rods. ¹⁸The curtain for the entrance of the courtyard was made from fine linen* and blue, purple, and red yarn. Designs were woven into that curtain. The curtain was 20 cubits* long and 5 cubits* high. It was the same height as the curtains around the courtyard. ¹⁹The curtain was supported by four posts and four bronze* bases. The hooks on the posts were made from silver. The tops on the posts were covered with silver, and the curtain rods* were also made from silver. ²⁰All the tent pegs for the Holy Tent* and for the curtains around the courtyard were made from bronze. ²¹Moses commanded the Levite people to write down all the things that were used to make the Holy Tent,* that is, the Tent of the Agreement.* Ithamar son of Aaron, was in charge of keeping the list. ²²Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, from the family group of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses. ²³Also Oholiab son of Ahisamach, from the family group of Dan, helped him. Oholiab was a skilled worker and designer. He was skilled at weaving fine linen* and blue, purple, and red yarn. ²⁴More than 2 tons* of gold was given as an offering to the Lord for his holy place. (This was weighed using the official measure.*) ²⁵The total number of men that were counted gave more than 3 3⁄4 tons* of silver. (This was weighed using the official measure.*) ²⁶All the men 20 years old or older were counted. There were 603,550 men, and each man had to pay a tax of 1 beqa* of silver. (Using the official measure, a beqa is 1⁄2 shekel.*) ²⁷They used 3 3⁄4 tons of that silver to make the 100 bases for the {Lord’s} holy place and for the curtain. They used 75 pounds* of silver for each base. ²⁸The other 50 pounds* of silver was used to make the hooks, the curtain rods,* and the silver covering for the posts. ²⁹More than 26 1⁄2 tons* of bronze* was given to the Lord. ³⁰That bronze was used to make the bases at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.* They also used the bronze to make the altar* and the bronze grating. And the bronze was used to make all the tools and dishes for the altar. ³¹It was also used to make the bases for the curtains around the courtyard and the bases for the curtains at the entrance. And the bronze was used to make the tent pegs for the Holy Tent* and for the curtains around the courtyard.

5 cubits 8’ 7 5/16” (2.625m). 3 cubits 5’ 2” (1.575m). bronze A metal. The Hebrew word can mean “copper,” “bronze,” or “brass.” Meeting Tent The Holy Tent (tabernacle), where the people of Israel went to meet with God. 100 cubits 172’ 3” (52.5m). linen Thread or cloth made from the fibers of the flax plant. curtain rods Or, “fasteners.” 50 cubits 86’ 1 1/2” (26.25m). 15 cubits 25’ 10” (7.875m). 20 cubits 34’ 5 3/8” (10.5m). 5 cubits 8’ 7 5/16” (2.625m). Holy Tent Or, “tabernacle,” the tent where God came to live among his people. Agreement Literally, “Proof.” The two flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them. These were proof of the Agreement between God and the people of Israel. 2 tons Literally, “29 kikars and 730 shekels.” official measure Literally, “holy shekel,” the official standard of measure used in the tabernacle or temple. 3 3/4 tons Literally, “100 kikars and 1,775 shekels.” 1 beqa Or, “1/5 of an ounce.” shekel Or, “2/5 of an ounce.” 75 pounds Literally, “1 kikar.” 50 pounds Literally, “1,775 shekels.” 26 1/2 tons Literally, “70 kikars and 2,400 shekels.” altar A table or raised area used for offering sacrifices.

The Priests’ Special Clothes

39 The workers used the blue, purple, and red yarn to make special clothes for the priest to wear when they served in the {Lord’s} holy place. They also made the special clothes for Aaron like the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Ephod

²They made the Ephod* from gold thread, fine linen,* and blue, purple, and red yarn. ³(They hammered the gold into thin strips. Then they cut the gold into long threads. And they wove the gold into the blue, purple, and red yarn and fine linen. This was the work of a very skilled person.) ⁴They made the shoulder pieces for the Ephod. They tied these shoulder pieces to the two corners of the Ephod. ⁵They wove the sash (belt) and fastened it to the Ephod. It was made the same way as the Ephod—they used gold thread, fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn, just like the Lord commanded Moses. ⁶The workers put the onyx stones {for the Ephod} in gold settings. They wrote the names of the sons of Israel on these stones. ⁷Then they put these jewels on the shoulder pieces of the Ephod.* These jewels were to help God to remember the people of Israel. This was done like the Lord commanded Moses.

The Judgment Pouch

⁸Then they made the Judgment Pouch.* It was the work of a skilled person, just like the Ephod.* It was made from gold threads, fine linen,* and blue, purple, and red yarn. ⁹The Judgment Pouch was folded in half to make a square {pocket}. It was 1 span* long and 1 span wide. ¹⁰Then the workers put four rows of beautiful jewels on the Judgment Pouch. The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl. ¹¹The second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald. ¹²The third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. ¹³The fourth row had a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. All these jewels were set in gold. ¹⁴There were twelve jewels on the Judgment Pouch—one jewel for each of the sons of Israel (Jacob). Each stone had the name of one of the sons of Israel carved onto it, like a seal.* ¹⁵The workers made two chains from pure gold for the Judgment Pouch.* The chains were braided like a rope. ¹⁶The workers made two gold rings and fastened them to two corners of the Judgment Pouch. And they made two gold settings {for the shoulder pieces}. ¹⁷They fastened the gold chains to the rings at the corners of the Judgment Pouch. ¹⁸They fastened the other ends of the gold chains to the settings on the shoulder pieces. They fastened these to the front of the Ephod.* ¹⁹Then they made two more gold rings and put them on the other two corners of the Judgment Pouch. This was on the inside edge of the Judgment Pouch next to the Ephod. ²⁰They also put two gold rings on the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the Ephod. These rings were near the fastener, just above the sash (belt). ²¹Then they used a blue ribbon and tied the rings of the Judgment Pouch to the rings of the Ephod. In this way the Judgment Pouch would rest close to the sash and would be held tight against the Ephod. They did everything just like the Lord commanded.

Other Clothes for the Priests

²²Then they made the robe for the Ephod.* They made it from blue cloth. It was woven by a skilled worker. ²³They made a hole in the center of the robe and sewed a piece of cloth around the edge of this hole. This cloth kept the hole from tearing. ²⁴Then they used fine linen* and blue, purple, and red yarn to make the {cloth} pomegranates.* They hung these pomegranates around the bottom edge of the robe. ²⁵Then they made bells from pure gold. They hung these bells around the bottom edge of the robe between the pomegranates. ²⁶Around the bottom edge of the robe there were bells and pomegranates. There was a bell between each pomegranate. This robe was for the priest to wear when he served the Lord, just like the Lord commanded Moses. ²⁷Skilled workers wove shirts for Aaron and his sons. These shirts were made from fine linen.* ²⁸And the workers made a turban* from fine linen. They also used fine linen to make head bands and underclothes. ²⁹Then they made the sash (belt) from fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn. Designs were sewn into the cloth. These things were made like the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰Then they made the strip of gold for the holy crown. They made it from pure gold. They wrote words into the gold. They wrote these words: ^{HOLY TO THE LORD}. ³¹They fastened the gold strip to a blue ribbon. Then they tied the blue ribbon around the turban* like the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses Inspects the Holy Tent

³²So all the work on the Holy Tent,* that is, the Meeting Tent was finished. The people of Israel did everything exactly like the Lord had commanded Moses. ³³Then they showed the Holy Tent to Moses. They showed him the Tent and all the things in it. They showed him the rings, the frames, the braces, the posts, and the bases. ³⁴They showed him the covering of the Tent that was made from ram skins dyed red. And they showed him the covering that was made from fine leather.* And they showed him the curtain that covered {the entrance to the Most Holy Place}. ³⁵They showed Moses the Box of the Agreement.* They showed him the poles used for carrying the Box and they showed him the cover* for the Box. ³⁶They showed him the table with everything on it and the special bread.* ³⁷They showed him the pure gold lampstand and the lamps on it. And they showed him the oil and all the other things that were used with the lamps. ³⁸They showed Moses the gold altar,* the anointing oil,* the sweet-smelling incense,* and the curtain that covered the entrance to the Tent. ³⁹They showed him the bronze* altar and the bronze screen. They showed him the poles used for carrying the altar. And they showed him all the things that were used on the altar. They showed him the bowl and the base under the bowl. ⁴⁰They showed Moses the wall of curtains around the courtyard with the posts and bases. They showed him the curtain that covered the entrance to the courtyard. They showed him the ropes and the tent pegs. They showed him all the things in the Holy Tent,* that is, the Meeting Tent. ⁴¹Then they showed Moses the clothes that were made for the priests serving in the holy area. They showed him the special clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons. These were clothes for them to wear when they served as priests. ⁴²The people of Israel did all this work exactly like the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³Moses looked closely at all the work. Moses saw that the work was done exactly like the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

Ephod A special coat worn by the priests. linen Thread or cloth made from the fibers of the flax plant. Judgment Pouch A piece of clothing like a bib or an apron that covered the high priest’s chest. See Ex. 28:15-30. 1 span About 9” (23cm). This is the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. seal(s) Small stones with designs cut into them. Pressed into wet clay or hot wax, they made a special mark. pomegranates A red fruit about the size of an orange. turban Head covering made by wrapping a long piece of cloth around the head or around a cap worn on the head. Holy Tent Or, “tabernacle,” the tent where God came to live among his people. fine leather A special kind of leather made from the skin of an animal like a seal or sea cow. Box of the Agreement Or, “ark of the Covenant.” The box containing the flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them and other things that proved God was with the people of Israel during their time in the Sinai desert. cover Also called “mercy seat.” The Hebrew word can mean “lid,” “cover,” or “the place where sins are forgiven.” special bread Also called “Bread of the Presence.” Every day this bread was put before God on the special table in the Holy Place. altar A table or raised area used for offering sacrifices. anointing oil Fine olive oil that was poured on things or people to show that they were chosen for a special work or purpose. incense Special dried tree sap. Burned to make a sweetsmelling smoke, it was offered as a gift to God. bronze A metal. The Hebrew word can mean “copper,” “bronze,” or “brass.” Holy Tent Or, “tabernacle,” the tent where God came to live among his people. It is often called the “Meeting Tent.”