Exodus 30

And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

1God said, "Make an altar for burning incense." An altar is a special table for gifts to God. Incense is sweet-smelling spices that make good-smelling smoke. Make this altar out of acacia wood.

2A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.

2Make it square, about eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide. Make it about three feet tall. At the top corners, shape four points that look like horns. The horns must be part of the same piece of wood.

NoteThe KJV says the altar is one cubit long and wide and two cubits high. A cubit was an old measure of about eighteen inches.

3And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

3Cover the top, all the sides, and the horns with pure gold. Then put a gold trim all around the edge.

4And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.

4Make two gold rings and put them under the gold trim. Put one ring on each side. The rings hold the poles used to carry the altar.

5And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

5Make the poles out of acacia wood. Cover the poles with gold.

6And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

6Put this altar in front of the curtain inside the tent. Behind that curtain is the ark, the gold box that holds God's rules. Its gold lid is called the mercy seat. God said, "That is where I will meet with you."

7And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

7Aaron must burn sweet incense on this altar every morning. Aaron is the priest, the man who serves God for the people. He will burn it while he takes care of the lamps.

8And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

8In the evening Aaron sets up the lamps, and he burns incense again. This must happen every day before the LORD. Your children and their children must keep doing it.

9Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

9Do not burn any other kind of incense on this altar. Do not burn animal gifts or grain gifts on it. Do not pour drink gifts on it either.

NoteThe KJV says "meat offering." In 1611 "meat" meant food of any kind. This gift was made of grain, not meat.

10And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

10Once every year Aaron must put blood on the horns of this altar. It is blood from the animal given to make things right for sin. He must do this every year, always. This altar belongs completely to the LORD.

11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

11Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

12When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

12"When you count the people of Israel, each man must pay me something. The payment stands for his own life. Then no sickness will spread among them when they are counted.

13This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

13Every man who is counted must give a half shekel of silver. Use the weight that is used at God's holy tent. One shekel weighs twenty gerahs. That half shekel is a gift to the LORD.

NoteA shekel was a weight of silver, and a gerah was a much smaller weight. A half shekel was a small amount, about one fifth of an ounce of silver.

14Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.

14Every man who is twenty years old or older must give this gift to the LORD.

15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

15A rich man must not give more. A poor man must not give less. Everyone gives the same half shekel to make things right for his life.

16And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

16Take this money from the people of Israel. Use it for the work of the meeting tent. It will be a reminder before the LORD about his people. It makes things right for their lives."

17And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

17Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

18Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

18"Make a big washing bowl out of bronze, with a bronze stand. Put it between the meeting tent and the altar. Fill the bowl with water.

19For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

19Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and their feet in that water.

20When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:

20They must wash before they go into the meeting tent. They must also wash before they come to the altar to burn gifts to the LORD. If they wash, they will not die.

21So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

21So they must wash their hands and their feet, and they will not die. This rule lasts always. It is for Aaron and his family, and for their children after them."

22Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

22Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

23Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

23"Take the finest spices. Take five hundred shekels of pure myrrh, a sweet gum from a tree. Take half that much sweet cinnamon, which is 250 shekels. Take 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cane.

24And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

24Take five hundred shekels of cassia, another sweet spice, weighed the same holy way. Also take about a gallon of olive oil.

25And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

25Mix all of it together to make a holy oil. Mix it the careful way a perfume maker does. This will be the holy oil for pouring on things.

26And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

26Pour this oil on the meeting tent. Pour it on the ark, the box that holds God's rules.

27And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,

27Pour it on the table and all its dishes. Pour it on the lampstand and its tools. Pour it on the incense altar.

28And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.

28Pour it on the altar where gifts are burned, and on all its tools. Pour it on the washing bowl and its stand.

29And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

29Set all of them apart for God. Then they will be very holy. Whatever touches them becomes holy too.

30And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

30Pour the oil on Aaron and on his sons. This sets them apart to serve me as priests.

31And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

31Tell the people of Israel this: 'This is my holy oil for pouring. It stays holy for you and your children.'

32Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.

32Do not pour this oil on just any person. Do not make any other oil using this same recipe. It is holy. You must treat it as holy.

33Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.

33Anyone who makes oil like this will be cut off from his people. The same is true for anyone who puts it on an outsider."

Note"Cut off from his people" means the person is put out of the community of Israel.

34And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

34The LORD said to Moses, "Take these sweet spices: gum resin, onycha, and galbanum. Add pure frankincense, a sweet-smelling gum. Use the same amount of each one.

35And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

35Mix them into sweet incense, the careful way a perfume maker works. Mix it all well together. It must be pure and holy.

36And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

36Grind some of it into a fine powder. Put the powder in front of the ark inside the meeting tent. That is where I will meet with you. This incense is very holy to you.

37And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

37Do not make incense like this for yourselves. It is holy, and it belongs to the LORD.

38Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

38Anyone who makes some like it, just to enjoy the smell, will be cut off from his people."