“You are to make an altar to burn incense on. You are to make it of acacia wood.
Its length must be a cubit and its width a cubit. It must be square, and its height must be two cubits. Its horns must be of one piece with it.
You are to overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you are to make a gold molding around it.
You are to make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you are to make them, and they will be for places for poles with which to carry it.
You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
“You are to put it in front of the curtain that is by the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the testimony where I will meet with you.
Aaron must burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning, when he tends the lamps, he must burn it,
And when Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he must burn it, a regular incense offering before Yahweh throughout your generations.
You must offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor grain offering, and you are to pour no drink offering on it.
“Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he is to make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to Yahweh.”
The Census Tax
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are numbered among them, then each man must give a ransom for his soul to Yahweh when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.
They must give this, everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary; (the shekel is 20 gerahs;) half a shekel for an offering to Yahweh.
Everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, from 20 years old and upward, must give the offering to Yahweh.
The rich may not give more and the poor may not give less than the half shekel when they give the offering of Yahweh to make atonement for your souls.
You are to take the atonement money from the children of Israel and are to appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh to make atonement for your souls.”
The Bronze Basin
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“You are to also make a basin of bronze and its base of bronze, in which to wash. You are to put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you are to put water in it.
Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet in it.
When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they must wash with water so that they do not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
So they must wash their hands and their feet, that they not die; and it is to be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”
The Anointing Oil and Incense
Moreover Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Also take fine spices of liquid myrrh, 500 shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even 250, and of fragrant cane, 250;
and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin of olive oil.
You are to make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded according to the art of the perfumer; it will be a holy anointing oil.
“You are to use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the testimony,
the table and all its articles, the menorah and its accessories, the altar of incense,
the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the bronze basin with its base.
You are to sanctify them that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy.
You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.
“You are to speak to the children of Israel, saying, This will be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.
It must not be poured on human flesh, and you must not make anything like it in its composition; it is holy. It must be holy to you.
Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he must be cut off from his people.”
Yahweh said to Moses, “Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin and onycha and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense, there is to be an equal weight of each,
and you are to make incense from it, a perfume according to the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
And you are to beat some of it very small and put some of it before the testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It is to be most holy to you.
The incense that you are to make, you must not make for yourselves using this same composition; it is to be holy for Yahweh for you.
Whoever makes any incense like that to smell it, he must be cut off from his people.”