Good News Translation (GNT)

Craftsmen for the Tent of the Lord’s Presence

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 “I have chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah,

3 and I have filled him with my power.I have given him understanding, skill, and ability for every kind of artistic work—

4 for planning skillful designs and working them in gold, silver, and bronze;

5 for cutting jewels to be set; for carving wood; and for every other kind of artistic work.

6 I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, to work with him. I have also given great ability to all the other skilled workers, so that they can make everything I have commanded to be made:

7 the Tent of my presence, the Covenant Box and its lid, all the furnishings of the Tent,

8 the table and its equipment, the lampstand of pure gold and all its equipment, the altar for burning incense,

9 the altar for burnt offerings and all its equipment, the washbasin and its base,

10 the magnificent priestly garments for Aaron and his sons to use when they serve as priests,

11 the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense for the Holy Place. In making all these things, they are to do exactly as I have commanded you.”

Sabbath, the Day of Rest

12 The Lord commanded Moses

13 to tell the people of Israel, “Keep the Sabbath, my day of rest, because it is a sign between you and me for all time to come, to show that I, the Lord, have made you my own people.

14 You must keep the day of rest, because it is sacred. Whoever does not keep it, but works on that day, is to be put to death.

15 You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a solemn day of rest dedicated to me. Whoever does any work on that day is to be put to death.

16 The people of Israel are to keep this day as a sign of the covenant.

17 It is a permanent sign between the people of Israel and me, because I, the Lord, made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day I stopped working and rested.”

18 When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets on which God himself had written the commandments.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/31-4ec6fb63777e7902d07448d8c14df87c.mp3?version_id=68—

The Gold Bull-Calf

1 When the people saw that Moses had not come down from the mountain but was staying there a long time, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “We do not know what has happened to this man Moses, who led us out of Egypt; so make us a godto lead us.”

2 Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold earrings which your wives, your sons, and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.”

3 So all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

4 He took the earrings, melted them, poured the gold into a mold, and made a gold bull-calf.

The people said, “Israel, this is our god, who led us out of Egypt!”

5 Then Aaron built an altar in front of the gold bull-calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to honor the Lord.”

6 Early the next morning they brought some animals to burn as sacrifices and others to eat as fellowship offerings. The people sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex.

7 The Lord said to Moses, “Hurry and go back down, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have sinned and rejected me.

8 They have already left the way that I commanded them to follow; they have made a bull-calf out of melted gold and have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying that this is their god, who led them out of Egypt.

9 I know how stubborn these people are.

10 Now, don’t try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation.”

11 But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, “Lord, why should you be so angry with your people, whom you rescued from Egypt with great might and power?

12 Why should the Egyptians be able to say that you led your people out of Egypt, planning to kill them in the mountains and destroy them completely? Stop being angry; change your mind and do not bring this disaster on your people.

13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the solemn promise you made to them to give them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and to give their descendants all that land you promised would be their possession forever.”

14 So the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

15 Moses went back down the mountain, carrying the two stone tablets with the commandments written on both sides.

16 God himself had made the tablets and had engraved the commandments on them.

17 Joshua heard the people shouting and said to Moses, “I hear the sound of battle in the camp.”

18 Moses said, “That doesn’t sound like a shout of victory or a cry of defeat; it’s the sound of singing.”

19 When Moses came close enough to the camp to see the bull-calf and to see the people dancing, he became furious. There at the foot of the mountain, he threw down the tablets he was carrying and broke them.

20 He took the bull-calf which they had made, melted it, ground it into fine powder, and mixed it with water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it.

21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have made them commit such a terrible sin?”

22 Aaron answered, “Don’t be angry with me; you know how determined these people are to do evil.

23 They said to me, ‘We don’t know what has happened to this man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us.’

24 I asked them to bring me their gold ornaments, and those who had any took them off and gave them to me. I threw the ornaments into the fire and out came this bull-calf!”

25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get out of control and make fools of themselves in front of their enemies.

26 So he stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is on the Lord’s side come over here!” So all the Levites gathered around him,

27 and he said to them, “The Lord God of Israel commands every one of you to put on your sword and go through the camp from this gate to the other and kill your brothers, your friends, and your neighbors.”

28 The Levites obeyed, and killed about three thousand men that day.

29 Moses said to the Levites, “Today you have consecrated yourselvesas priests in the service of the Lord by killing your sons and brothers, so the Lord has given you his blessing.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will again go up the mountain to the Lord; perhaps I can obtain forgiveness for your sin.”

31 Moses then returned to the Lord and said, “These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold and worshiped it.

32 Please forgive their sin; but if you won’t, then remove my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”

33 The Lord answered, “It is those who have sinned against me whose names I will remove from my book.

34 Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Remember that my angel will guide you, but the time is coming when I will punish these people for their sin.”

35 So the Lord sent a disease on the people, because they had caused Aaron to make the gold bull-calf.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/32-526b984b688beb64f1655701d7c5a771.mp3?version_id=68—

The Lord Orders Israel to Leave Mount Sinai

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought out of Egypt, and go to the land that I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to their descendants.

2 I will send an angel to guide you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

3 You are going to a rich and fertile land. But I will not go with you myself, because you are a stubborn people, and I might destroy you on the way.”

4 When the people heard this, they began to mourn and did not wear jewelry any more.

5 For the Lord had commanded Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I would completely destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.”

6 So after they left Mount Sinai, the people of Israel no longer wore jewelry.

The Tent of the Lord’s Presence

7 Whenever the people of Israel set up camp, Moses would take the sacred Tent and put it up some distance outside the camp. It was called the Tent of the Lord’s presence, and anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go out to it.

8 Whenever Moses went out there, the people would stand at the door of their tents and watch Moses until he entered it.

9 After Moses had gone in, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the door of the Tent, and the Lord would speak to Moses from the cloud.

10 As soon as the people saw the pillar of cloud at the door of the Tent, they would bow down.

11 The Lord would speak with Moses face-to-face, just as someone speaks with a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp. But the young man who was his helper, Joshua son of Nun, stayed in the Tent.

The Lord Promises to Be with His People

12 Moses said to the Lord, “It is true that you have told me to lead these people to that land, but you did not tell me whom you would send with me. You have said that you know me well and are pleased with me.

13 Now if you are, tell me your plans, so that I may serve you and continue to please you. Remember also that you have chosen this nation to be your own.”

14 The Lord said, “I will go with you, and I will give you victory.”

15 Moses replied, “If you do not go with us, don’t make us leave this place.

16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with your people and with me if you do not go with us? Your presence with us will distinguish us from any other people on earth.”

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do just as you have asked, because I know you very well and I am pleased with you.”

18 Then Moses requested, “Please, let me see the dazzling light of your presence.”

19 The Lord answered, “I will make all my splendor pass before you and in your presence I will pronounce my sacred name. I am the Lord, and I show compassion and pity on those I choose.

20 I will not let you see my face, because no one can see me and stay alive,

21 but here is a place beside me where you can stand on a rock.

22 When the dazzling light of my presence passes by, I will put you in an opening in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

23 Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back but not my face.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/33-28f4579cb4919703f6bd4c41224d91e5.mp3?version_id=68—

The Second Set of Stone Tablets

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

2 Get ready tomorrow morning, and come up Mount Sinai to meet me there at the top.

3 No one is to come up with you; no one is to be seen on any part of the mountain; and no sheep or cattle are to graze at the foot of the mountain.”

4 So Moses cut two more stone tablets, and early the next morning he carried them up Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded.

5 The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and pronounced his holy name, the Lord.

6 The Lord then passed in front of him and called out, “I, the Lord, am a God who is full of compassion and pity, who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness.

7 I keep my promise for thousands of generationsand forgive evil and sin; but I will not fail to punish children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their parents.”

8 Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped.

9 He said, “Lord, if you really are pleased with me, I ask you to go with us. These people are stubborn, but forgive our evil and our sin, and accept us as your own people.”

The Covenant Is Renewed

10 The Lord said to Moses, “I now make a covenant with the people of Israel. In their presence I will do great things such as have never been done anywhere on earth among any of the nations. All the people will see what great things I, the Lord, can do, because I am going to do an awesome thing for you.

11 Obey the laws that I am giving you today. I will drive out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, as you advance.

12 Do not make any treaties with the people of the country into which you are going, because this could be a fatal trap for you.

13 Instead, tear down their altars, destroy their sacred pillars, and cut down their symbols of the goddess Asherah.

14 “Do not worship any other god, because I, the Lord, tolerate no rivals.

15 Do not make any treaties with the people of the country, because when they worship their pagan gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you to join them, and you will be tempted to eat the food they offer to their gods.

16 Your sons might marry those foreign women, who would lead them to be unfaithful to me and to worship their pagan gods.

17 “Do not make gods of metal and worship them.

18 “Keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I have commanded you, eat unleavened bread for seven days in the month of Abib, because it was in that month that you left Egypt.

19 “Every first-born son and first-born male domestic animal belongs to me,

20 but you are to buy back every first-born donkey by offering a lamb in its place. If you do not buy it back, break its neck. Buy back every first-born son.

“No one is to appear before me without an offering.

21 “You have six days in which to do your work, but do not work on the seventh day, not even during plowing time or harvest.

22 “Keep the Harvest Festival when you begin to harvest the first crop of your wheat, and keep the Festival of Shelters in the autumn when you gather your fruit.

23 “Three times a year all of your men must come to worship me, the Lord, the God of Israel.

24 After I have driven out the nations before you and extended your territory, no one will try to conquer your country during the three festivals.

25 “Do not offer bread made with yeast when you sacrifice an animal to me. Do not keep until the following morning any part of the animal killed at the Passover Festival.

26 “Each year bring to the house of the Lord the first grain that you harvest.

“Do not cook a young sheep or goat in its mother’s milk.”

27 The Lord said to Moses, “Write these words down, because it is on the basis of these words that I am making a covenant with you and with Israel.”

28 Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

Moses Goes Down from Mount Sinai

29 When Moses went down from Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandments, his face was shining because he had been speaking with the Lord; but he did not know it.

30 Aaron and all the people looked at Moses and saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him.

31 But Moses called them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the community went to him, and Moses spoke with them.

32 After that, all the people of Israel gathered around him, and Moses gave them all the laws that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil.

34 Whenever Moses went into the Tent of the Lord’s presence to speak to the Lord, he would take the veil off. When he came out, he would tell the people of Israel everything that he had been commanded to say,

35 and they would see that his face was shining. Then he would put the veil back on until the next time he went to speak with the Lord.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/34-e08184fc2475f58aff5b54c6c386bfc9.mp3?version_id=68—

Regulations for the Sabbath

1 Moses called together the whole community of the people of Israel and said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do:

2 You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is to be sacred, a solemn day of rest dedicated to me, the Lord. Anyone who does any work on that day is to be put to death.

3 Do not even light a fire in your homes on the Sabbath.”

Offerings for the Sacred Tent

4 Moses said to all the people of Israel, “This is what the Lord has commanded:

5 Make an offering to the Lord. Everyone who wishes to do so is to bring an offering of gold, silver, or bronze;

6 fine linen; blue, purple, and red wool; cloth made of goats’ hair;

7 rams’ skin dyed red; fine leather; acacia wood;

8 oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet-smelling incense;

9 carnelians and other jewels to be set in the High Priest’s ephod and in his breastpiece.

Articles for the Tent of the Lord’s Presence

10 “All the skilled workers among you are to come and make everything that the Lord commanded:

11 the Tent, its covering and its outer covering, its hooks and its frames, its crossbars, its posts, and its bases;

12 the Covenant Box, its poles, its lid, and the curtain to screen it off;

13 the table, its poles, and all its equipment; the bread offered to God;

14 the lampstand for the light and its equipment; the lamps with their oil;

15 the altar for burning incense and its poles; the anointing oil; the sweet-smelling incense; the curtain for the entrance of the Tent;

16 the altar on which to burn offerings, with its bronze grating attached, its poles, and all its equipment; the washbasin and its base;

17 the curtains for the enclosure, its posts and bases; the curtain for the entrance of the enclosure;

18 the Tent pegs and ropes for the Tent and the enclosure;

19 and the magnificent garments the priests are to wear when they serve in the Holy Place—the sacred clothes for Aaron the priest and for his sons.”

The People Bring Their Offerings

20 All the people of Israel left,

21 and everyone who wished to do so brought an offering to the Lord for making the Tent of the Lord’s presence. They brought everything needed for use in worship and for making the priestly garments.

22 All who wanted to, both men and women, brought decorative pins, earrings, rings, necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry and dedicated them to the Lord.

23 Everyone who had fine linen; blue, purple, or red wool; cloth of goats’ hair; rams’ skin dyed red; or fine leather, brought it.

24 All who were able to contribute silver or bronze brought their offering for the Lord, and all who had acacia wood which could be used for any of the work brought it.

25 All the skilled women brought fine linen thread and thread of blue, purple, and red wool, which they had made.

26 They also made thread of goats’ hair.

27 The leaders brought carnelians and other jewels to be set in the ephod and the breastpiece

28 and spices and oil for the lamps, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet-smelling incense.

29 All the people of Israel who wanted to brought their offering to the Lord for the work which he had commanded Moses to do.

Workers to Make the Tent of the Lord’s Presence

30 Moses said to the Israelites, “The Lord has chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur from the tribe of Judah.

31 God has filled him with his powerand given him skill, ability, and understanding for every kind of artistic work,

32 for planning skillful designs and working them in gold, silver, and bronze;

33 for cutting jewels to be set; for carving wood; and for every other kind of artistic work.

34 The Lord has given to him and to Oholiab son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach their crafts to others.

35 He has given them skill in all kinds of work done by engravers, designers, and weavers of fine linen; blue, purple, and red wool; and other cloth. They are able to do all kinds of work and are skillful designers.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/35-a9d99699138fe239bbfdbc71e017b5ef.mp3?version_id=68—

1 “Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other workers to whom the Lord has given skill and understanding, who know how to make everything needed to build the sacred Tent, are to make everything just as the Lord has commanded.”

The People Bring Many Gifts

2 Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other skilled men to whom the Lord had given ability and who were willing to help, and Moses told them to start working.

3 They received from him all the offerings which the Israelites had brought for constructing the sacred Tent. But the people of Israel continued to bring Moses their offerings every morning.

4 Then the skilled men who were doing the work went

5 and told Moses, “The people are bringing more than is needed for the work which the Lord commanded to be done.”

6 So Moses sent a command throughout the camp that no one was to make any further contribution for the sacred Tent; so the people did not bring any more.

7 What had already been brought was more than enough to finish all the work.

Making the Tent of the Lord’s Presence

8 The most skilled men among those doing the work made the Tent of the Lord’s presence. They made it out of ten pieces of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with figures of winged creatures.

9 Each piece was the same size, 14 yards long and 2 yards wide.

10 They sewed five of them together in one set and did the same with the other five.

11 They made loops of blue cloth on the edge of the outside piece in each set.

12 They put fifty loops on the first piece of the first set and fifty loops matching them on the last piece of the second set.

13 They made fifty gold hooks, with which to join the two sets into one piece.

14 Then they made a cover for the Tent out of eleven pieces of cloth made of goats’ hair.

15 They made them all the same size, 15 yards long and 2 yards wide.

16 They sewed five of them together in one set and the other six in another set.

17 They put fifty loops on the edge of the last piece of one set and fifty loops on the edge of the other set.

18 They made fifty bronze hooks to join the two sets, so as to form one cover.

19 They made two more coverings, one of rams’ skin dyed red and the other of fine leather, to serve as an outer cover.

20 They made upright frames of acacia wood for the Tent.

21 Each frame was 15 feet tall and 27 inches wide,

22 with two matching projections, so that the frames could be joined together. All the frames had these projections.

23 They made twenty frames for the south side

24 and forty silver bases to go under them, two bases under each frame to hold its two projections.

25 They made twenty frames for the north side of the Tent

26 and forty silver bases, two under each frame.

27 For the back of the Tent, on the west, they made six frames

28 and two frames for the corners.

29 These corner frames were joined at the bottom and connected all the way to the top. The two frames that formed the two corners were made in this way.

30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases, two under each frame.

31 They made fifteen crossbars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the Tent,

32 five for the frames on the other side, and five for the frames on the west end, at the back.

33 The middle crossbar, set halfway up the frames, extended from one end of the Tent to the other.

34 They covered the frames with gold and fitted them with gold rings to hold the crossbars, which were also covered with gold.

35 They made a curtain of fine linen, woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered it with figures of winged creatures.

36 They made four posts of acacia wood to hold the curtain, covered them with gold, and fitted them with gold hooks. Then they made four silver bases to hold the posts.

37 For the entrance of the Tent they made a curtain of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and decorated with embroidery.

38 For this curtain they made five posts fitted with hooks, covered their tops and their rods with gold, and made five bronze bases for the posts.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/36-15a81c73d72def546593b9634274ffee.mp3?version_id=68—

Making the Covenant Box

1 Bezalel made the Covenant Box out of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

2 He covered it with pure gold inside and out and put a gold border all around it.

3 He made four carrying rings of gold for it and attached them to its four feet, with two rings on each side.

4 He made carrying poles of acacia wood, covered them with gold,

5 and put them through the rings on each side of the Box.

6 He made a lid of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.

7 He made two winged creatures of hammered gold,

8 one for each end of the lid. He made them so that they formed one piece with the lid.

9 The winged creatures faced each other across the lid, and their outspread wings covered it.

Making the Table for the Bread Offered to God

10 He made the table out of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

11 He covered it with pure gold and put a gold border around it.

12 He made a rim 3 inches wide around it and put a gold border around the rim.

13 He made four carrying rings of gold for it and put them at the four corners, where the legs were.

14 The rings to hold the poles for carrying the table were placed near the rim.

15 He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.

16 He made the dishes of pure gold for the table: the plates, the cups, the jars, and the bowls to be used for the wine offering.

Making the Lampstand

17 He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made its base and its shaft of hammered gold; its decorative flowers, including buds and petals, formed one piece with it.

18 Six branches extended from its sides, three from each side.

19 Each of the six branches had three decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals.

20 The shaft of the lampstand had four decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals.

21 There was one bud below each of the three pairs of branches.

22 The buds, the branches, and the lampstand were a single piece of pure hammered gold.

23 He made seven lamps for the lampstand, and he made its tongs and trays of pure gold.

24 He used seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and all its equipment.

Making the Altar for Burning Incense

25 He made an altar out of acacia wood, for burning incense. It was square, 18 inches long and 18 inches wide, and it was 36 inches high. Its projections at the four corners formed one piece with it.

26 He covered its top, all four sides, and its projections with pure gold and put a gold border around it.

27 He made two gold carrying rings for it and attached them below the border on the two sides, to hold the poles with which it was to be carried.

28 He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.

Making the Anointing Oil and the Incense

29 He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure sweet-smelling incense, mixed like perfume.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/37-ab91c83fa67abfc6783ae58e6fad03f0.mp3?version_id=68—

Making the Altar for Burning Offerings

1 For burning offerings, he made an altar out of acacia wood. It was square, 7½ feet long and 7½ feet wide, and it was 4½ feet high.

2 He made the projections at the top of the four corners, so that they formed one piece with the altar. He covered it all with bronze.

3 He also made all the equipment for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the bowls, the hooks, and the fire pans. All this equipment was made of bronze.

4 He made a bronze grating and put it under the rim of the altar, so that it reached halfway up the altar.

5 He made four carrying rings and put them on the four corners.

6 He made carrying poles of acacia wood, covered them with bronze,

7 and put them in the rings on each side of the altar. The altar was made of boards and was hollow.

Making the Bronze Basin

8 He made the bronze basin and its bronze base out of the mirrors belonging to the women who served at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord’s presence.

The Enclosure for the Tent of the Lord’s Presence

9 For the Tent of the Lord’s presence he made the enclosure out of fine linen curtains. On the south side the curtains were 50 yards long,

10 supported by twenty bronze posts in twenty bronze bases, with hooks and rods made of silver.

11 The enclosure was the same on the north side.

12 On the west side there were curtains 25 yards long, with ten posts and ten bases and with hooks and rods made of silver.

13 On the east side, where the entrance was, the enclosure was also 25 yards wide.

14-15 On each side of the entrance there were 7½ yards of curtains, with three posts and three bases.

16 All the curtains around the enclosure were made of fine linen.

17 The bases for the posts were made of bronze, and the hooks, the rods, and the covering of the tops of the posts were made of silver. All the posts around the enclosure were connected with silver rods.

18 The curtain for the entrance of the enclosure was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and decorated with embroidery. It was 10 yards long and 2½ yards high, like the curtains of the enclosure.

19 It was supported by four posts in four bronze bases. Their hooks, the covering of their tops, and their rods were made of silver.

20 All the pegs for the Tent and for the surrounding enclosure were made of bronze.

Metals Used in the Tent of the Lord’s Presence

21 Here is a list of the amounts of the metals used in the Tent of the Lord’s presence, where the two stone tablets were kept on which the Ten Commandments were written. The list was ordered by Moses and made by the Levites who worked under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

22 Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur from the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded.

23 His helper, Oholiab son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, was an engraver, a designer, and a weaver of fine linen and of blue, purple, and red wool.

24 All the gold that had been dedicated to the Lord for the sacred Tent weighed 2,195 pounds, weighed according to the official standard.

25 The silver from the census of the community weighed 7,550 pounds, weighed according to the official standard.

26 This amount equaled the total paid by all persons enrolled in the census, each one paying the required amount, weighed according to the official standard. There were 603,550 men twenty years old or older enrolled in the census.

27 Of the silver, 7,500 pounds were used to make the hundred bases for the sacred Tent and for the curtain, 75 pounds for each base.

28 With the remaining 50 pounds of silver Bezalel made the rods, the hooks for the posts, and the covering for their tops.

29 The bronze which was dedicated to the Lord amounted to 5,310 pounds.

30 With it he made the bases for the entrance of the Tent of the Lord’s presence, the bronze altar with its bronze grating, all the equipment for the altar,

31 the bases for the surrounding enclosure and for the entrance of the enclosure, and all the pegs for the Tent and the surrounding enclosure.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/38-572c294803ec93367613efbb4a3b7274.mp3?version_id=68—

Making the Garments for the Priests

1 With the blue, purple, and red wool they made the magnificent garments which the priests were to wear when they served in the Holy Place. They made the priestly garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

2 They made the ephod of fine linen; blue, purple, and red wool; and gold thread.

3 They hammered out sheets of gold and cut them into thin strips to be worked into the fine linen and into the blue, purple, and red wool.

4 They made two shoulder straps for the ephod and attached them to its sides, so that it could be fastened.

5 The finely woven belt, made of the same materials, was attached to the ephod so as to form one piece with it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

6 They prepared the carnelians and mounted them in gold settings; they were skillfully engraved with the names of the twelve sons of Jacob.

7 They put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod to represent the twelve tribes of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Making the Breastpiece

8 They made the breastpiece of the same materials as the ephod and with similar embroidery.

9 It was square and folded double, 9 inches long and 9 inches wide.

10 They mounted four rows of precious stones on it: in the first row they mounted a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet;

11 in the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;

12 in the third row, a turquoise, an agate, and an amethyst;

13 and in the fourth row, a beryl, a carnelian, and a jasper. These were mounted in gold settings.

14 Each of the twelve stones had engraved on it the name of one of the sons of Jacob, in order to represent the twelve tribes of Israel.

15 For the breastpiece they made chains of pure gold, twisted like cords.

16 They made two gold settings and two gold rings and attached the two rings to the upper corners of the breastpiece.

17 They fastened the two gold cords to the two rings

18 and fastened the other two ends of the cords to the two settings and in this way attached them in front to the shoulder straps of the ephod.

19 They made two rings of gold and attached them to the lower corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.

20 They made two more gold rings and attached them to the lower part of the front of the two shoulder straps of the ephod, near the seam and above the finely woven belt.

21 Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that the breastpiece rested above the belt and did not come loose.

Making the Other Priestly Garments

22 The robe that goes under the ephod was made entirely of blue wool.

23 The hole for the head was reinforced with a woven binding to keep it from tearing.

24-26 All around its lower hem they put pomegranates of fine linen and of blue, purple, and red wool, alternating with bells of pure gold, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

27 They made the shirts for Aaron and his sons,

28 and the turban, the caps, the linen shorts,

29 and the sash of fine linen and of blue, purple, and red wool, decorated with embroidery, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 They made the ornament, the sacred sign of dedication, out of pure gold, and they engraved on it “Dedicated to the Lord.”

31 They tied it to the front of the turban with a blue cord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Completion of the Work

32 All the work on the Tent of the Lord’s presence was finally completed. The Israelites made everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

33 They brought to Moses the Tent and all its equipment, its hooks, its frames, its crossbars, its posts, and its bases;

34 the covering of rams’ skin dyed red; the covering of fine leather; the curtain;

35 the Covenant Box containing the stone tablets, its poles, and its lid;

36 the table and all its equipment, and the bread offered to God;

37 the lampstand of pure gold, its lamps, all its equipment, and the oil for the lamps;

38 the gold altar; the anointing oil; the sweet-smelling incense; the curtain for the entrance of the Tent;

39 the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its equipment; the washbasin and its base;

40 the curtains for the enclosure and its posts and bases; the curtain for the entrance of the enclosure and its ropes; the Tent pegs; all the equipment to be used in the Tent;

41 and the magnificent garments the priests were to wear in the Holy Place—the sacred clothes for Aaron the priest and for his sons.

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

43 Moses examined everything and saw that they had made it all just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/39-a3d6267b0759efcd5937cbbf4aa3f3ba.mp3?version_id=68—

Setting Up and Dedicating the Tent of the Lord’s Presence

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 “On the first day of the first month set up the Tent of the Lord’s presence.

3 Place in it the Covenant Box containing the Ten Commandments and put the curtain in front of it.

4 Bring in the table and place the equipment on it. Also bring in the lampstand and set up the lamps on it.

5 Put the gold altar for burning incense in front of the Covenant Box and hang the curtain at the entrance of the Tent.

6 Put in front of the Tent the altar for burning offerings.

7 Put the washbasin between the Tent and the altar and fill it with water.

8 Put up the surrounding enclosure and hang the curtain at its entrance.

9 “Then dedicate the Tent and all its equipment by anointing it with the sacred oil, and it will be holy.

10 Next, dedicate the altar and all its equipment by anointing it, and it will be completely holy.

11 Also dedicate the washbasin and its base in the same way.

12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent, and have them take a ritual bath.

13 Dress Aaron in the priestly garments, anoint him, and in this way consecrate him, so that he can serve me as priest.

14 Bring his sons and put the shirts on them.

15 Then anoint them, just as you anointed their father, so that they can serve me as priests. This anointing will make them priests for all time to come.”

16 Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded.

17 So on the first day of the first month of the second year after they left Egypt, the Tent of the Lord’s presence was set up.

18 Moses put down its bases, set up its frames, attached its crossbars, and put up its posts.

19 He spread out the covering over the Tent and put the outer covering over it, just as the Lord had commanded.

20 Then he took the two stone tablets and put them in the Covenant Box. He put the poles in the rings of the Box and put the lid on it.

21 Then he put the Box in the Tent and hung up the curtain. In this way he screened off the Covenant Box, just as the Lord had commanded.

22 He put the table in the Tent, on the north side outside the curtain,

23 and placed on it the bread offered to the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded.

24 He put the lampstand in the Tent, on the south side, opposite the table,

25 and there in the Lord’s presence he lit the lamps, just as the Lord had commanded.

26 He put the gold altar in the Tent, in front of the curtain,

27 and burned the sweet-smelling incense, just as the Lord had commanded.

28 He hung the curtain at the entrance of the Tent,

29 and there in front of the curtain he placed the altar for burning offerings. On it he sacrificed the burnt offering and the grain offering, just as the Lord had commanded.

30 He put the washbasin between the Tent and the altar and filled it with water.

31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there

32 whenever they went into the Tent or to the altar, just as the Lord had commanded.

33 Moses set up the enclosure around the Tent and the altar and hung the curtain at the entrance of the enclosure. So he finished all the work.

The Cloud over the Tent of the Lord’s Presence

34 Then the cloud covered the Tent and the dazzling light of the Lord’s presence filled it.

35 Because of this, Moses could not go into the Tent.

36 The Israelites moved their camp to another place only when the cloud lifted from the Tent.

37 As long as the cloud stayed there, they did not move their camp.

38 During all their wanderings they could see the cloud of the Lord’s presence over the Tent during the day and a fire burning above it during the night.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/EXO/40-f1834812c4fd9055421b22d95340cdf3.mp3?version_id=68—