Exodus 30

The Altar of Incense

1 "Now you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 Its length shall be*30:2 About 1.5 ft. long and wide and 3 ft. high or 45 cm and 90 cma cubit, and its width a cubit; it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be*30:2 Lit from itselfof one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its *30:3 Lit wallssides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. 4 You shall also make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two sides—on *30:4 Lit its twoopposite sides—and *30:4 Lit itthey shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 You shall put *30:6 Lit itthis altar in front of the veil that is *30:6 Lit upon; or overnear the ark of the testimony, in front of the *30:6 Also called mercy seat; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonementatoning cover that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8 And when Aaron sets up the lamps at *30:8 Lit between the two eveningstwilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer any *30:9 I.e., prohibitedstrange incense on *30:9 Lit itthis altar, or burnt offering, or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10 However, Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord."

11 The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying, 12 "When you take a *30:12 Lit sumcensus of the sons of Israel *30:12 Lit for their being musteredto count them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for *30:12 Lit his soulhimself to the Lord, when you *30:12 Lit mustercount them, so that there will be no plague among them when you *30:12 Lit mustercount them. 13 This is what everyone who *30:13 Lit passes over to those who are musteredis counted shall give: half a *30:13 A shekel was about 0.4 oz. or 11 gmshekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a *30:13 Or uplifted offeringcontribution to the Lord. 14 Everyone who *30:14 See note 1 v 13is counted, from twenty years old and over, shall give the *30:14 Or uplifted offering of the Lordcontribution to the Lord. 15 The rich shall not pay more, and the poor shall not pay less, than the half shekel, when you give the *30:15 Or uplifted offering of the Lordcontribution to the Lord to make atonement for *30:15 Lit your soulsyourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and give it for the service of the tent of meeting, so that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for *30:16 Lit your soulsyourselves."

17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 "You shall also make a basin of *30:18 Or copperbronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; 20 when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they do not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they do not die; and it shall be a permanent statute for them, for *30:21 Lit himAaron and his *30:21 Lit seeddescendants throughout their generations."

The Anointing Oil

22 Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 "Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of liquid myrrh *30:23 About 15.5 and 7.75 lb. or 7 and 3.5 kgfive hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250, 24 and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a *30:24 About 1 gallon or 3.8 litershin. 25 You shall make *30:25 Lit itfrom these a holy anointing oil, a fragrant mixture of ointments, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 And you shall anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall also consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, so that they may serve as priests to Me. 31 Furthermore, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on *30:32 Lit the flesh of mankindanyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in *30:32 Lit its proportionthe same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever mixes any like it or whoever puts any of it on a *30:33 Lit strangerlayman *30:33 Lit even he shallshall be cut off from his people.’ "

The Incense

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take for yourself spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum, spices and pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35 You shall make incense from it all, a skillful mixture, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall crush some of it very fine, and put part of it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37 And the incense which you shall make, you shall not make in *30:37 Lit its proportionthe same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it, to *30:38 Lit smell of ituse as perfume, *30:38 Lit even he shallshall be cut off from his people."