1“You must make an altar for burning incense out of acacia wood.
2It is to be one cubit long and one cubit wide, making it square, and two cubits high. Its corner projections must be carved from the same piece of wood.
3Cover its top, all its sides, and its corner projections with pure gold. Also, put a gold trim around it.
4Make two gold rings for it directly below the trim, on two opposite sides. These rings will hold poles for carrying it.
5Make the poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold.
6Place it in front of the curtain that hangs before the Ark of the Covenant, in front of the mercy seat that is on top of the covenant, the place where I will meet with you.
7Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on it every morning when he cleans the lamps.
8Aaron must also burn incense when he lights the lamps in the evening. This incense offering must be made regularly before Yahweh for all generations.
9You must not offer any unauthorized incense, burnt offerings, grain offerings, or drink offerings on it.
10Aaron must perform a ritual of atonement on its horns once a year. He must perform this purification with the blood of the sin offering for atonement, once a year, for all your future generations. It is most sacred to Yahweh.”
11Yahweh said to Moses,
12“When you take a census of the people of Israel by counting them, each man must give a payment to Yahweh for his life when he is counted. This way, no plague will strike them when you count them.
13Everyone who is counted must give this: a half shekel, according to the standard sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). This half-shekel is an offering to Yahweh.
14Everyone counted, from twenty years old and up, must give this offering to Yahweh.
15When you give the offering to Yahweh to make atonement for your lives, the rich must not give more, and the poor must not give less, than the half shekel.
16You must take the atonement money from the people of Israel and set it aside for the service of the Tent of Meeting. This will be a reminder for the people of Israel before Yahweh, to make atonement for your lives.”
17Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
18“You must also make a bronze basin with a bronze stand to wash in. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.”
19Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet in it.
20When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they must wash with water so they do not die. The same applies when they approach the altar to serve and burn an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
21So they must wash their hands and their feet so they do not die. This will be a lasting rule for them, both for Aaron and his descendants, for all future generations.”
22Also, Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
23“Take the finest spices: five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh; half that amount (two hundred fifty shekels) of fragrant cinnamon; and two hundred fifty shekels of fragrant cane;
24also five hundred shekels of cassia, measured by the sanctuary shekel; and a hin of olive oil.
25Make these into a holy anointing oil, a fragrant blend skillfully prepared by a perfumer. It will be a holy anointing oil.
26You are to use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Covenant,
27the table and all its items, the lampstand and its accessories, and the altar of incense.
28Also anoint the altar for burnt offerings with all its tools, and the basin with its stand.
29You must make them sacred, so that they will be extremely holy. Anything that touches them will become holy.
30You must anoint Aaron and his sons, and set them apart, so they can serve me as priests.
31Tell the people of Israel, 'This anointing oil will be sacred to me for all future generations.'
32It must not be poured on human skin, and you must not make anything like it using its special formula. It is holy; it will be holy to you.
33Anyone who makes oil like it, or who puts it on someone who is not a priest, will be cut off from their people.
34Yahweh said to Moses, "Take sweet spices: gum resin, onycha, and galbanum—sweet spices with pure frankincense. You must have an equal amount of each.
35Then make it into incense, a perfume crafted by a skilled perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
36Grind some of it very finely and put it in front of the ark of the covenant in the Meeting Tent, where I will meet with you. It will be extremely holy to you.
37You must not make any incense that is composed like the special incense that you will make for yourselves. It must be holy to Yahweh.
38Anyone who makes incense like it to enjoy its smell will be cut off from their people.