Bible Reading Plan – Day 27

₁₇He 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.

₁₈Six branches extended from its sides, three from each side. ₁₉Each of the six branches had three decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. ₂₀The shaft of the lampstand had four decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. ₂₁There was one bud below each of the three pairs of branches. ₂₂The buds, the branches, and the lampstand were a single piece of pure hammered gold. ₂₃He made seven lamps for the lampstand, and he made its tongs and trays of pure gold. ₂₄He used 35 kilogrammes of pure gold to make the lampstand and all its equipment.

₂₅He made an altar out of acacia wood, for burning incense. It was square, 45 centimetres long and 45 centimetres wide, and it was ninety centimetres high. Its projections at the four corners formed one piece with it. ₂₆He covered its top, all four sides, and its projections with pure gold and put a gold border round it. ₂₇He 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. ₂₈He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.

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

₁For burning offerings, he made an altar out of acacia wood. It was square, 2.2 metres long and 2.2 metres wide, and it was 1.3 metres high. ₂He 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. ₃He also made all the equipment for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the bowls, the hooks, and the firepans. All this equipment was made of bronze. ₄He made a bronze grating and put it under the rim of the altar, so that it reached halfway up the altar. ₅He made four carrying rings and put them on the four corners. ₆He made carrying poles of acacia wood, covered them with bronze, ₇and put them in the rings on each side of the altar. The altar was made of boards and was hollow.

₈He 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.

₉For the Tent of the LORD's presence he made the enclosure out of fine linen curtains. On the south side the curtains were 44 metres long, ₁₀supported by twenty bronze posts in twenty bronze bases, with hooks and rods made of silver. ₁₁The enclosure was the same on the north side. ₁₂On the west side there were curtains 22 metres long, with ten posts and ten bases and with hooks and rods made of silver. ₁₃On the east side, where the entrance was, the enclosure was also 22 metres wide. _14-15On each side of the entrance there were 6.6 metres of curtains, with three posts and three bases. ₁₆All the curtains round the enclosure were made of fine linen. ₁₇The 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 round the enclosure were connected with silver rods. ₁₈The 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 nine metres long and two metres high, like the curtains of the enclosure. ₁₉It was supported by four posts in four bronze bases. Their hooks, the covering of their tops, and their rods were made of silver. ₂₀All the pegs for the Tent and for the surrounding enclosure were made of bronze.

₂₁Here 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.

₂₂Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded. ₂₃His 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.

₂₄All the gold that had been dedicated to the LORD for the sacred Tent weighed one tonne, weighed according to the official standard. ₂₅The silver from the census of the community weighed 3.43 tonnes, weighed according to the official standard. ₂₆This amount equalled 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. ₂₇Of the silver, 3.4 tonnes were used to make the hundred bases for the sacred Tent and for the curtain, 34 kilogrammes for each base. ₂₈With the remaining thirty kilogrammes of silver Bezalel made the rods, the hooks for the posts, and the covering for their tops. ₂₉The bronze which was dedicated to the LORD amounted to 2.425 tonnes. ₃₀With 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, ₃₁the bases for the surrounding enclosure and for the entrance of the enclosure, and all the pegs for the Tent and the surrounding enclosure.

₁With 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.

₂They made the ephod of fine linen; blue, purple, and red wool; and gold thread. ₃They 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. ₄They made two shoulder straps for the ephod and attached them to its sides, so that it could be fastened. ₅The 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. ₆They prepared the carnelians and mounted them in gold settings; they were skilfully engraved with the names of the twelve sons of Jacob. ₇They put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod to represent the twelve tribes of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

₈They made the breastpiece of the same materials as the ephod and with similar embroidery. ₉It was square and folded double, 22 centimetres long and 22 centimetres wide. ₁₀They mounted four rows of precious stones on it: in the first row they mounted a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet; ₁₁in the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; ₁₂in the third row, a turquoise, an agate, and an amethyst; ₁₃and in the fourth row, a beryl, a carnelian, and a jasper. These were mounted in gold settings. ₁₄Each 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. ₁₅For the breastpiece they made chains of pure gold, twisted like cords. ₁₆They made two gold settings and two gold rings and attached the two rings to the upper corners of the breastpiece. ₁₇They fastened the two gold cords to the two rings ₁₈and 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. ₁₉They made two rings of gold and attached them to the lower corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod. ₂₀They 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. ₂₁Just 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.

₂₂The robe that goes under the ephod was made entirely of blue wool. ₂₃The hole for the head was reinforced with a woven binding to keep it from tearing. _24-26All round 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.

₂₇They made the shirts for Aaron and his sons, ₂₈and the turban, the caps, the linen shorts, ₂₉and the sash of fine linen and of blue, purple, and red wool, decorated with embroidery, as the LORD had commanded Moses. ₃₀They made the ornament, the sacred sign of dedication, out of pure gold, and they engraved on it “Dedicated to the LORD”. ₃₁They tied it to the front of the turban with a blue cord, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

₃₂All the work on the Tent of the LORD's presence was finally completed. The Israelites made everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ₃₃They brought to Moses the Tent and all its equipment, its hooks, its frames, its crossbars, its posts, and its bases; ₃₄the covering of rams' skin dyed red; the covering of fine leather; the curtain; ₃₅the Covenant Box containing the stone tablets, its poles, and its lid; ₃₆the table and all its equipment, and the bread offered to God; ₃₇the lampstand of pure gold, its lamps, all its equipment, and the oil for the lamps; ₃₈the gold altar; the anointing oil; the sweet-smelling incense; the curtain for the entrance of the Tent; ₃₉the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its equipment; the washbasin and its base; ₄₀the curtains for the enclosure and its posts and bases; the curtain for the entrance of the enclosure and its ropes; the pegs for the Tent; all the equipment to be used in the Tent; ₄₁and the magnificent garments the priests were to wear in the Holy Place — the sacred clothes for Aaron the priest and for his sons. ₄₂The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ₄₃Moses examined everything and saw that they had made it all just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

₁The LORD said to Moses, ₂“On the first day of the first month set up the Tent of the LORD's presence. ₃Place in it the Covenant Box containing the Ten Commandments and put the curtain in front of it. ₄Bring in the table and place the equipment on it. Also bring in the lampstand and set up the lamps on it. ₅Put the gold altar for burning incense in front of the Covenant Box and hang the curtain at the entrance of the Tent. ₆Put in front of the Tent the altar for burning offerings. ₇Put the washbasin between the Tent and the altar and fill it with water. ₈Put 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. ₁₀Next, dedicate the altar and all its equipment by anointing it, and it will be completely holy. ₁₁Also dedicate the washbasin and its base in the same way.

₁₂“Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent, and tell them to take a ritual bath. ₁₃Dress Aaron in the priestly garments, anoint him, and in this way consecrate him, so that he can serve me as priest. ₁₄Bring his sons and put the shirts on them. ₁₅Then 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.”

₁₆Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded. ₁₇So 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. ₁₈Moses put down its bases, set up its frames, attached its crossbars, and put up its posts. ₁₉He spread out the covering over the Tent and put the outer covering over it, just as the LORD had commanded. ₂₀Then 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. ₂₁Then 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.

₂₂He put the table in the Tent, on the north side outside the curtain, ₂₃and placed on it the bread offered to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded. ₂₄He put the lampstand in the Tent, on the south side, opposite the table, ₂₅and there in the LORD's presence he lit the lamps, just as the LORD had commanded. ₂₆He put the gold altar in the Tent, in front of the curtain, ₂₇and burnt the sweet-smelling incense, just as the LORD had commanded. ₂₈He hung the curtain at the entrance of the Tent, ₂₉and 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. ₃₀He put the washbasin between the Tent and the altar and filled it with water. ₃₁Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there ₃₂whenever they went into the Tent or to the altar, just as the LORD had commanded. ₃₃Moses set up the enclosure round the Tent and the altar and hung the curtain at the entrance of the enclosure. So he finished all the work.

₃₄Then the cloud covered the Tent and the dazzling light of the LORD's presence filled it. ₃₅Because of this, Moses could not go into the Tent. ₃₆The Israelites moved their camp to another place only when the cloud lifted from the Tent. ₃₇As long as the cloud stayed there, they did not move their camp. ₃₈During 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.