The Altar of Incense

(Exodus 37:25-29)

1And thou hast made an altar for making perfume; of shittim wood thou dost make it; 2a cubit its length, and a cubit its breadth, (it is square), and two cubits its height; its horns are of the same. 3'And thou hast overlaid it with pure gold, its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou hast made to it a crown of gold round about; 4and two rings of gold thou dost make to it under its crown; on its two ribs thou dost make them, on its two sides, and they have become places for staves, to bear it with them. 5'And thou hast made the staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them with gold; 6and thou hast put it before the vail, which is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat which is over the testimony, whither I am met with thee. 7'And Aaron hath made perfume on it, perfume of spices, morning by morning; in his making the lamps right he doth perfume it, 8and in Aaron's causing the lamps to go up between the evenings, he doth perfume it; a continual perfume before Jehovah to your generations. 9'Ye do not cause strange perfume to go up upon it, and burnt-offering, and present, and libation ye do not pour out on it; 10and Aaron hath made atonement on its horns, once in a year, by the blood of the sin-offering of atonements; once in a year doth he make atonement for it, to your generations; it is most holy to Jehovah.'

The Atonement Money

11And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 12When thou takest up the sum of the sons of Israel for their numbers, then they have given each an atonement for his soul to Jehovah in their being numbered, and there is no plague among them in their being numbered. 13This they do give, every one passing over unto those numbered, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs); half a shekel is the heave-offering to Jehovah; 14every one passing over unto those numbered, from a son of twenty years and upwards, doth give the heave-offering of Jehovah; 15the rich doth not multiply, and the poor doth not diminish from the half-shekel, to give the heave-offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls. 16'And thou hast taken the atonement-money from the sons of Israel, and hast given it for the service of the tent of meeting; and it hath been to the sons of Israel for a memorial before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.'

The Bronze Basin

17And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 18'And thou hast made a laver of brass (and its base of brass), for washing; and thou hast put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and hast put water there; 19and Aaron and his sons have washed at it their hands and their feet, 20in their going in unto the tent of meeting they wash with water, and die not; or in their drawing nigh unto the altar to minister, to perfume a fire-offering to Jehovah, 21then they have washed their hands and their feet, and they die not, and it hath been to them a statute age-during, to him and to his seed to their generations.'

The Anointing Oil

22And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 23And thou, take to thyself principal spices, wild honey five hundred shekels; and spice-cinnamon, the half of that, two hundred and fifty; and spice-cane two hundred and fifty; 24and cassia five hundred, by the shekel of the sanctuary, and olive oil a hin; 25and thou hast made it a holy anointing oil, a compound mixture, work of a compounder; it is a holy anointing oil. 26'And thou hast anointed with it the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, 27and the table and all its vessels, and the candlestick and its vessels, and the altar of perfume, 28and the altar of burnt-offering and all its vessels, and the laver and its base; 29and thou hast sanctified them, and they have been most holy; all that is coming against them is holy; 30and Aaron and his sons thou dost anoint, and hast sanctified them for being priests to Me. 31'And unto the sons of Israel thou dost speak, saying, A holy anointing oil is this to Me, to your generations; 32on flesh of man it is not poured, and with its proper proportion ye make none like it; it is holy; it is holy to you; 33a man who compoundeth any like it, or who putteth of it on a stranger -- hath even been cut off from his people.'

The Incense

34And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Take to thee spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, spices and pure frankincense; they are part for part; 35and thou hast made it a perfume, a compound, work of a compounder, salted, pure, holy; 36and thou hast beaten some of it small, and hast put of it before the testimony, in the tent of meeting, whither I am met with thee; most holy it is to you. 37'As to the perfume which thou makest, with its proper proportion ye do not make to yourselves, holy it is to thee to Jehovah; 38a man who maketh any like it -- to be refreshed by it -- hath even been cut off from his people.'