The Altar of Incense
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A cubita shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. 3Its horns shall be of one piece with it.
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You shall 4overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.
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And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be 5holders for poles with which to carry it.
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You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
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And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the 6mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.
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And Aaron shall 7burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he 8dresses the lamps he shall burn it,
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and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.
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You shall not offer 9unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.
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10Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the 11sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."
The Census Tax
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The LORD said to Moses,
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12"When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give 13a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.
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Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekelb according to the 14shekel of the sanctuary (the 15shekel is twenty gerahs),c16half a shekel as an offering to the LORD.
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Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the LORD's offering.
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The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than 17the half shekel, when you give the LORD's offering to make atonement for your lives.
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You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall 18give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to 19remembrance before the LORD, so as to make atonement for your lives."
The Bronze Basin
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The LORD said to Moses,
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"You shall also make a 20basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. 21You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it,
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When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offeringd to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die.
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They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall 23be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations."
The Anointing Oil and Incense
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The LORD said to Moses,
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"Take the 24finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of 25aromatic cane,
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And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the 27perfumer; it shall be a 28holy anointing oil.
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and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,
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And you shall say to the people of Israel, 'This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.
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It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. 33It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.
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34Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.'"
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The LORD said to Moses, 35"Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part),
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You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting 39where I shall meet with you. 40It shall be most holy for you.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)