EXODUS - Chapter 34

Now, YAHWEH said to Moses, "Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. No man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain."

So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as YAHWEH had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. YAHWEH descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of YAHWEH. Then YAHWEH passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "YAHWEH, YAHWEH Elohim, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. He said, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Master, I pray, let the Master go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession."

Then Elohim said, "Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of YAHWEH, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.

"Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day; behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.

"Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim--for  you shall not worship any other god, for YAHWEH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous Elohim--otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons to play the harlot with their gods.

"You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

"You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

"The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep. You shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

"You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.

"You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

"Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Master YAHWEH, the Elohim of Israel.

"For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before YAHWEH your Elohim.

"You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning.

"You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of YAHWEH your Elohim.

"You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."

Then YAHWEH said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."

So he was there with YAHWEH forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them.

Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that YAHWEH had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

But whenever Moses went in before YAHWEH to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

Chapter 35

Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, "These are the things that YAHWEH has commanded you to do:

"For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to YAHWEH; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

"You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day."

Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which YAHWEH has commanded, saying, 'Take from among you a contribution to YAHWEH; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as YAHWEH's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze, and blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and porpoise skins, and acacia wood, and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense, and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

'Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that YAHWEH has commanded: the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; the ark and its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain of the screen; the table and its poles, and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; the lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps and the oil for the light; and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the doorway at the entrance o the tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; the hangings of the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court and their cords; the woven garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.'"

Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from Moses' presence.

Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought YAHWEH's contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.

Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to YAHWEH.

Every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats' hair and rams' skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them. Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought YAHWEH's contribution; and every man who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it.

All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. All the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats' hair.

The rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece; and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.

The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring for all the work, which YAHWEH had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to YAHWEH.

Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, "See, YAHWEH has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And He has filled him with the Spirit of Elohim, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work.

"He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.

Chapter 36

"Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom YAHWEH has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that YAHWEH has commanded."

Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom YAHWEH had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him to come to the work to perform it. They received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, and they said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which YAHWEH commanded us to perform."

So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, "Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary." Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

All the skillful men among those who were performing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman, Bezalel made them.

The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains had the same measurements. He joined five curtains to one another and the other five curtains he joined to one another. He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set; he did likewise on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set. He made fifty loops in the one curtain and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set; the loops were opposite each other. He made fifty clasps of gold and joined the curtains to one another with the clasps, so the tabernacle was a unit.

Then he made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains in all. The length of each curtain was thirty cubits and four cubits the width of each curtain; the eleven curtains had the same measurements. He joined five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves. Moreover, he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the first set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set. He made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent together so that it would be a unit.

He made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of porpoise skins above.

Then he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. Ten cubits was the length of each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. There were two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; thus he did for all the boards of the tabernacle. He made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side; and he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.

Then for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board and two sockets under another board.

For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, he made six boards. He made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear. They were double beneath, and together they were complete to its top to the first ring; thus he did with both of them for the two corners. There were eight boards with their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets, two under every board.

Then he made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west. He made the middle bar to pass through in the center of the boards from end to end.

He overlaid the boards with gold and made their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlaid the boards with gold.

Moreover, he made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; he made it with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman.

He made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and he cast four sockets of silver for them.

He made a screen for the doorway of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver; and he made its five pillars with their hooks, and he overlaid their tops and their bands with gold; but their five sockets were of bronze.

Chapter 37

Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around. He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; even two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry it.

He made a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat; one cherub at the one end and one cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at the two ends. The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

Then he made the table of acacia wood, two cubits long and a cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding for it all around. He made a rim for it of a handbreadth all around, and made a gold molding for its rim all around. He cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four feet. Close by the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table. He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table.

He made the utensils which were on the table, its dishes and its pans and its bowls and its jars, with which to pour out drink offerings, of pure gold.

Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers were of one piece with it. There were six branches going out of its sides; three branches of the lampstand from the one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it; three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower in the other branch--so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.

In the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers; and a bulb was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it; and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. Their bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold.

He made its seven lamps with its snuffers and its trays of pure gold. He made it and all its utensils form a talent of pure gold.

Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns were of one piece with it. He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around. He made two golden rings for it under its molding, on its two sides--on opposite sides--as holders for poles with which to carry it. He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.

HalleluYah!