Exodus

Describes how Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt and slavery, and how they receive laws from God.

Chapter 30

1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

*Make an altar for burning incense, using shittim wood.

2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.

*A cubit will be its length and width; it will be square-shaped; its height will be two cubits; and the horns will be made from the same material.

3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

*You should cover it with pure gold on the top, sides, and horns, and also make a golden crown around it.

4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.

*Make two gold rings below the crown, near the corners on both sides. They will hold the poles to carry it.

5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

*And you shall create the poles from acacia wood, and cover them with gold.

6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

*And you shall place it in front of the curtain near the ark containing the sacred messages, in front of the cover above the messages, which is where I will meet with you.

7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

*Aaron will burn sweet incense on it each morning. When he sets up the lamps, he will also light the incense.

8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

*When Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he must burn incense on it. This should be done continuously as a constant offering to God for all future generations.

9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

*Do not use foreign incense, burned sacrifices, or meat offerings on it. Also, do not pour drink offerings on it.

10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

*Aaron must clean the horns each year using blood from a special sacrifice. This should be done every year for you and your family, because it's very holy to God.

11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

*And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

*When you count the people of Israel by how many there are, each person must pay a ransom for their life to God at that time. This way, there won't be any plague when you count them.

13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

*Every person counted must give half a shekel, following the sanctuary's shekel value (which is 20 gerahs); this half shekel is the offering to the Lord.

14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.

*Anyone who goes among those counted, aged 20 or more, must give an offering to God.

15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

*The wealthy can't give more, and the poor mustn't give less than half a shekel when giving an offering to God for forgiveness.

16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

*Take the money for forgiveness from the Israelites and use it for the tent worship place's needs. This will remind the Israelites about forgiveness in front of God, helping them be forgiven inside.

17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

*And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

*You must make a brass basin for washing, with a brass foot as well. Place it between the congregation's dwelling and the altar, and fill it with water.

19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

*Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet using that water.

20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:

*When entering the meeting place, they must clean themselves with water so they don't die, or when approaching the altar to serve, to burn sacrifices for the Lord.

21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

*So they must clean their hands and feet to stay alive, and this rule will last forever for them - for the person and their family through all their future generations.

22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

*Additionally, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

*Get the main spices too: 500 shekels of pure myrrh, half that amount of sweet cinnamon (125 shekels), and 125 shekels of sweet calamus.

24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

*She gave 500 shekels of cassia and a hin of olive oil, following the sanctuary's shekel.

25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

*And you should make it a special holy oil, a carefully made blend by the skills of a medicine maker; it will be a sacred anointing oil.

26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

*And you shall use it to anoint the meeting place's tent and the box containing the witness.

27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,

*And the table, along with all its items, and the lampstand and its items, and the incense altar.

28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.

*And the altar for burning offerings along with its tools, and the washing basin and its base.

29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

*And you shall make them special, so they are very holy; anything that touches them will also be holy.

30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

*Anoint Aaron and his sons to make them holy for their job as priests serving me.

31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

*You should tell the people of Israel, "This is a special holy oil just for me and my family forever."

32 Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.

*This liquid should not be put on people's skin. Don't make anything similar to it using the same ingredients. It is sacred and must remain sacred for you.

33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.

*Whoever creates something similar or puts any of it on someone not related will be disconnected from their family.

34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

*And God told Moses, Get some pleasant-smelling ingredients - stacte, onycha, and galbanum - along with pure frankincense. The amount of each should be equal.

35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

*And you shall create it as a fragrance, a sweet treat made by the skills of a medicine maker, carefully mixed, clean and sacred.

36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

*And you should crush some of it into tiny pieces, then place them in front of the sacred writings in the meeting place for the people, where I will connect with you; it will be very special to you.

37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

*Regarding the special fragrance you create, do not make it using its ingredients; instead, consider it sacred and set apart for God's use.

38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

*Whoever copies that for scent will be disconnected from their family.

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