The Altar of Incense

301 "Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense ; you shall make it of acacia wood . 2 "Its length shall be a cubit , and its width a cubit , it shall be square , and its height shall be two cubits ; its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 "You shall overlay it with pure gold , its top and its sides all around , and its horns ; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. 4 "You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding ; you shall make them on its two side walls -on opposite sides -and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 "You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold . 6 "You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony , in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony , where e I will meet with you. 7 "Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps . 8 "When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight , he shall burn incense . There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations . 9 "You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering ; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10 "Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year ; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations . It is most holy to the Lord ."

The Atonement Money

11 The Lord also spoke to Moses , saying , 12 "When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord , when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. 13 "This is what everyone who is numbered shall give : half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary ( the shekel is twenty gerahs ), half a shekel as a contribution to the Lord . 14 "Everyone who is numbered , from twenty years old and over , shall give the contribution to the Lord . 15 "The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel , when you give the contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves . 16 "You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting , that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord , to make atonement for yourselves ."

The Laver

17 The Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 18 "You shall also make a laver of bronze , with its base of bronze , for washing ; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar , and you shall put water in it. 19 "Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; 20 when they enter the tent of meeting , they shall wash with water , so that they will not die ; or when they approach the altar to minister , by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord . 21 "So they shall wash their hands and their feet , so that they will not die ; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations ."

The Anointing Oil and the Incense

22 Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 23 "Take also for yourself the finest of spices : of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much , two hundred and fifty , and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty , 24 and of cassia five hundred , according to the shekel of the sanctuary , and of olive oil a hin . 25 "You shall make of these a holy anointing oil , a perfume mixture , the work of a perfumer ; it shall be a holy anointing oil . 26 "With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony , 27 and the table and all its utensils , and the lampstand and its utensils , and the altar of incense , 28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils , and the laver and its stand . 29 "You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy ; whatever touches them shall be holy . 30 " You shall anoint Aaron and his sons , and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31 "You shall speak to the sons of Israel , saying , 'This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations . 32 'It shall not be poured on anyone's body , nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions ; it is holy , and it shall be holy to you. 33 ' Whoever e shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people .' " 34 Then the Lord said to Moses , "Take for yourself spices , stacte and onycha and galbanum , spices with pure frankincense ; there shall be an equal part of each . 35 "With it you shall make incense , a perfume , the work of a perfumer , salted , pure , and holy . 36 "You shall beat some of it very fine , and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where e I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37 "The incense which you shall make , you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord . 38 " Whoever e shall make any like it, to use as perfume , shall be cut off from his people ."