361 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every man that was wise-hearted, in whom Jehovah had put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work of the service of the sanctuary—according to all that Jehovah had commanded.
2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every man that was wise-hearted, in whose heart God had put wisdom, every one whose heart moved him to come to the work to do it. 3 And they took from Moses every heave-offering that the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it. And they still brought him voluntary offerings morning by morning. 4 And all the wise men that wrought all the work of the sanctuary came, every man from his work which they wrought, 5 and spoke to Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work that Jehovah commanded to be done. 6 Then Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed through the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the heave-offering of the sanctuary! So the people were restrained from bringing; 7 for the work they had was sufficient for all the work to do it, and it was too much.
8 And every wise-hearted man among those that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of twined byssus, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: [with] cherubim of artistic work did he make them. 9 The length of one curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits—one measure for all the curtains. 10 And he coupled five of the curtains one to another, and [the other] five curtains coupled he one to another. 11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain at the edge of the coupling; he did likewise in the edge of the outermost curtain in the other coupling. 12 He made fifty loops in one curtain, and he made fifty loops at the end of the curtain that was in the other coupling: the loops were opposite to one another. 13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle became one.
14 And he made curtains of goats' [hair] for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains did he make them. 15 The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of one curtain—one measure for the eleven curtains. 16 And he coupled five of the curtains by themselves, and six of the curtains by themselves. 17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he on the edge of the curtain in the other coupling. 18 And he made fifty clasps of copper to couple the tent, that it might be one. 19 And he made a covering for the tent [of] rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above [that]. 20 And he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia-wood, standing up; 21 ten cubits the length of the boards, and one cubit and a half the breadth of one board; 22 two tenons in one board, connected one with the other: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23 And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward; 24 and he made forty bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board, for its two tenons, and two bases under another board for its two tenons. 25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, on the side toward the north, he made twenty boards, 26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one board, and two bases under another board. 27 And at the rear of the tabernacle, westward, he made six boards; 28 and he made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear; 29 and they were joined beneath, and were coupled together at the top thereof into one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners; 30 and there were eight boards, and their silver bases: sixteen bases, under every board two bases. 31 —And he made bars of acacia-wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle at the rear, westward. 33 And he made the middle bar in the midst of the boards reach from one end to the other. 34 And he overlaid the boards with gold; and made their rings of gold [as] receptacles for the bars; and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus: of artistic work he made it [with] cherubim. 36 And he made four pillars of acacia[-wood] for it, and overlaid them with gold; their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four bases of silver. 37 And he made a curtain for the entrance of the tent of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, of embroidery; 38 and its five pillars with their hooks; and he overlaid their capitals and their connecting-rods with gold; and their five bases were of copper.
371 And Bezaleel made the ark of acacia-wood; two cubits and a half the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 2 And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a border of gold upon it round about. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold, for its four corners: two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 4 And he made staves of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark. 6 —And he made a mercy-seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 7 And he made two cherubim of gold; of beaten work did he make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat; 8 one cherub at the end of one side, and one cherub at the end of the other side; out of the mercy-seat he made the two cherubim at the two ends thereof. 9 And the cherubim spread out [their] wings over it, covering over with their wings the mercy-seat; and their faces were opposite to one another: the faces of the cherubim were [turned] toward the mercy-seat.
10 And he made the table of acacia-wood; two cubits the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made upon it a border of gold round about. 12 And he made for it a margin of a hand-breadth round about; and made a border of gold for the margin thereof round about. 13 And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that were on the four feet thereof. 14 Close to the margin were the rings, as receptacles of the staves to carry the table. 15 And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 And he made the utensils that were on the table, the dishes thereof, and the cups thereof, and the bowls thereof, and the goblets with which to pour out, of pure gold. 17 And he made the candlestick of pure gold; [of] beaten work he made the candlestick: its base, and its shaft, its cups, its knobs, and its flowers were of itself. 18 And six branches went out of the sides thereof—three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof; 19 [there were] three cups shaped like almonds in the one branch, a knob and a flower; and three cups shaped like almonds in the other branch, a knob and a flower: so in the six branches which went out of the candlestick. 20 And in the candlestick were four cups, shaped like almonds, its knobs, and its flowers; 21 and a knob under two branches thereof, and [again] a knob under two branches thereof, and [again] a knob under two branches thereof, for the six branches which went out of it. 22 Their knobs and their branches were of itself—all of one beaten work of pure gold. 23 And he made the seven lamps thereof, and the snuffers thereof, and the snuff-trays thereof, of pure gold. 24 Of a talent of pure gold he made it, and all its utensils.
25 And he made the altar of incense of acacia-wood; a cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, square, and two cubits the height thereof: its horns were of itself. 26 And he overlaid it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and made upon it a border of gold round about. 27 And he made two rings of gold for it under its border, by its two corners, on the two sides thereof, as receptacles for the staves with which to carry it. 28 And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with gold. 29 And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of fragrant drugs, according to the work of the perfumer.
381 And he made the altar of burnt-offering of acacia-wood; five cubits the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof, square, and three cubits the height thereof. 2 And he made its horns on the four corners thereof; its horns were of itself; and he overlaid it with copper. 3 And he made all the utensils of the altar: the pots, and the shovels, and the bowls, the forks, and the firepans; all its utensils made he of copper. 4 And he made for the altar a grating of network of copper under its ledge from beneath, to the very middle of it. 5 And he cast four rings for the four corners of the grating of copper, as receptacles for the staves. 6 And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with copper. 7 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. Hollow with boards did he make it. 8 And he made the laver of copper, and its stand of copper, of the mirrors of the crowds of women who crowded before the entrance of the tent of meeting.
9 And he made the court. On the south side southward, the hangings of the court were of twined byssus, a hundred cubits; 10 their pillars twenty, and their bases twenty, of copper; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver. 11 And on the north side, a hundred cubits; their pillars twenty, and their bases twenty, of copper; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver. 12 And on the west side, hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their bases ten; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver. 13 And for the east side, eastward, fifty cubits; 14 the hangings on the one wing of fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their bases three; 15 and on the other wing, on this side as on that side of the gate of the court, hangings of fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their bases three. 16 All the hangings of the court round about were of twined byssus; 17 and the bases of the pillars of copper, the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals of silver; and all the pillars of the court were fastened together with [rods of] silver. 18 —And the curtain of the gate of the court was of embroidery of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus; and the length was twenty cubits, and the height like the breadth, five cubits, just as the hangings of the court; 19 and their pillars four, and their bases four, of copper; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their connecting-rods of silver. 20 And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court round about were of copper.
21 These are the things numbered of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, which were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, by the service of the Levites, under the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 22 And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that Jehovah had commanded Moses; 23 and with him Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and artificer, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in byssus.
24 All the gold that it took for the work in all the work of the sanctuary—the gold of the wave-offering, was twenty-nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 And the silver of them that were numbered of the assembly was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: 26 a bekah the head—half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that passed the numbering from twenty years old and upward, [of] the six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. 27 And there were a hundred talents of silver for casting the bases of the sanctuary, and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases of a hundred talents, a talent for a base. 28 And of the thousand seven hundred and seventy-five [shekels] he made the hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their capitals, and fastened them [with rods]. 29 And the copper of the wave-offering was seventy talents, and two thousand four hundred shekels. 30 And he made with it the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the copper altar, and the copper grating for it, and all the utensils of the altar. 31 And the bases of the court round about, and the bases of the gate of the court, and all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs of the court round about.
231 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have set themselves down in Moses' seat: 3 all things therefore, whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not after their works, for they say and do not, 4 but bind burdens heavy and hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of men, but will not move them with their finger. 5 And all their works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries and enlarge the borders [of their garments], 6 and love the chief place in feasts and the first seats in the synagogues, 7 and salutations in the market-places, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But ye, be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your instructor, and all ye are brethren. 9 And call not [any one] your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, he who is in the heavens. 10 Neither be called instructors, for one is your instructor, the Christ. 11 But the greatest of you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and whoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men; for ye do not enter, nor do ye suffer those that are entering to go in. 14 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye compass the sea and the dry [land] to make one proselyte, and when he is become [such], ye make him twofold more [the] son of hell than yourselves. 16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. 17 Fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple which sanctifies the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it is a debtor. 19 [Fools and] blind ones, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift? 20 He therefore that swears by the altar swears by it and by all things that are upon it. 21 And he that swears by the temple swears by it and by him that dwells in it. 22 And he that swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him that sits upon it.
(Read Matthew 23:1-12)
The scribes and Pharisees explained the law of Moses, and enforced obedience to it. They are charged with hypocrisy in religion. We can only judge according to outward appearance; but God searches the heart. They made phylacteries. These were scrolls of paper or parchment, wherein were written four paragraphs of the law, to be worn on their foreheads and left arms, Numbers 15:38, to remind them of their being a peculiar people; but the Pharisees made them larger than common, as if they were thereby more religious than others. Pride was the darling, reigning sin of the Pharisees, the sin that most easily beset them, and which our Lord Jesus takes all occasions to speak against. For him that is taught in the word to give respect to him that teaches, is commendable; but for him that teaches, to demand it, to be puffed up with it, is sinful. How much is all this against the spirit of Christianity! The consistent disciple of Christ is pained by being put into chief places. But who that looks around on the visible church, would think this was the spirit required? It is plain that some measure of this antichristian spirit prevails in every religious society, and in every one of our hearts.
(Read Matthew 23:13-33)
The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others from him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoned double iniquity. They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of God and the good of souls, but that they might have the credit and advantage of making converts. Gain being their godliness, by a thousand devices they made religion give way to their worldly interests. They were very strict and precise in smaller matters of the law, but careless and loose in weightier matters. It is not the scrupling a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be a sin, though but a gnat, it must be strained out; but the doing that, and then swallowing a camel, or, committing a greater sin. While they would seem to be godly, they were neither sober nor righteous. We are really, what we are inwardly. Outward motives may keep the outside clean, while the inside is filthy; but if the heart and spirit be made new, there will be newness of life; here we must begin with ourselves. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was like the ornaments of a grave, or dressing up a dead body, only for show. The deceitfulness of sinners' hearts appears in that they go down the streams of the sins of their own day, while they fancy that they should have opposed the sins of former days. We sometimes think, if we had lived when Christ was upon earth, that we should not have despised and rejected him, as men then did; yet Christ in his Spirit, in his word, in his ministers, is still no better treated. And it is just with God to give those up to their hearts' lusts, who obstinately persist in gratifying them. Christ gives men their true characters.
