Exodus 30:1-13 ▼

1 |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 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.|

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.