Exodus 30

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

You shall create a sacred altar for burning incense, crafted from the resilient shittim wood.

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.

The size of it will be a cubit in length and width, forming a perfect square. It will stand two cubits tall, with its horns made of one piece with it.

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.

Cover it completely in pure gold, from top to bottom, even its horns. Then, create a golden crown to encircle it.

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.

Craft two golden rings and attach them beneath its crown, at its two corners. These rings on either side will serve as holders for the poles used to carry it.

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

You should craft the rods from acacia wood, and lovingly cover them in gold.

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.

Place it before the curtain, near the sacred chest, right in front of the mercy seat where I will come to meet you.

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

Every morning, Aaron will light the sweet-smelling incense. As he tends to the lamps, he will also ensure the incense is burning.

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 each evening, he must also burn a fragrant incense. This act of devotion to the Lord must continue forever, passed down through each generation.

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

Do not offer any unauthorized incense on it, and no burnt offerings or grain offerings; nor should you pour any drink offerings over it.

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.

Once a year, Aaron will seek forgiveness by anointing the altar's horns with the blood of a sacrifice. This annual ritual of reconciliation, a sacred act to the Lord, will continue for all your generations.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

The Lord passionately communicated to Moses, expressing,

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, each person must offer a payment to God for their life. This way, no disaster will strike when you tally them up.

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.

Everyone counted must contribute a small donation, half a shekel, as per the holy standard. Remember, a shekel equals twenty gerahs. This half shekel is a humble gift to the Lord.

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

Everyone aged twenty or older, who is counted among them, should joyfully give a gift to the Lord.

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.

No matter if you're rich or poor, everyone should give equally, even if it's just a small amount, when offering to the Lord. This act of giving is a way to seek forgiveness and peace for your soul.

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.

Collect the redemption funds from the people of Israel and use it for the upkeep of our sacred meeting place. This act will serve as a reminder to all of Israel of God's mercy, helping to cleanse your spirits.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

The Lord passionately communicated with Moses, expressing,

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.

Create a brass basin with a matching stand for washing. Place it between the meeting tent and the altar, and fill it with water.

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

Aaron and his sons must cleanse their hands and feet there, feeling the purifying touch of the water.

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 they enter the sacred meeting place, they must cleanse themselves with water, to avoid death. Similarly, when they approach the altar to serve, to present a fiery offering to the Lord.

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.

They must cleanse their hands and feet to avoid death; this rule will forever apply to them and their descendants.

Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

With deep compassion, the LORD reached out to Moses, saying,

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,

Gather the finest spices for yourself - a generous 500 shekels of pure myrrh, and half that amount, 250 shekels each, of sweet cinnamon and fragrant calamus.

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

With the sacred measure, gather five hundred shekels of fragrant cassia, and a hin of pure, golden olive oil.

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.

You shall create a sacred oil, a carefully blended mixture, like a master perfumer would. This will be a holy anointing oil.

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

With deep reverence, you shall bless the meeting tent and the sacred chest of the covenant with the holy anointing oil.

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

The table with all its utensils, the lampstand with its accessories, and the altar of fragrant incense.

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

The sacred altar for sacrifices, complete with all its tools, and the basin with its stand.

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

You shall bless them, making them incredibly sacred. Anything that comes into contact with them will also become sacred.

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

With love and reverence, bless Aaron and his sons, setting them apart so they may serve me faithfully as priests.

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

Speak to the people of Israel and tell them, this sacred anointing oil will be special to me for all your generations.

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.

Do not apply this sacred oil on human skin, nor attempt to recreate its unique blend. It's sacred, and should remain so in your eyes.

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

Anyone who recreates this or uses it on an outsider will be cut off from their people.

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:

The LORD passionately instructed Moses, "Gather the fragrant spices - stacte, onycha, and galbanum. Combine these with pure frankincense, ensuring equal amounts of each. This is your sacred task."

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

You shall create a fragrance, a blend crafted with the skill of a master perfumer, mixed together, pure and sacred.

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.

Grind some of it into fine powder and place it before the sacred testimony in our meeting place, the tabernacle. This is where I will commune with you. This act will be deeply sacred to you.

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.

Don't recreate the sacred fragrance for personal use. It's a unique blend, meant only for honoring the Lord.

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

Anyone who imitates this, seeking its scent, will be cut off from their people.