Exodus 40

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

The Lord passionately communicated with Moses, expressing,

On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

On the dawn of the new year, you shall establish the meeting tent, the heart of our congregation.

And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.

Place the sacred chest within, and gently veil it from sight.

And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.

You should prepare the table, arranging everything neatly on it. Then, bring in the candlestick and ignite its lamps, filling the room with light.

And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.

Place the golden altar for incense in front of the ark, and hang the curtain at the entrance of the sanctuary.

And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

Place the altar for the burnt offerings right at the entrance of the community tent.

And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.

Place the basin between the gathering tent and the altar, filling it with water.

And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.

Create a boundary around the sacred space, and adorn the entrance with a beautiful tapestry.

And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

Take the sacred oil, bless the sanctuary and everything within it. Sanctify it along with all its contents, and it will become truly holy.

And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

You shall bless the altar where offerings are burnt, along with all its tools, making it sacred. This altar will then become the holiest of all.

And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.

With deep reverence, you shall bless the basin and its stand, making it sacred.

And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

Guide Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the meeting tent, and cleanse them with water.

And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Dress Aaron in sacred attire, bless him with holy oil, and purify his heart. This way, he can serve me faithfully as a priest.

And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

You shall guide his sons, wrapping them in warm garments.

And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

Bless them as you blessed their father, so they can serve me as priests. Their sacred duty will last forever, passed down through generations.

Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.

With unwavering faith and obedience, Moses carried out every command given to him by the Lord.

And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

On the first day of the second year, filled with anticipation and reverence, they finally raised the sacred tabernacle.

And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.

With great dedication, Moses built the sacred tent, securing its base, arranging its panels, inserting its crossbars, and raising its columns.

And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.

He lovingly extended the tent over the sacred space, placing the protective cover on top, just as God had instructed Moses.

And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

He carefully placed the sacred testimony inside the ark, positioned the poles, and lovingly set the mercy seat atop the ark.

And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.

He lovingly placed the ark in the sanctuary, carefully setting up the protective veil. He covered the ark of the covenant, faithfully following God's instructions given to Moses.

And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.

He lovingly placed the table inside the community tent, on the northern side of the sacred dwelling, just outside the veil.

And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.

With a heart full of reverence, he carefully arranged the bread before the LORD, just as Moses had been instructed by the LORD.

And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

He lovingly placed the candlestick in the heart of the gathering tent, opposite the table, on the southern side of the sacred tabernacle.

And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

With a heart full of reverence, he ignited the lamps in the presence of the LORD, following the divine instructions given to Moses.

And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:

He lovingly placed the golden altar in the heart of the community tent, just before the veil.

And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.

He lovingly lit the fragrant incense, following God's instructions given to Moses.

And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.

With a heart full of reverence, he lovingly established the curtain at the entrance of the sacred tent.

And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.

He placed the altar for sacrifices near the entrance of the sacred tent, faithfully offering both the burnt offering and the grain offering as God had instructed Moses.

And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

He placed the basin between the meeting tent and the altar, filling it with water for cleansing, with a sense of reverence and purpose.

And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:

Moses, Aaron, and his sons, filled with reverence, humbly cleansed their hands and feet there.

When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.

As they stepped into the sacred tent and approached the altar, they cleansed themselves, following the divine instructions given to Moses by the LORD.

And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

With great care, he built a protective boundary around the sacred tabernacle and altar, and hung the entrance curtain with reverence. Thus, Moses completed his divine task.

Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Suddenly, a cloud enveloped the gathering tent, and the magnificent presence of the Lord overflowed within the sanctuary.

And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Moses couldn't step into the gathering tent, for a divine cloud lingered there, filling the tabernacle with the Lord's radiant glory.

And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

When the cloud lifted from the sacred tent, the people of Israel, filled with hope and determination, continued their journey.

But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

If the cloud didn't lift, they wouldn't move until it did.

For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

The Lord's cloud rested over the sacred tent during the day, and at night there was fire in it. This divine spectacle was visible to all Israelites, a constant reminder of His presence throughout their travels.