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¹Then the LORD instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance.

²Only Moses is allowed to come near to the LORD. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”

³Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the LORD had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded.”

⁴Then Moses carefully wrote down all the LORD’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

⁵Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.

⁶Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.

⁷Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded. We will obey.”

⁸Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the LORD has made with you in giving you these instructions.”

⁹Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain.

¹⁰There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself.

¹¹And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

¹²Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.”

¹³So Moses and his assistant Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.

¹⁴Moses told the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come back. Aaron and Hur are here with you. If anyone has a dispute while I am gone, consult with them.”

¹⁵Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it.

¹⁶And the glory of the LORD settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from inside the cloud.

¹⁷To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the LORD appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.

¹⁸Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

¹The LORD said to Moses,

²“Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them.

³Here is a list of sacred offerings you may accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze;

⁴blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen and goat hair for cloth;

⁵tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; acacia wood;

⁶olive oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense;

⁷onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece.

⁸“Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.

⁹You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

¹⁰“Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood — a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

¹¹Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, and run a molding of gold all around it.

¹²Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side.

¹³Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

¹⁴Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.

¹⁵These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them.

¹⁶When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you.

¹⁷“Then make the Ark’s cover — the place of atonement — from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.

¹⁸Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover.

¹⁹Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold.

²⁰The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it.

²¹Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark.

²²I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.

²³“Then make a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

²⁴Overlay it with pure gold and run a gold molding around the edge.

²⁵Decorate it with a 3-inch border all around, and run a gold molding along the border.

²⁶Make four gold rings for the table and attach them at the four corners next to the four legs.

²⁷Attach the rings near the border to hold the poles that are used to carry the table.

²⁸Make these poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

²⁹Make special containers of pure gold for the table — bowls, ladles, pitchers, and jars — to be used in pouring out liquid offerings.

³⁰Place the Bread of the Presence on the table to remain before me at all times.

³¹“Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece — the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals.

³²Make it with six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side.

³³Each of the six branches will have three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals.

³⁴Craft the center stem of the lampstand with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals.

³⁵There will also be an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extend from the center stem.

³⁶The almond buds and branches must all be of one piece with the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold.

³⁷Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward.

³⁸The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold.

³⁹You will need 75 pounds of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.

⁴⁰“Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.

¹“Make the Tabernacle from ten curtains of finely woven linen. Decorate the curtains with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim.

²These ten curtains must all be exactly the same size — 42 feet long and 6 feet wide.

³Join five of these curtains together to make one long curtain, then join the other five into a second long curtain.

⁴Put loops of blue yarn along the edge of the last curtain in each set.

⁵The fifty loops along the edge of one curtain are to match the fifty loops along the edge of the other curtain.

⁶Then make fifty gold clasps and fasten the long curtains together with the clasps. In this way, the Tabernacle will be made of one continuous piece.

⁷“Make eleven curtains of goat-hair cloth to serve as a tent covering for the Tabernacle.

⁸These eleven curtains must all be exactly the same size — 45 feet long and 6 feet wide.

⁹Join five of these curtains together to make one long curtain, and join the other six into a second long curtain. Allow 3 feet of material from the second set of curtains to hang over the front of the sacred tent.

¹⁰Make fifty loops for one edge of each large curtain.

¹¹Then make fifty bronze clasps, and fasten the loops of the long curtains with the clasps. In this way, the tent covering will be made of one continuous piece.

¹²The remaining 3 feet of this tent covering will be left to hang over the back of the Tabernacle.

¹³Allow 18 inches of remaining material to hang down over each side, so the Tabernacle is completely covered.

¹⁴Complete the tent covering with a protective layer of tanned ram skins and a layer of fine goatskin leather.

¹⁵“For the framework of the Tabernacle, construct frames of acacia wood.

¹⁶Each frame must be 15 feet high and 27 inches wide,

¹⁷with two pegs under each frame. Make all the frames identical.

¹⁸Make twenty of these frames to support the curtains on the south side of the Tabernacle.

¹⁹Also make forty silver bases — two bases under each frame, with the pegs fitting securely into the bases.

²⁰For the north side of the Tabernacle, make another twenty frames,

²¹with their forty silver bases, two bases under each frame.

²²Make six frames for the rear — the west side of the Tabernacle —

²³along with two additional frames to reinforce the rear corners of the Tabernacle.

²⁴These corner frames will be matched at the bottom and firmly attached at the top with a single ring, forming a single corner unit. Make both of these corner units the same way.

²⁵So there will be eight frames at the rear of the Tabernacle, set in sixteen silver bases — two bases under each frame.

²⁶“Make crossbars of acacia wood to link the frames, five crossbars for the north side of the Tabernacle

²⁷and five for the south side. Also make five crossbars for the rear of the Tabernacle, which will face west.

²⁸The middle crossbar, attached halfway up the frames, will run all the way from one end of the Tabernacle to the other.

²⁹Overlay the frames with gold, and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Overlay the crossbars with gold as well.

³⁰“Set up this Tabernacle according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.

³¹“For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim.

³²Hang this curtain on gold hooks attached to four posts of acacia wood. Overlay the posts with gold, and set them in four silver bases.

³³Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

³⁴“Then put the Ark’s cover — the place of atonement — on top of the Ark of the Covenant inside the Most Holy Place.

³⁵Place the table outside the inner curtain on the north side of the Tabernacle, and place the lampstand across the room on the south side.

³⁶“Make another curtain for the entrance to the sacred tent. Make it of finely woven linen and embroider it with exquisite designs, using blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

³⁷Craft five posts from acacia wood. Overlay them with gold, and hang the curtain from them with gold hooks. Cast five bronze bases for the posts.

¹“Using acacia wood, construct a square altar 7 1⁄2 feet wide, 7 1⁄2 feet long, and 4 1⁄2 feet high.

²Make horns for each of its four corners so that the horns and altar are all one piece. Overlay the altar with bronze.

³Make ash buckets, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans, all of bronze.

⁴Make a bronze grating for it, and attach four bronze rings at its four corners.

⁵Install the grating halfway down the side of the altar, under the ledge.

⁶For carrying the altar, make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.

⁷Insert the poles through the rings on the two sides of the altar.

⁸The altar must be hollow, made from planks. Build it just as you were shown on the mountain.

⁹“Then make the courtyard for the Tabernacle, enclosed with curtains made of finely woven linen. On the south side, make the curtains 150 feet long.

¹⁰They will be held up by twenty posts set securely in twenty bronze bases. Hang the curtains with silver hooks and rings.

¹¹Make the curtains the same on the north side — 150 feet of curtains held up by twenty posts set securely in bronze bases. Hang the curtains with silver hooks and rings.

¹²The curtains on the west end of the courtyard will be 75 feet long, supported by ten posts set into ten bases.

¹³The east end of the courtyard, the front, will also be 75 feet long.

¹⁴The courtyard entrance will be on the east end, flanked by two curtains. The curtain on the right side will be 22 1⁄2 feet long, supported by three posts set into three bases.

¹⁵The curtain on the left side will also be 22 1⁄2 feet long, supported by three posts set into three bases.

¹⁶“For the entrance to the courtyard, make a curtain that is 30 feet long. Make it from finely woven linen, and decorate it with beautiful embroidery in blue, purple, and scarlet thread. Support it with four posts, each securely set in its own base.

¹⁷All the posts around the courtyard must have silver rings and hooks and bronze bases.

¹⁸So the entire courtyard will be 150 feet long and 75 feet wide, with curtain walls 7 1⁄2 feet high, made from finely woven linen. The bases for the posts will be made of bronze.

¹⁹“All the articles used in the rituals of the Tabernacle, including all the tent pegs used to support the Tabernacle and the courtyard curtains, must be made of bronze.

²⁰“Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

²¹The lampstand will stand in the Tabernacle, in front of the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron and his sons must keep the lamps burning in the LORD’s presence all night. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel, and it must be observed from generation to generation.