Exodus 40

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

² ‘On the first day of the first month you are to erect the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting,

³ and place the ark of the Testimony in it, screening it with the veil.

⁴ Bring in the table, arranging what is to be set in order on it. Bring in the lamp-stand, too, and set up its lamps.

⁵ Place the golden altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle.

⁶ Place the altar of holocaust in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.

⁷ Place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and fill it with water.

⁸ Set up the enclosure of the court and hang the screen at the gateway of the court.

⁹ Then, taking the chrism, anoint the tabernacle and everything in it, consecrating it with its furniture, to make it a holy place.

¹⁰ Anoint the altar of holocaust with all its furnishings; and consecrate the altar which henceforth will be a most holy thing.

¹¹ Anoint the basin with its stand, and consecrate it.

¹² Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and see that they bathe.

¹³ Then clothe Aaron with the sacred vestments, and anoint and consecrate him, to serve me in the priesthood.

¹⁴ Next, bring his sons and clothe them with tunics.

¹⁵ Anoint them as you have anointed their father, to serve me in the priesthood. This anointing of them is to confer the priesthood on them in perpetuity from generation to generation.’

¹⁶ Moses did this; he did exactly as Yahweh had directed him.

¹⁷ The tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.

¹⁸ Moses erected the tabernacle. He fixed the sockets for it, put up its frames, put its crossbars in position, set up its posts.

¹⁹ He spread the tent over the tabernacle and on top of this the covering for the tent, as Yahweh had directed Moses.

²⁰ He took the Testimony and placed it inside the ark. He set the shafts to the ark and placed the throne of mercy on it.

²¹ He brought the ark into the tabernacle and put the screening veil in place; thus he screened the ark of Yahweh, as Yahweh had directed Moses.

²² He placed the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil,

²³ and on it arranged the loaves before Yahweh, as Yahweh had directed Moses.

²⁴ He put the lamp-stand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle;

²⁵ and he set up the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh had directed Moses.

²⁶ He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the veil,

²⁷ and on it burnt fragrant incense, as Yahweh had directed Moses.

²⁸ Then he put the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle.

²⁹ He put the altar of holocaust at the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and on it offered the holocaust and the oblation, as Yahweh had directed Moses.

³⁰ He put the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and filled it with water for the ablutions;

³¹ this was for Aaron and his sons to wash their hands and feet:

³² whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar they washed, as Yahweh had directed Moses.

³³ Moses then set up the court round the tabernacle and the altar and placed the screen at the gateway to the court. Thus Moses completed the work.

³⁴ The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.

³⁵ Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because of the cloud that rested on it and because of the glory of Yahweh that filled the tabernacle.

³⁶ At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the tabernacle the sons of Israel would resume their march.

³⁷ If the cloud did not rise, they waited and would not march until it did.

³⁸ For the cloud of Yahweh rested on the tabernacle by day, and a fire shone within the cloud by night, for all the House of Israel to see. And so it was for every stage of their journey.