Bible Society of South Africa

Bible Reading Plan – Day 23

Bible text(s)

Exodus 25

Offerings for the Sacred Tent

1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Tell the Israelites to make an offering to me. Receive whatever offerings anyone wishes to give. 3These offerings are to be: gold, silver, and bronze; 4fine linen; blue, purple, and red wool; cloth made of goats' hair; 5rams' skin dyed red; fine leather; acacia wood; 6oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet-smelling incense; 7carnelians and other jewels to be set in the ephod of the High Priest and in his breastpiece. 8The people must make a sacred tent for me, so that I may live among them. 9Make it and all its furnishings according to the plan that I will show you.

The Covenant Box

10“Make a box out of acacia wood, 110 centimetres long, 66 centimetres wide, and 66 centimetres high. 11Cover it with pure gold inside and out and put a gold border all round it. 12Make four carrying rings of gold for it and attach them to its four legs, with two rings on each side. 13Make carrying poles of acacia wood and cover them with gold 14and put them through the rings on each side of the box. 15The poles are to be left in the rings and must not be taken out. 16Then put in the box the two stone tablets that I will give you, on which the commandments are written.

17“Make a lid of pure gold, 110 centimetres long and 66 centimetres wide. 18Make two winged creatures of hammered gold, 19one for each end of the lid. Make them so that they form one piece with the lid. 20The winged creatures are to face each other across the lid, and their outspread wings are to cover it. 21Put the two stone tablets inside the box and put the lid on top of it. 22I will meet you there, and from above the lid between the two winged creatures I will give you all my laws for the people of Israel.

The Table for the Bread Offered to God

23“Make a table out of acacia wood, 88 centimetres long, 44 centimetres wide, and 66 centimetres high. 24Cover it with pure gold and put a gold border round it. 25Make a rim 75 millimetres wide round it and a gold border round the rim. 26Make four carrying rings of gold for it and put them at the four corners, where the legs are. 27The rings to hold the poles for carrying the table are to be placed near the rim. 28Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with gold. 29Make plates, cups, jars, and bowls to be used for the wine offerings. All of these are to be made of pure gold. 30The table is to be placed in front of the Covenant Box, and on the table there is always to be the sacred bread offered to me.

The Lampstand

31“Make a lampstand of pure gold. Make its base and its shaft of hammered gold; its decorative flowers, including buds and petals, are to form one piece with it. 32Six branches shall extend from its sides, three from each side. 33Each of the six branches is to have three decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. 34The shaft of the lampstand is to have four decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. 35There is to be one bud below each of the three pairs of branches. 36The buds, the branches, and the lampstand are to be a single piece of pure hammered gold. 37Make seven lamps for the lampstand and set them up so that they shine towards the front. 38Make its tongs and trays of pure gold. 39Use 35 kilogrammes of pure gold to make the lampstand and all this equipment. 40Take care to make them according to the plan that I showed you on the mountain.

Exodus 26

The Tent of the LORD's Presence

(Ex 36.8–38)

1“Make the interior of the sacred Tent, the Tent of my presence, out of ten pieces of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool. Embroider them with figures of winged creatures. 2Make each piece the same size, twelve metres long and two metres wide. 3Sew five of them together in one set, and do the same with the other five. 4Make loops of blue cloth on the edge of the outside piece in each set. 5Put fifty loops on the first piece of the first set and fifty loops matching them on the last piece of the second set. 6Make fifty gold hooks with which to join the two sets into one piece.

7“Make a cover for the Tent out of eleven pieces of cloth made of goats' hair. 8Make them all the same size, thirteen metres long and two metres wide. 9Sew five of them together in one set, and the other six in another set. Fold the sixth piece double over the front of the Tent. 10Put fifty loops on the edge of the last piece of one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other set. 11Make fifty bronze hooks and put them in the loops to join the two sets so as to form one cover. 12Hang the extra half-piece over the back of the Tent. 13The extra fifty centimetres on each side of the length is to hang over the sides of the Tent to cover it.

14“Make two more coverings, one of rams' skin dyed red and the other of fine leather, to serve as the outer cover.

15“Make upright frames for the Tent out of acacia wood. 16Each frame is to be four metres long and 66 centimetres wide, 17with two matching projections, so that the frames can be joined together. All the frames are to have these projections. 18Make twenty frames for the south side 19and forty silver bases to go under them, two bases under each frame to hold its two projections. 20Make twenty frames for the north side of the Tent 21and forty silver bases, two under each frame. 22For the back of the Tent on the west, make six frames, 23and two frames for the corners. 24These corner frames are to be joined at the bottom and connected all the way to the top. The two frames that form the two corners are to be made in this way. 25So there will be eight frames with their sixteen silver bases, two under each frame.

26“Make fifteen crossbars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the Tent, 27five for the frames on the other side, and five for the frames on the west end, at the back. 28The middle crossbar, set halfway up the frames, is to extend from one end of the Tent to the other. 29Cover the frames with gold and fit them with gold rings to hold the crossbars, which are also to be covered with gold. 30Set up the Tent according to the plan that I showed you on the mountain.

31“Make a curtain of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool. Embroider it with figures of winged creatures. 32Hang it on four posts of acacia wood covered with gold, fitted with hooks, and set in four silver bases. 33Place the curtain under the row of hooks in the roof of the Tent, and behind the curtain put the Covenant Box containing the two stone tablets. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 34Put the lid on the Covenant Box. 35Outside the Most Holy Place put the table against the north side of the Tent and the lampstand against the south side.

36“For the entrance of the Tent make a curtain of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and decorated with embroidery. 37For this curtain make five posts of acacia wood covered with gold and fitted with gold hooks; make five bronze bases for these posts.

Exodus 27

The Altar

1“Make an altar out of acacia wood. It is to be square, 2.2 metres long and 2.2 metres wide, and it is to be 1.3 metres high. 2Make projections at the top of the four corners. They are to form one piece with the altar, and the whole is to be covered with bronze. 3Make pans for the greasy ashes, and make shovels, bowls, hooks, and firepans. All this equipment is to be made of bronze. 4Make a bronze grating and put four bronze carrying rings on its corners. 5Put the grating under the rim of the altar, so that it reaches halfway up the altar. 6Make carrying poles of acacia wood, cover them with bronze, 7and put them in the rings on each side of the altar when it is carried. 8Make the altar out of boards and leave it hollow, according to the plan that I showed you on the mountain.

The Enclosure for the Tent of the LORD's Presence

9“For the Tent of my presence make an enclosure out of fine linen curtains. On the south side the curtains are to be 44 metres long, 10supported by twenty bronze posts in twenty bronze bases, with hooks and rods made of silver. 11The same is to be done on the north side of the enclosure. 12On the west side there are to be curtains 22 metres long, with ten posts and ten bases. 13On the east side, where the entrance is, the enclosure is also to be 22 metres wide. 14-15On each side of the entrance there are to be 6.6 metres of curtains, with three posts and three bases. 16For the entrance itself there is to be a curtain nine metres long made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and decorated with embroidery. It is to be supported by four posts in four bases. 17All the posts round the enclosure are to be connected with silver rods, and their hooks are to be made of silver and their bases of bronze. 18The enclosure is to be 44 metres long, 22 metres wide, and 2.2 metres high. The curtains are to be made of fine linen and the bases of bronze. 19All the equipment that is used in the Tent and all the pegs for the Tent and for the enclosure are to be made of bronze.

Taking Care of the Lamp

20“Command the people of Israel to bring you the best olive oil for the lamp, so that it can be lit each evening. 21Aaron and his sons are to set up the lamp in the Tent of my presence outside the curtain which is in front of the Covenant Box. There in my presence it is to burn from evening until morning. This command is to be kept for ever by the Israelites and their descendants.

Exodus 25:1-27:21GNBOpen in Bible reader
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