Exodus 38

Open Word Bible

He made the altar of burnt offering out of acacia wood. It was square, about 7 1/2 feet on each side and about 4 1/2 feet high. He shaped horns on its four corners, forming part of the altar itself, and overlaid it with bronze. He made all the utensils for the altar: the pots, shovels, basins, forks and firepans. He made all its utensils of bronze. He made for the altar a grating of bronze, worked as a mesh, and set it under its ledge, reaching from below up to the middle of the altar. He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, to hold the poles. He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. He slid the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He built the altar as a hollow box of planks.

He made the basin and its stand of bronze. The bronze came from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

He made the courtyard. On the south side the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, about 150 feet long. There were twenty pillars in twenty bronze bases, with hooks and bands of silver on the pillars. The north side was also about 150 feet long, with twenty pillars in twenty bronze bases, and silver hooks and bands on the pillars. On the west side there were hangings about 75 feet long, with ten pillars and ten bases, and silver hooks and bands on the pillars. The east side, facing the sunrise, was also about 75 feet wide. On one side of the entrance there were hangings about 22 1/2 feet long, with three pillars and three bases. The other side was the same, so that there were hangings of about 22 1/2 feet on each side of the courtyard gate, with three pillars and three bases. All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen. The bases of the pillars were bronze, and the hooks and bands on the pillars were silver. Their tops were overlaid with silver, and every pillar of the courtyard was fitted with silver bands. The screen for the courtyard gate was worked in colors by an embroiderer, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen. It was about 30 feet long and about 7 1/2 feet high, matching the hangings of the courtyard. It hung on four pillars set in four bronze bases. Their hooks were silver, and so were the overlay on their tops and their bands. All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard around it were bronze.

This is the record of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as it was counted at Moses’ command. The counting was the work of the Levites, led by Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. It was Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, who made all that the LORD had commanded Moses. With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, who also worked in colors with blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.

All the gold used for the work, for all the work on the sanctuary, was gold given as an offering. It came to about 2,200 pounds, by the shekel of the sanctuary. The silver given by those of the community who were enrolled weighed about 7,500 pounds, by the shekel of the sanctuary. That was about 1/5 ounce a head, half a shekel by the shekel of the sanctuary, from every man twenty years old and up who crossed over to join those enrolled, 603,550 men in all. The 7,500 pounds or so of silver went to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the curtain. There were 100 bases, and each took about 75 pounds. From the remaining 45 pounds or so he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their tops and fitted them with bands. The bronze given as an offering came to about 5,300 pounds. Out of it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar together with the bronze grating that belonged to it, all the utensils of the altar, the bases all around the courtyard, the bases of the courtyard gate, and all the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard on every side.

Exodus

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