1 “Make from acacia wood an altar for burning incense. 2 It shall be square, measuring a cubit by a cubit, by two cubits high, with horns on its corners that are all one piece with the altar. 3 Cover its top, its side, and its horns with pure gold, and make a gold trim to go all around it. 4 On two of the altar's sides make two gold rings and attach them below the trim to hold the poles that carry it. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with gold. 6 Put the altar in front of the veil that hangs before the Ark of the Testimony and the atonement cover that is over the Testimony where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps. 8 When he lights the lamps in the evening he must burn incense again so that incense will always be burned in the Lord's presence for generations to come. 9 Don't offer on this altar any unapproved incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour out a drink offering upon it. 10 Once a year Aaron must perform the atonement ritual by placing blood on the horns of the altar from the sin offering for atonement. This yearly atonement ritual must be carried out for generations to come. This is the Lord's holy altar.” 11 The Lord told Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites, each man must pay the Lord to buy back his life when he's counted. Then they won't suffer from the plague when they're counted. 13 Each one who crosses over to those counted must give a half shekel (using the sanctuary shekel standard, which weighs twenty gerahs). This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 14 This offering to the Lord is required from everyone twenty years old and more. 15 When you give this offering to buy back your lives the rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less. 16 Take this money paid by the Israelites and use it for the expenses involved in the services of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a reminder for the Israelites to buy back your lives in the presence of the Lord.” 17 The Lord told Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons will use it to wash their hands and feet. 20 Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they are to wash with water so that they will not die. When they approach the altar to present burnt offerings to the Lord, 21 they must also wash so that they will not die. This requirement is to be observed by them and their descendants for all generations.” 22 The Lord told Moses, 23 “Take the best quality spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 250 shekels of aromatic reed, 24 500 shekels of cassia (weights using the sanctuary shekel standard), and a hin of olive oil. 25 Mix these together into holy anointing oil, an aromatic blend like the product of an expert perfumer. Use it as holy anointing oil. 26 Use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony, 27 the table and all its equipment, the lampstand and its equipment, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin plus its stand. 29 Dedicate them so that they will be especially holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 Anoint Aaron and his sons too and dedicate them to serve as priests for me. 31 Tell the Israelites, ‘This is to be my holy anointing oil for all generations to come. 32 Don't use it on ordinary people and don't make anything like it using the same formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as being holy. 33 Anyone who mixes anointing oil like it, or puts it on someone other than a priest, will be expelled from their people.’” 34 The Lord told Moses, “Take equal amounts of these aromatic spices: balsam resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense. 35 Add some salt and make pure and holy incense blended like the product of an expert perfumer. 36 Grind some of it into powder and place it in front of the Ark of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be especially holy to you. 37 Don't make for yourselves any incense like it using the same formula. You are to consider this incense as holy to the Lord. 38 Anyone who makes incense like this for themselves to enjoy will be expelled from their people.”
Exodus 30 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Aaron
Moses' brother and spokesman, Israel's first high priest.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 4–40; Leviticus 8–10
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (33)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Revelation 8:3; Exodus 37:25–28; Leviticus 4:7; Exodus 40:5; Exodus 30:7–8
- 2 Exodus 27:2
- 3 Exodus 25:24; Exodus 25:11
- 4 Exodus 25:27; Exodus 26:29; Exodus 27:7; Exodus 27:4; Exodus 25:14
- 5 Exodus 25:13; Exodus 25:27
- 6 Exodus 25:21–22; Matthew 27:51; Exodus 30:36; Exodus 26:31–35; Exodus 40:26
- 7 1 Samuel 2:28; Luke 1:9; Exodus 27:20–21; 1 Chronicles 23:13; Exodus 30:34
- 8 Hebrews 9:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Exodus 12:6; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34
- 9 Leviticus 10:1
- 10 Leviticus 16:18; Hebrews 9:22–23; Exodus 29:36–37; Leviticus 16:29–30; Hebrews 9:25
- 12 Numbers 31:50; Exodus 38:25–26; 1 Peter 1:18–19; 1 Chronicles 27:24; Matthew 20:28
- 13 Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47; Ezekiel 45:12; Matthew 17:24; Exodus 38:26
- 14 Numbers 1:20; Numbers 26:2; Numbers 32:11; Numbers 14:29; Numbers 1:18
- 15 Numbers 31:50; Exodus 30:12; Job 34:19; Ephesians 6:9; Leviticus 17:11
- 16 Nehemiah 10:32–33; Numbers 16:40; Exodus 12:14; Exodus 38:25–31; Luke 22:19
- 18 Exodus 40:7; Exodus 38:8; 2 Chronicles 4:14–15; 1 Kings 7:23; Exodus 40:30–32
- 19 Isaiah 52:11; Psalm 26:6; Exodus 40:31–32; Hebrews 10:22; Hebrews 9:10
- 20 Leviticus 10:1–3; 1 Samuel 6:19; Leviticus 16:1–2; Psalm 89:7; Acts 5:5
- 21 Exodus 28:43; Exodus 27:21
- 23 Song of Songs 4:14; Ezekiel 27:19; Ezekiel 27:22; Jeremiah 6:20; Psalm 45:8
- 24 Psalm 45:8; Exodus 29:40; Ezekiel 45:12; Numbers 3:47; Leviticus 19:36
- 25 Exodus 37:29; Psalm 89:20; Exodus 40:9; 1 Chronicles 9:30; Psalm 133:2
- 26 Numbers 7:1; 1 John 2:20; Isaiah 61:1; Leviticus 8:10–12; 1 John 2:27
- 29 Exodus 29:37; Matthew 23:19; Leviticus 6:18; Matthew 23:17
- 30 Leviticus 8:12; Exodus 28:3; Leviticus 8:30; Numbers 3:3; Exodus 40:15
- 31 Leviticus 8:12; Psalm 89:20; Exodus 37:29; Leviticus 21:10
- 32 Exodus 30:25; Leviticus 21:10; Matthew 7:6; Exodus 30:37–38
- 33 Exodus 30:38; Genesis 17:14; Exodus 12:15; Exodus 12:19; Leviticus 17:9
- 34 Exodus 37:29; Exodus 30:23; Leviticus 2:15; Exodus 25:6; Song of Songs 3:6
- 35 Leviticus 2:13; Exodus 30:25; John 12:3; Song of Songs 1:3; Song of Songs 3:6
- 36 Exodus 25:22; Leviticus 16:2; Exodus 16:34; Exodus 29:42–43; Exodus 30:6
- 37 Exodus 29:37; Exodus 30:32–33; Leviticus 2:3
- 38 Exodus 30:33
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Perhaps it escaped the notice of the Saviour, or, while their Mother was sleeping, the Demiurge of himself gave instructions as to its weight; and on this account it is out of harmony with their Pleroma, consisting, as it did, of five hundred shekels of myrrh, five hundred of cassia, two hundred and fifty of cinnamon, two hundred and fifty …
… of harmony with their Pleroma, consisting, as it did, of five hundred shekels of myrrh, five hundred of cassia, two hundred and fifty of cinnamon, two hundred and fifty of calamus, and oil in addition, so that it was composed of five ingredients. The incense also, in like manner, [was compounded] of stacte, onycha, galbanum, mint, and frankincense, all which …