The Bronze Altar

¹“You are to build an altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.

²Make a horn on each of its four corners, so that the horns are of one piece, and overlay it with bronze.

³Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots for removing ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its meat forks, and its firepans.

⁴Construct for it a grate of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the mesh.

⁵Set the grate beneath the ledge of the altar, so that the mesh comes halfway up the altar.

⁶Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.

⁷The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried.

⁸Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

The Courtyard

⁹You are also to make a courtyard for the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits longon one side,

¹⁰with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and silver hooks and bands on the posts.

¹¹Likewise there are to be curtains on the north side, a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

¹²The curtains on the west side of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide,with ten posts and ten bases.

¹³The east side of the courtyard, toward the sunrise, is to be fifty cubits wide.

¹⁴Make the curtains on one side fifteen cubits long,with three posts and three bases,

¹⁵and the curtains on the other side fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases.

¹⁶The gate of the courtyard shall be twenty cubits long,with a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It shall have four posts and four bases.

¹⁷All the posts around the courtyard shall have silver bands, silver hooks, and bronze bases.

¹⁸The entire courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide,with curtains of finely spun linen five cubits high,and with bronze bases.

¹⁹All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, including all its tent pegs and the tent pegs of the courtyard, shall be made of bronze.

The Oil for the Lamps

²⁰And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

²¹In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony,Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.

Twenty-Four Divisions of Priests

¹These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

²But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.

³With the help of Eleazar’s descendant Zadok and Ithamar’s descendant Ahimelech, David divided them according to the offices of their service.

⁴Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than those of Ithamar, they were divided accordingly. There were sixteen heads of families from the descendants of Eleazar and eight from the descendants of Ithamar.

⁵Thus they were divided by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

⁶The scribe, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officers: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from Ithamar.

⁷The first lot fell to Jehoiarib,the second to Jedaiah,

⁸the third to Harim,the fourth to Seorim,

⁹the fifth to Malchijah,the sixth to Mijamin,

¹⁰the seventh to Hakkoz,the eighth to Abijah,

¹¹the ninth to Jeshua,the tenth to Shecaniah,

¹²the eleventh to Eliashib,the twelfth to Jakim,

¹³the thirteenth to Huppah,the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

¹⁴the fifteenth to Bilgah,the sixteenth to Immer,

¹⁵the seventeenth to Hezir,the eighteenth to Happizzez,

¹⁶the nineteenth to Pethahiah,the twentieth to Jehezkel,

¹⁷the twenty-first to Jachin,the twenty-second to Gamul,

¹⁸the twenty-third to Delaiah,and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

¹⁹This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

²⁰Now these were the rest of the descendants of Levi:From the sons of Amram: Shubael;from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.

²¹As for Rehabiah, from his sons: The first was Isshiah.

²²From the Izharites: Shelomoth;from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.

²³From the sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first,Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁴From the sons of Uzziel: Micah;from the sons of Micah: Shamir.

²⁵The brother of Micah: Isshiah;from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.

²⁶The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.The son of Jaaziah: Beno.

²⁷The descendants of Merari from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

²⁸From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

²⁹From Kish: Jerahmeel the son of Kish.

³⁰And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.These were the sons of the Levites, according to their families.

³¹As their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, they also cast lots in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.

Laws for Burnt Offerings

¹Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,

²“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, you may bring as your offering an animal from the herd or the flock.

³If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD.

⁴He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

⁵And he shall slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to present the blood and splatter it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

⁶Next, he is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.

⁷The sons of Aaron the priest shall put a fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.

⁸Then Aaron’s sons the priests are to arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, atop the burning wood on the altar.

⁹The entrails and legs must be washed with water, and the priest shall burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

¹⁰If, however, one’s offering is a burnt offering from the flock—from the sheep or goats—he is to present an unblemished male.

¹¹He shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to splatter its blood against the altar on all sides.

¹²He is to cut the animal into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and fat, atop the burning wood that is on the altar.

¹³The entrails and legs must be washed with water, and the priest shall present all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

¹⁴If, instead, one’s offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to present a turtledove or a young pigeon.

¹⁵Then the priest shall bring it to the altar, twist off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained out on the side of the altar.

¹⁶And he is to remove the crop with its contentsand throw it to the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes.

¹⁷He shall tear it open by its wings, without dividing the bird completely. And the priest is to burn it on the altar atop the burning wood. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

¹Have mercy on me,O God,according to Your loving devotion;according to Your great compassion,blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me clean of my iniquityand cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,and my sin is always before me.

⁴Against You, You only, have I sinnedand done what is evil in Your sight,so that You may be proved right when You speakand blameless when You judge.

⁵Surely I was brought forth in iniquity;I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

⁶Surely You desire truth in the inmost being;You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;let the bones You have crushed rejoice.

⁹Hide Your face from my sinsand blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹Cast me not away from Your presence;take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,and sustain me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,and sinners will return to You.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,the God of my salvation,and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,and my mouth will declare Your praise.

¹⁶For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;a broken and a contrite heart,O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,in whole burnt offerings;then bulls will be offered on Your altar.