Setting Up the Holy Tent
40 Then the Lord said to Moses: 2 “On the first day of the first month, set up the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], which is the Meeting Tent. 3 Put the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; 25:10] in it and ·hang the curtain in front of the Ark [L screen the Ark with a curtain]. 4 Bring in the table [25:23–30] and arrange ·everything on the table that should be there [L its setting]. Then bring in the ·lampstand [L Menorah; 25:31–40] and set up its lamps. 5 Put the gold altar for ·burning incense [L offering smoke; 30:1–6] in front of the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony], and put the ·curtain [screen] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle].
6 “Put the altar of burnt offerings [27:1–8] in front of the entrance of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Meeting Tent. 7 Put the bowl [30:17–21] between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in it. 8 Set up the courtyard ·around the Holy Tent [L all around], and put the ·curtain [screen] at the ·entry [L gate] to the courtyard.
9 “Use the ·special [anointing] olive oil and ·pour it on [L anoint] the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and everything in it, in order to ·give the Tent and all that is in it for service to the Lord [sanctify/consecrate it and all its utensils/tools]. They will be holy. 10 ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] the altar for burnt offerings and on all its ·tools [utensils]. ·Give the altar for service to God [Consecrate/Sanctify the altar], and it will be ·very holy [T a holy of holies]. 11 Then ·pour the special olive oil on [L anoint] the bowl and the base under it so that they will be ·given for service to God [consecrated; sanctified].
12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and wash them with water. 13 Then put the ·holy [sacred] clothes on Aaron. ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] him [Ps. 133], and ·give him for service to God [L consecrate/sanctify him] so that he may serve me as a priest. 14 Bring his sons and put the inner robes [28:39–41] on them. 15 ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] them in the same way that you ·appointed [L anointed] their father as priest so that they may also serve me as priests. ·Pouring oil on [L Anointing] them will make them a family of priests, they and their descendants ·from now on [L throughout their generations].” 16 Moses did everything that the Lord commanded him.
17 So the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] was set up on the first day of the first month during the second ·year after they left Egypt [L year]. 18 When Moses set up the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], he put the bases in place, and he put the frames on the bases. Next he put ·the crossbars through the rings of the frames [L in the poles] and set up the ·posts [pillars]. 19 After that, Moses spread ·the cloth over the Holy Tent [L the tent over the Tabernacle] and put the covering over it, just as the Lord commanded.
20 Moses put the ·stone tablets that had the Agreement written on them [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] into the Ark. He put the poles ·through the rings of [L on] the Ark and put the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] on it. 21 Next he brought the Ark into the ·Tent [Tabernacle] and hung the curtain to ·cover [screen] the Ark [L of the Testimony], just as the Lord commanded him.
22 Moses put the table in the Meeting Tent on the north side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] in front of the curtain. 23 Then he ·put [arranged] the bread ·on the table [L in rows] before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him. 24 Moses put the lampstand [L Menorah] in the Meeting Tent on the south side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] across from the table. 25 Then he put the lamps on the lampstand before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him.
26 Moses put the gold altar for burning incense in the Meeting Tent in front of the curtain. 27 Then he ·burned [L turned into smoke] sweet-smelling incense on it, just as the Lord commanded him. 28 Then he hung the ·curtain [screen] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [L Tabernacle].
29 He put the altar for burnt offerings [Lev. 1] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Meeting Tent, and offered a whole burnt offering and ·grain [L gift; tribute; Lev. 3] offerings on it, just as the Lord commanded him. 30 Moses put the bowl [30:17–21] between the Meeting Tent and the altar for burnt offerings, and he put water in it for washing. 31 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons used this water to wash their hands and feet [C cleansing rituals]. 32 They washed themselves every time they entered the Meeting Tent and every time they went near the altar for burnt offerings, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and the altar, and he put up the ·curtain [screen] at the entry to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
The Cloud over the Holy Tent
34 Then the cloud covered the Meeting Tent [C representing God’s presence], and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent [C representing his manifest presence]. 35 Moses could not enter the Meeting Tent, because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle].
36 When the cloud rose from the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Israelites would begin to travel, 37 but as long as the cloud ·stayed on the Holy Tent [L did not rise], they did not travel. They stayed in that place until the cloud rose. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] during the day, and there was a fire in the cloud at night. So all the ·Israelites [L house of Israel] could see the cloud while they traveled.