The Making of the Ark
37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was 45 inches, its width 27 inches, and its height 27 inches. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold, inside and out, and he made a surrounding border[a] of gold for it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it that he put[b] on its four feet, with[c] two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 4 He made poles of acacia wood, overlaid them with gold, 5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark.
6 He made[d] an atonement lid of pure gold; its length was 45 inches, and its width was 27 inches. 7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid, 8 one cherub on one end[e] and one cherub on the other end.[f] He made the cherubim from the atonement lid on its two ends. 9 The cherubim were spreading their wings[g] upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings. The cherubim[h] faced each other,[i] looking toward the atonement lid.[j]
The Making of the Table
10 Bezalel[k] made the table of acacia wood; its length was 36 inches, its width 18 inches, and its height 27 inches. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. 12 He made a surrounding frame for it about three inches wide, and he made a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings at the four corners where its four legs were. 14 The rings were close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 He made the vessels which were on the table out of pure gold, its[l] plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings.
The Making of the Lampstand
17 Bezalel[m] made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were from the same piece.[n] 18 Six branches were extending from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. 19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the next[o] branch, and the same[p] for the six branches that were extending from the lampstand. 20 On the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 21 with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it; according to the six branches that extended from it.[q] 22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece;[r] all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 23 He made its seven lamps, its trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made the lampstand[s] and all its accessories with seventy-five pounds of pure gold.
The Making of the Altar of Incense
25 Bezalel[t] made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was 18 inches and its width 18 inches—a square—and its height was 36 inches. Its horns were of one piece with it.[u] 26 He overlaid it with pure gold—its top,[v] its four walls,[w] and its horns—and he made a surrounding border of gold for it.[x] 27 He also made[y] two gold rings for it under its border, on its two sides, on opposite sides,[z] as places[aa] for poles to carry it with. 28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
29 He made the sacred anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.
Footnotes
- Exodus 37:2 tn Or “molding.”
- Exodus 37:3 tn “that he put” has been supplied.
- Exodus 37:3 tn This is taken as a circumstantial clause; the clause begins with the conjunction vav.
- Exodus 37:6 tn Heb “and he made.”
- Exodus 37:8 tn Heb “from/at [the] end, from this.”
- Exodus 37:8 tn The repetition of the expression indicates it has the distributive sense.
- Exodus 37:9 tn The construction is a participle in construct followed by the genitive “wings”—“spreaders of wings.”
- Exodus 37:9 tn The subject, “the cherubim,” has been added again in the translation for smoothness.
- Exodus 37:9 tn Heb “and their faces a man to his brother.”
- Exodus 37:9 tn Heb “to the atonement lid were the faces of the cherubim.”
- Exodus 37:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Exodus 37:16 tn The suffixes on these could also indicate the indirect object (see Exod 25:29).
- Exodus 37:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Exodus 37:17 tn Heb “from it”; the referent (“the same piece” of wrought metal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Exodus 37:19 tn Heb “the one branch.” But the repetition of “one…one” means here one after another, or the “first” and then the “next.”
- Exodus 37:19 tn Heb “thus for six branches….”
- Exodus 37:21 tn As in Exod 26:35, the translation of “first” and “next” and “third” is interpretive, because the text simply says “under two branches” in each of three places.
- Exodus 37:22 tn Heb “were from it.”
- Exodus 37:24 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the lampstand) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Exodus 37:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Exodus 37:25 tn Heb “from it were its horns,” meaning that they were made from the same piece.
- Exodus 37:26 tn Heb “roof.”
- Exodus 37:26 tn Heb “its walls around.”
- Exodus 37:26 tn Heb “and he made for it border gold around.”
- Exodus 37:27 tn Heb “and he made.”
- Exodus 37:27 sn Since it was a small altar, it needed only two rings, one on either side, in order to be carried. The second mention of their location clarifies that they should be on the sides, the right and the left, as one approached the altar.
- Exodus 37:27 tn Heb “for houses.”