Read the Bible

¹ (vii) "You are to make an altar on which to burn incense; make it of acacia-wood. ² It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet high; its horns are to be of one piece with it. ³ Overlay it with pure gold — its top, all around its sides, and its horns; and put around it a molding of gold. ⁴ Make two gold rings for it under its molding at the two corners on both sides; this is where the carrying-poles will go. ⁵ Make the poles of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold.

⁶ "Place it in front of the curtain by the ark for the testimony, in front of the ark-cover that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁷ Aharon will burn fragrant incense on it as a pleasing aroma every morning; he is to burn it when he prepares the lamps. (Maftir) ⁸ Aharon is also to burn it when he lights the lamps at dusk; this is the regular burning of incense before Adonai through all your generations. ⁹ You are not to offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering or a grain offering; and you are not to pour a drink offering on it. ¹⁰ Aharon is to make atonement on its horns once a year — with the blood of the sin offering of atonement he is to make atonement for it once a year through all your generations; it is especially holy to Adonai."

Haftarah Tetzaveh: Yechezk'el (Ezekiel) 43:10–27

B'rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Tetzaveh: Philippians 4:10–20

¹¹ Adonai said to Moshe, ¹² "When you take a census of the people of Isra'el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. ¹³ Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). ¹⁴ Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai — ¹⁵ the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai's offering to atone for your lives. ¹⁶ You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra'el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra'el before Adonai to atone for your lives."

¹⁷ Adonai said to Moshe, ¹⁸ "You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ¹⁹ Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there ²⁰ when they enter the tent of meeting — they are to wash with water, so that they won't die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for Adonai, ²¹ they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won't die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations."

²² Adonai said to Moshe, ²³ "Take the best spices — 500 shekels of myrrh [12 1/2 pounds], half this amount (250 shekels) of aromatic cinnamon [6 1/4 pounds], 250 shekels of aromatic cane, ²⁴ 500 shekels of cassia (use the sanctuary standard), and one gallon of olive oil — ²⁵ and make them into a holy anointing oil; blend it and perfume it as would an expert perfume-maker; it will be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶ Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, ²⁷ the table and all its utensils, the menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, ²⁸ the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin with its base. ²⁹ You are to consecrate them — they will be especially holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. ³⁰ Then you are to anoint Aharon and his sons — you are to consecrate them to serve me in the office of cohen.

³¹ "Tell the people of Isra'el, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil for me through all your generations. ³² It is not to be used for anointing a person's body; and you are not to make any like it, with the same composition of ingredients — it is holy, and you are to treat it as holy. ³³ Whoever makes any like it or uses it on any unauthorized person is to be cut off from his people.'"

³⁴ Adonai said to Moshe, "Take aromatic plant substances — balsam resin, sweet onycha root and bitter galbanum gum — these spices along with frankincense, all in equal quantities; ³⁵ and make incense, blended and perfumed as would an expert perfume-maker, salted, pure and holy. ³⁶ You are to grind up some of it very finely and put it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; you are to regard it as especially holy. ³⁷ You are not to make for your own use any incense like it, with the same composition of ingredients — you are to treat it as holy, for Adonai. ³⁸ Whoever makes up any like it to use as perfume is to be cut off from his people."

Haftarah Tetzaveh: Yechezk'el (Ezekiel) 43:10–27

B'rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Tetzaveh: Philippians 4:10–20

¹¹ Adonai said to Moshe, ¹² "When you take a census of the people of Isra'el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. ¹³ Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). ¹⁴ Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai — ¹⁵ the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai's offering to atone for your lives. ¹⁶ You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra'el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra'el before Adonai to atone for your lives."

¹⁷ Adonai said to Moshe, ¹⁸ "You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ¹⁹ Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there ²⁰ when they enter the tent of meeting — they are to wash with water, so that they won't die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for Adonai, ²¹ they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won't die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations."

²² Adonai said to Moshe, ²³ "Take the best spices — 500 shekels of myrrh [12 1/2 pounds], half this amount (250 shekels) of aromatic cinnamon [6 1/4 pounds], 250 shekels of aromatic cane, ²⁴ 500 shekels of cassia (use the sanctuary standard), and one gallon of olive oil — ²⁵ and make them into a holy anointing oil; blend it and perfume it as would an expert perfume-maker; it will be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶ Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, ²⁷ the table and all its utensils, the menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, ²⁸ the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin with its base. ²⁹ You are to consecrate them — they will be especially holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. ³⁰ Then you are to anoint Aharon and his sons — you are to consecrate them to serve me in the office of cohen.

³¹ "Tell the people of Isra'el, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil for me through all your generations. ³² It is not to be used for anointing a person's body; and you are not to make any like it, with the same composition of ingredients — it is holy, and you are to treat it as holy. ³³ Whoever makes any like it or uses it on any unauthorized person is to be cut off from his people.'"

³⁴ Adonai said to Moshe, "Take aromatic plant substances — balsam resin, sweet onycha root and bitter galbanum gum — these spices along with frankincense, all in equal quantities; ³⁵ and make incense, blended and perfumed as would an expert perfume-maker, salted, pure and holy. ³⁶ You are to grind up some of it very finely and put it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; you are to regard it as especially holy. ³⁷ You are not to make for your own use any incense like it, with the same composition of ingredients — you are to treat it as holy, for Adonai. ³⁸ Whoever makes up any like it to use as perfume is to be cut off from his people."