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The Tabernacle Erected

¹ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,² "^(C1)On the first day of the first month you shall set up the ^(F1)tabernacle of the tent of meeting.³ "^(C1)You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen off the ark with the veil.⁴ "Then you shall ^(C1)bring in the table and ^(C2)arrange ^(F1)what belongs on it; and you shall ^(C3)bring in the lampstand and ^(F2)mount its lamps.⁵ "You shall also ^(C1)set the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the testimony, and set up the curtain for the doorway to the tabernacle.⁶ "And you shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.⁷ "Then you shall ^(C1)set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water ^(F1)in it.⁸ "You shall also set up the courtyard all around and ^(F1)hang up the curtain for the gate of the courtyard.⁹ "Then you shall take the anointing oil and ^(C1)anoint the tabernacle and everything that is in it, and consecrate it and all its ^(F1)furnishings; and it shall be holy.¹⁰ "You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and ^(C1)the altar shall be most holy.¹¹ "And you shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.¹² "Then you shall ^(C1)bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.¹³ "And ^(C1)you shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, so that he may serve as a priest to Me.¹⁴ "You shall also bring his sons and put tunics on them;¹⁵ and you shall anoint them just as you have anointed their father, so that they may serve as priests to Me; and their anointing will ^(F1)qualify them for a ^(C1)permanent priesthood throughout their generations."¹⁶ So Moses did these things; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did.

¹⁷ Now ^(C1)in the first month ^(F1)of the second year, on the first day of the month, the ^(F2)tabernacle was erected.¹⁸ Moses erected the tabernacle and ^(F1)laid its bases, and set up its boards, and ^(F1)inserted its bars, and erected its pillars.¹⁹ And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent ^(F1)on top of it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.²⁰ Then he took ^(C1)the testimony and put it into the ark, and ^(F1)attached the poles to the ark, and put the ^(F2)atoning cover ^(F3)on top of the ark.²¹ He then brought the ark into the tabernacle, and ^(C1)set up a veil for the covering, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.²² He also ^(C1)put the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil.²³ And he set the arrangement of ^(C1)bread in order on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.²⁴ Then he placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle.²⁵ And he ^(C1)lighted the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.²⁶ Then he ^(C1)placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil;²⁷ and he ^(C1)burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.²⁸ Then he set up the curtain for the doorway of the tabernacle.²⁹ And he ^(C1)set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and ^(C2)offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.³⁰ He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing.^31 (C1)From it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.³² When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.³³ And he ^(C1)erected the courtyard all around the ^(F1)tabernacle and the altar, and ^(F2)hung up the curtain for the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the LORD

^34 (C1)Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the ^(C2)glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.³⁵ And Moses ^(C1)was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.³⁶ Throughout their journeys, ^(C1)whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out;³⁷ but ^(C1)if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.³⁸ For throughout their journeys, ^(C1)the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.