Exodus Chapter 40

Setting Up the Tabernacle

            ¹ Then the LORD told Moses,

² “The first day, first month, set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. ³ Put the Ark of Testimony in it and screen it off with the curtain.

⁴ Take the table in and arrange what goes on it;

take the lampstand in and mount the lamps.

⁵ Place the gold altar for incense in front of the Ark of Testimony, and

set up the curtain across the door to the Tabernacle.

 ⁶ Put the altar of burnt offering in front of the door to the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

⁷ Set the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it.

⁸ Set up the court around it and hang the curtain across the entrance.

⁹ Take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and everything in it to consecrate it and its furnishings to be holy.

¹⁰ Anoint the altar for burnt offering and the utensils to consecrate the altar. The altar will be the most holy item.

¹¹ Anoint the laver and its stand to consecrate it.

¹² Then take Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and bathe them. ¹³ Dress Aaron in the holy vestments and anoint him to consecrate him so he can serve as a priest to me. ¹⁴ Bring his sons and put tunics on them. ¹⁵ Anoint them like you anointed him. Their anointing will appoint them as an ongoing permanent priesthood.”                   

¹⁶ Moses did everything the LORD told him.                                                                       

Ex 40:1-16

            ¹⁷ The first day, first month, second year, he set up the Tabernacle: 

¹⁸ laid its bases, set up its boards, inserted its bars, and set up its posts; ¹⁹ he spread the tent over the Tabernacle and put the covering on it;

²⁰ put the Testimony in the Ark, attached the poles to it, put the mercy seat on top of it, ²¹ took it into the Tabernacle, and screened it off; 

²² put the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the Tabernacle outside the curtain, ²³ and arranged the bread on it in front of the LORD;

²⁴ placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting, across from the table on the south side of the Tabernacle, ²⁵ and lit the lamps in front of the LORD; 

²⁶ put the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the curtain, ²⁷ and burned fragrant incense on it;     

Ex 40:17-27

²⁸ set up the curtain for the door to the Tabernacle, ²⁹ set the altar for burnt offering in front of the door, and offered the burnt offering and meal offering on it;

³⁰ put the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar with water in it for washing; ³¹ out of it Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet ³² when they went into the Tent of Meeting to approach the altar;

³³ set up the court around the Tabernacle and the altar and hung a curtain across the court entrance.

So Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the LORD

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD’s glory filled the Tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses couldn’t go into the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the LORD’s glory filled it. ³⁶ During their travels, whenever the cloud rose up from the Tabernacle, the Israelites would move out. ³⁷ If it didn’t rise up, they’d stay till it did. ³⁸ The cloud was on the Tabernacle during the day; fire was in it at night where Israel could see it. Ex 40:28-38  

Version by Virgil Warren: christir.org