Exodus 25
Big idea: God asks for a building fund and states its purpose in one sentence: let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. The offering is to be taken from everyone whose heart makes him willing — gold, silver, bronze, blue and purple and scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair, skins, acacia wood, oil, spices, stones. Then the furniture, from the inside out: an ark of acacia overlaid with gold inside and out, with poles that are never removed, holding the covenant; a mercy seat of pure gold with two hammered cherubim facing each other — there I will meet with you; a table for the bread of the presence; and a lampstand of hammered pure gold with almond-blossom cups, six branches and seven lamps. Everything is to be made after the pattern shown on the mountain.
Chapter 25 describes the furniture that will stand inside the tent. Chapter 26 describes the tent itself — curtains, boards and a veil to divide the holy from the most holy.
25:1–9 — That I may dwell among them
Yahweh tells Moses to take an offering from the children of Israel — from everyone whose heart makes him willing. The list runs from gold, silver and bronze through blue, purple and scarlet, fine linen and goats' hair, rams' skins dyed red and sea cow hides, acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and sweet incense, onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and breastplate. Then the purpose: let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you — the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture — so you shall make it.
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they take an offering for me. From everyone whose heart makes him willing you shall take my offering. 3 This is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, bronze, 4 blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, 5 rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood, 6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense, 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate. 8 Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all of its furniture, even so you shall make it.
25:10–22 — The ark and the mercy seat
An ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, overlaid with pure gold inside and out, with a gold molding around it. Four gold rings cast for its corners and poles of gold-overlaid acacia put through them — and the poles shall stay in the rings; they shall not be taken from it. The covenant God will give is to be put inside. Then a mercy seat of pure gold, and two cherubim of hammered gold at its two ends, of one piece with it, wings spread upward covering the mercy seat, faces toward one another and toward it. The mercy seat goes on top of the ark. And there I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim, all that I command you for the children of Israel.
10 “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it. 16 You shall put the covenant which I shall give you into the ark. 17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its width. 18 You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I will give you. 22 There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the covenant, all that I command you for the children of Israel.
25:23–40 — The table and the lampstand
A table of acacia wood, two cubits long, overlaid with pure gold with a molding and a handbreadth rim, four gold rings at its corners for the poles. Its dishes, spoons, ladles and bowls are of pure gold, and the bread of the presence is to be set on it before me always. Then a lampstand of pure gold, of hammered work — its base, shaft, cups, buds and flowers all one piece. Six branches go out of its sides, three on each, each with three cups made like almond blossoms with a bud and a flower; the shaft itself has four such cups; buds under each pair of branches. Seven lamps that light the space in front of it, snuffers and dishes of pure gold, made from a talent of pure gold. And again: see that you make them after the pattern shown to you on the mountain.
23 “You shall make a table of acacia wood. Its length shall be two cubits, and its width a cubit, and its height one and a half cubits. 24 You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. 25 You shall make a rim of a hand width around it. You shall make a golden molding on its rim around it. 26 You shall make four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that are on its four feet. 27 The rings shall be close to the rim, for places for the poles to carry the table. 28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. 29 You shall make its dishes, its spoons, its ladles, and its bowls with which to pour out offerings. You shall make them of pure gold. 30 You shall set bread of the presence on the table before me always. 31 “You shall make a lamp stand of pure gold. The lamp stand shall be made of hammered work. Its base, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 There shall be six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lamp stand out of its one side, and three branches of the lamp stand out of its other side; 33 three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a bud and a flower; and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bud and a flower, so for the six branches going out of the lamp stand; 34 and in the lamp stand four cups made like almond blossoms, its buds and its flowers; 35 and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the lamp stand. 36 Their buds and their branches shall be of one piece with it, all of it one beaten work of pure gold. 37 You shall make its lamps seven, and they shall light its lamps to give light to the space in front of it. 38 Its snuffers and its snuff dishes shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these accessories. 40 See that you make them after their pattern, which has been shown to you on the mountain.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).