Chapter 40

¹And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²The first month, the first day of the month, thou shalt set up the tabernacle of the testimony, ³And shalt put the ark in it, and shalt let down the veil before it: ⁴And thou shalt bring in the table, and set upon it the things that are commanded according to the rite. The candlestick shall stand with its lamps, ⁵And the altar of gold whereon the incense is burnt, before the ark of the testimony. Thou shalt put the hanging in the entry of the tabernacle, ⁶And before it the altar of holocaust: ⁷The laver between the altar and the tabernacle, and thou shalt fill it with water. ⁸And thou shalt encompass the court with hangings, and the entry thereof. ⁹And thou shalt take the oil of unction and anoint the tabernacle with its vessels, that they may be sanctified: ¹⁰The altar of holocaust and all its vessels: ¹¹The laver with its foot: thou shalt consecrate all with the oil of unction, that they may be most holy. ¹²And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of the testimony, and having washed them with water, ¹³Thou shalt put on them the holy vestments, that they may minister to me, and that the unction of them may prosper to an everlasting priesthood. ¹⁴And Moses did all that the Lord had commanded. ¹⁵So in the first month of the second year, the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up. ¹⁶And Moses reared it up, and placed the boards and the sockets and the bars, and set up the pillars, ¹⁷And spread the roof over the tabernacle, putting over it a cover, as the Lord had commanded. ¹⁸And he put the testimony in the ark, thrusting bars underneath, and the oracle above. ¹⁹And when he had brought the ark into the tabernacle, he drew the veil before it to fulfil the commandment of the Lord. ²⁰And he set the table in the tabernacle of the testimony at the north side without the veil, ²¹Setting there in order the loaves of proposition, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²²He set the candlestick also in the tabernacle of the testimony over against the table on the south side, ²³Placing the lamps in order, according to the precept of the Lord. ²⁴He set also the altar of gold under the roof of the testimony over against the veil, ²⁵And burnt upon it the incense of spices, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁶And he put also the hanging in the entry of the tabernacle of the testimony, ²⁷And the altar of holocaust of the entry of the testimony, offering the holocaust, and the sacrifices upon it, as the Lord had commanded. ²⁸And he set the laver between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar, filling it with water. ²⁹And Moses and Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet, ³⁰When they went into the tabernacle of the covenant, and went to the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³¹He set up also the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, drawing the hanging in the entry thereof. After all things were perfected, ³²The cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord filled it. ³³Neither could Moses go into the tabernacle of the covenant, the cloud covering all things and the majesty of the Lord shining, for the cloud had covered all. ³⁴If at any time the cloud removed from the tabernacle, the children of Israel went forward by their troops: ³⁵If it hung over, they remained in the same place. ³⁶For the cloud of the Lord hung over the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night, in the sight of all the children of Israel throughout all their mansions.