Pekudei

This translation was taken from the JPS Tanakh.

Exodus 38:21 – 40:38

Chapter 38

²¹ These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact, which were drawn up at Moses’ bidding — the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. ²² Now Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, had made all that the Lord had commanded Moses; ²³ at his side was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, carver and designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and crimson yarns and in fine linen.

²⁴ All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary — the elevation offering of gold — came to 29 talents and 730 shekels by the sanctuary weight. ²⁵ The silver of those of the community who were recorded came to 100 talents and 1,775 shekels by the sanctuary weight: ²⁶ a half-shekel a head, half a shekel by the sanctuary weight, for each one who was entered in the records, from the age of twenty years up, 603,550 men. ²⁷ The 100 talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets for the curtain, 100 sockets to the 100 talents, a talent a socket. ²⁸ and of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the posts, overlay for their tops, and bands around them.

²⁹ The copper from the elevation offering came to 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. ³⁰ Of it he made the sockets for the entrance of the Tent of Meeting; the copper altar and its copper grating and all the utensils of the altar; ³¹ the sockets of the enclosure round about and the sockets of the gate of the enclosure; and all the pegs of the Tabernacle and all the pegs of the enclosure round about.

Chapter 39
¹ Of the blue, purple, and crimson yarns they also made the service vestments for officiating in the sanctuary; they made Aaron’s sacral vestments — as the Lord had commanded Moses.

² The ephod was made of gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen. ³ They hammered out sheets of gold and cut threads to be worked into designs among the blue, the purple, and the crimson yarns, and the fine linen. ⁴ They made for it attaching shoulder-pieces; they were attached at its two Ends. ⁵ The decorated band that was upon it was made like it, of one piece with it; of gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen — as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶ They bordered the lazuli stones with frames of gold, engraved with seal engravings of the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷ They were set on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the Israelites — as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁸ The breastpiece was made in the style of the ephod: of gold, blue, purple, an crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen. ⁹ It was square; they made the breastpiece doubled — a span in length and a span in width, doubled. ¹⁰ They set in it four rows of stones. The first row was a row of carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald; ¹¹ the second row: a turquoise, a sapphire, and an amethyst; ¹² the third row: a jacinth, an agate, and a crystal; ¹³ and the fourth row: a beryl, a lapis lazuli, and a jasper. They were encircled in their mountings with frames of gold. ¹⁴The stones corresponded [in number] to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, corresponding to their names; engraved like seals, each with its name, for the twelve tribes.

¹⁵ On the breastpiece they made braided chains of corded work in pure gold. ¹⁶ They made two frames of gold and two rings of gold, and fastened the two rings at the two ends of the breastpiece, ¹⁷ attaching the two golden cords to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. ¹⁸ They then fastened the two ends of the cords to the two frames, attaching them to the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, at the front. ¹⁹ They made two rings of gold and attached them to the two ends of the breastpiece, at its inner edge, which faced the ephod. ²⁰They made two other rings of gold and fastened them on the front of the ephod, low on the two shoulder-pieces, close to its seam above the decorated band. ²¹ The breastpiece was held in place by a cord of blue from its rings to the rings of the ephod, so that the breastpiece rested on the decorated band and did not come loose from the ephod — as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²² The robe for the ephod was made of woven work, of pure blue. ²³ The opening of the robe, in the middle of it, was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around the opening, so that it would not tear. ²⁴ On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, twisted. ²⁵ They also made bells of pure gold, and attached the bells between the pomegranates, all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates: ²⁶ a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the them of the robe for officiating in — as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁷ They made the tunics of fine linen, of woven work, for Aaron and his sons; ²⁸ and the headdress of fine linen, and the decorated turbans of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twisted linen; ²⁹ and sashes of fine twisted linen, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, done in embroidery — as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰ they made the frontlet for the holy diadem of pure gold, and incised upon it the seal inscription: “Holy to the Lord.” ³¹ They attached to it a cord of blue to fix it upon the headdress above — as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³² Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. The Israelites did so, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did.

³³ Then they brought the Tabernacle to Moses, with the Tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its planks, its bars, its posts, and its sockets; ³⁴ the covering of tanned ram skins, the covering of dolphin skins, and the curtain for the screen; ³⁵ the Ark of the Pact and its poles, and the cover; ³⁶ the table and all its utensils, and the bread of display; ³⁷ the pure lampstand, its lamps — lamps in due order — and all its fittings, and the oil for lighting; ³⁸ the altar of gold, the oil for anointing, the aromatic incense, and the screen for the entrance of the Tent; ³⁹ the copper altar with its copper grating, its poles and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand; ⁴⁰ the hangings of the enclosure, its posts and its sockets, the screen for the gate of the enclosure, its cords and its pegs — all the furnishings for the service of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; ⁴¹ the service vestments for officiating in the sanctuary, the sacral vestments of Aaron the priest, and the vestments of his sons for priestly service. ⁴² Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites had done all the work. ⁴³ And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks — as the Lord had commanded, so they had done — Moses blessed them.

Chapter 40
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

² On the first day of the first month you shall set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. ³ Place there the Ark of the Pact, and screen off the ark with the curtain. ⁴ Bring in the table and lay out its due setting; bring in the lampstand and light its lamps; ⁵ and place the gold altar of incense before the Ark of the Pact. Then put up the screen for the entrance of the Tabernacle.

⁶ You shall place the altar of burnt offering before the entrance of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. ⁷ Place the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ⁸ Set up the enclosure round about, and put in place the screen for the gate of the enclosure.

⁹ You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all that is in it to consecrate it and all its furnishings, so that it shall be holy. ¹⁰ Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils to consecrate the altar, so that the altar shall be most holy. ¹¹ And anoint the laver and its stand to consecrate it.

¹² You shall bring Aaron and his sons forward to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with the water. 13 Put the sacral vestments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve Me as priest. ¹⁴ Then bring his sons forward, put tunics on them, ¹⁵ and anoint them as you have anointed their father, that they may serve Me as priests. This their anointing shall serve them for everlasting priesthood throughout the ages.

¹⁶ This Moses did; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

¹⁷ In the first month of the second year, on the first of the month, the Tabernacle was set up. ¹⁸ Moses set up the Tabernacle, placing its sockets, setting up its planks, inserting its bars, and erecting its posts. ¹⁹ He spread the tent over the Tabernacle, placing the covering of the tent on top of it — just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁰ He took the Pact and placed it in the ark; he fixed the poles to the ark, placed the cover on top of the ark, ²¹ and brought the ark inside the Tabernacle. Then he put up the curtain for screening, and screened off the Ark of the Pact — just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²² He placed the table in the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain, on the north side of the Tabernacle. ²³ Upon it he laid out the setting of bread before the Lord — as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁴ He placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table, on the south side of the Tabernacle. ²⁵ And he lit the lamps before the Lord — as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁶ He placed the altar of gold in the Tent of Meeting, before the curtain. ²⁷ On it he burned aromatic incense — as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁸ Then he put up the screen for the entrance of the Tabernacle. ²⁹ At the entrance of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting he placed the altar of burnt offering. On it he offered up the burnt offering and the meal offering — as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰ He placed the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing. ³¹ From it Moses and Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and feet; ³² they washed when they entered the Tent of Meeting and when they approached the altar — as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³³ And he set up the enclosure around the Tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen for the gate of the enclosure.

When Moses had finished the work, ³⁴ the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. ³⁶ When the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the Israelites would set out, on their various journeys; ³⁷ but if the cloud did not lift, they would not set out until such time as it did lift. ³⁸ For over the Tabernacle a cloud of the Lord rested by day, and fire would appear in it by night, in the view of all the house of Israel throughout their journeys.

Taken from Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, (Philadelphia, Jerusalem: Jewish Publication Society) 1985.
Used by permission of The Jewish Publication Society. Copyright © 1962, 1992
Third Edition by the Jewish Publication Society.
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