Exodus 25 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~1446 BC on the earlier dating, or ~1260 BC on the later one, during Moses' forty days on the mountain
Location
Mount Sinai, where Moses receives plans for a portable sanctuary to be carried through the desert
Audience
The people of Israel, and particularly the craftsmen and later priests who maintained the sanctuary
Situation
God asks for freewill offerings of metal, fabric, skins, wood, oil, spices and gemstones so that a sanctuary can be built where he will dwell among the people. He then gives exact plans for the chest called the ark with its gold cover and two winged figures, the table for the bread of the presence, and the seven-branched lampstand.
Key Background
A portable tent shrine carried by a people on the move was a real practice in the ancient Near East, and Egyptian records show gilded wooden shrines with carrying poles very like the ark described here. Every surrounding culture placed an image of the god inside such a shrine, so the striking feature of this one is the empty space above the cover between the two winged figures, a throne with no statue on it. The materials listed, acacia wood, gold, blue and purple dyed yarn, and fine linen, are exactly what Israelites leaving Egypt with gifts from their neighbours would have had, and the winged guardian figures match a familiar Near Eastern motif of composite creatures flanking a royal seat.
Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
"Tell the Israelites to bring me a Accept my from everyone whose heart moves them to give."
"Here's what you should accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze,"
purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, and goat hair,"
"ram skins dyed red, and acacia wood,"
"olive for the lamps, spices for the and for the fragrant incense,"
"onyx stones, and other gemstones for setting into the and the
"Have them build a for me, so I can them."
"Build it exactly according to the design I'm going to show you — the design for the and everything in it. Follow it precisely."
"Have them build a out of acacia wood — about four feet long, two and a half feet wide, and two and a half feet tall."
"Cover it inside and out with pure gold, and put a gold rim around the top edge."
"Cast four gold rings for it and attach them to its four feet — two rings on one side, two on the other."
"Make carrying poles out of acacia wood and cover them with gold."
"Slide the poles through the rings on the sides of the chest so it can be carried."
"The poles must stay in the rings — never remove them."
"Put inside the chest the that I'm going to give you."
"Make a of pure gold for the chest — four feet long and two and a half feet wide."
"Make two out of hammered gold and place them at each end of the cover."
"Make one figure at each end — shape the figures and the cover as a single piece."
"The figures should have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover. They should face each other, looking down toward the cover."
"Set the cover on top of the chest, and put the covenant terms I'll give you inside it."
"That's where I'll with you. I'll speak with you from above the cover, from between the two winged figures that are on the covenant chest. That's where I'll give you all my instructions for the Israelites."
"Make a table out of acacia wood — three feet long, eighteen inches wide, and two and a quarter feet tall."
"Cover it with pure gold and put a gold rim around it."
"Make a three-inch frame around it and put a gold rim on the frame."
"Make four gold rings for it and attach them at the four corners where the four legs are."
"The rings should be close to the frame to hold the carrying poles for the table."
"Make the carrying poles out of acacia wood and cover them with gold. These are for carrying the table."
"Make its plates, dishes, pitchers, and bowls for pouring out Make them all out of pure gold."
"Always keep the of the on the table in front of me."
"Make a out of pure gold. Hammer it out of a single piece — its base, shaft, cups, buds, and blossoms should all be one piece."
"Six branches should extend from its sides — three on one side and three on the other."
"Each branch should have three cups shaped like each with a bud and a flower. All six branches should be the same."
"On the central shaft of the lampstand, make four cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with buds and flowers."
"Put a bud under each pair of branches where they extend from the shaft — a bud under each of the three pairs of branches."
"The buds, branches, and the whole lampstand should be hammered from a single piece of pure gold."
"Make seven lamps for it and set them up so they light the area in front of it."
"Its wick trimmers and trays should also be made of pure gold."
"Use of pure gold for the lampstand and all these accessories."
"Make sure you build everything according to the you were shown on the mountain."