Exodus 36Previous Chapter | Next ChapterThe Israelites Collect Material for the Tabernacle1“Bezalel and Oholiab and all the skilled craftsmen to whom the LORD gave wisdom and understanding to know how to do all the work in constructingLit. for the service ofthe sanctuary shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded.” The Contributions for Building the Tabernacle2Then Moses summoned Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the skilledLit. wise of heartpeople to whom the LORD had given skill,Lit. wisdom in his heartall whose hearts stirred them to come forward to do the work.3They received from Moses all the offerings that the Israelites had brought for doing the work of constructingLit. for the service ofthe sanctuary, and they continued to bring freewill offerings every morning.4All the craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left the work he was doing5and said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.”6Then Moses issued an order, and the message was taken throughout the camp, “Men and women, don’t make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” The people were restrained from bringing any moreThe Heb. lacks any more7since the material was more than sufficient for doing all the work.8All the skilled craftsmen among the workers made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine wovenOr twistedlinen, blue, purple, and scarlet material.The Heb. lacks materialHePerhaps Bezalel as the head of the skilled workersmade them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.9The length of each curtain was forty-two feet,Lit. twenty-eight cubits;Or about 12.8 metersand the width of each curtain six feet.Lit. four cubits;Or about 1.8 metersAll the curtains had the same measurements.Lit. the measure of one for every curtain10He joined five of the curtains together, and the other five curtains he joined together.11He made loops of blue materialThe Heb. lacks materialalong the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise, he made loops along the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set.12He made fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that is in the second set, with the loops opposite each other.13Then he made fifty gold clasps, and joined the curtains to each other with the clasps so the tabernacle was one piece.14He made curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle;he made eleven curtains.15The length of each curtain was forty-five feet,Lit. thirty cubits;Or about 13.7 metersand the width of each curtain six feet;Lit. four cubits;Or about 1.83 metersthe measurements of each of the eleven curtains was the same.Lit. the measure of one for the eleven curtains16He joined five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.17He made fifty loops along the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and fifty loops along the edge of the curtain of the other set.18He made fifty bronze clasps to join the tent together so it would be one piece.19Then he made a cover for the tent of ram skins dyed redOr tannedand a covering of dolphinOr dugong, a marine animal resembling a walrus or manateeskins above that.20Then he made upright boards of acacia wood for the tabernacle.21EachLit. the oneboard was fifteen feetLit. ten cubits;Or about 4.6 meterslong, and twenty-seven inches wide.Lit. one and a half cubits the width of each board;Or about 0.7 meters22Each board had two pegs, joined to one another, and he did this for all the boards of the tabernacle.23He made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side.Lit. toward the Negev (south), toward Teman (a city to the south)24He made forty silver socketsOr basesunder the twenty boards: two socketsOr basesunder one board for its two pegs and two socketsOr basesunder the nextLit. the oneboard for its two pegs.25For the second side of the tabernacle to the north he made twenty boards,The Heb. lacks he made26and forty silver socketsOr basesfor them, two socketsOr basesunder one board and two socketsOr basesunder the nextLit. the oneboard.27For the rear of the tabernacle on the west he made six boards,28and he made two boards for the rear corners of the tabernacle.29They were joined togetherLit. twins;perhaps designed with interlocking piecesat the bottom and they were connectedLit. complete;Perhaps the tops were joined together by a metal ring.on top, by one ring. Thus he did for the two of them, and they were the two corners.30There were eight boards with their sixteen silver sockets,Or basestwo socketsOr basesunder each board.31Then he made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle,32five bars for the boards on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards on the back side of the tabernacle to the west.33He made the middle bar in the center of the boards pass through from end to end.34He overlaid the boards with gold, and made gold rings for them as holders for the bars, and he overlaid the bars with gold.35He made a curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet materialLit. scarletand fine wovenOr twistedlinen. He made it with cherubim skillfully worked into it.36He made four pillars of acacia for it and overlaid them with gold, along with their gold hooks, and he cast four silver socketsOr basesfor them.37For the doorway of the tent, he made a screen of blue, purple, and scarlet materialLit. scarletand fine wovenOr twistedlinen, the work of an embroiderer,38and five pillars of acacia along with their hooks. He overlaid their tops and their bandsPerhaps a kind of connecting rod joining the pillars togetherwith gold. Their five socketsOr baseswere of bronze.
the sanctuary shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded.” The Contributions for Building the Tabernacle2Then Moses summoned Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the skilled
