Curtains and coverings for the sacred tent

(Exodus 36.8-19)

The LORD said to Moses:

1Furnish the sacred tent with curtains made from ten pieces of the finest linen. They must be woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with figures of winged creatures. 2Make each piece twelve metres long and two metres wide 3and sew them together into two curtains with five sections each. 4-6Put fifty loops of blue cloth along one of the wider sides of each curtain, then fasten the two curtains at the loops with fifty gold hooks.

7-8As the material for the tent, use goat hair to weave eleven sections thirteen metres by two metres each. 9Sew five of the sections together to make one panel. Then sew the other six together to make a second panel, and fold the sixth section double over the front of the tent. 10Put fifty loops along one of the wider sides of each panel 11and fasten the two panels at the loops with fifty bronze hooks. 12-13The panel of goat hair will be a metre longer than the tent itself, so fold fifty centimetres of the material behind the tent and on each side as a protective covering. 14Make two more coverings—one with ram skins dyed red and the other with fine leather.

The framework for the sacred tent

(Exodus 36.20-34)

The LORD said:

15Build a framework of acacia wood for the walls of the sacred tent. 16Each frame is to be four metres high and sixty-six centimetres wide 17with two wooden pegs near the bottom. 18-21Place two silver stands under each frame with sockets for the pegs, so the frames can be joined together. Twenty of these frames are to be used along the south side and twenty more along the north. 22For the back wall along the west side use six frames 23-24with two more at the south-west and north-west corners. Make certain that these corner frames are joined from top to bottom. 25Altogether, this back wall will have eight frames with two silver stands under each one.

26-27Make five crossbars for each of the wooden frames, 28with the centre crossbar running the full length of the wall. 29Cover the frames and the crossbars with gold and attach gold rings to the frames to run the crossbars through. 30Then set up the tent in the way I showed you on the mountain.

The curtain inside the sacred tent

(Exodus 36.35-38)

The LORD said:

31-33Make a curtain to separate the holy place from the most holy place. Use fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with figures of winged creatures. Cover four acacia wood posts with gold and set them each on a silver stand. Then fasten gold hooks to the posts and hang the curtain there.26.33: He 6.19; 9.3-5.

34Inside the most holy place, you must put the sacred chest that has the place of mercy on its lid.26.34 place of mercy on its lid: It was believed that God had his earthly throne on the lid of the sacred chest, and from this place he showed mercy to his people. 35Outside the curtain put the table for the sacred bread on the right side and the gold lampstand on the left.

36For the entrance to the tent, use a piece of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with fine needlework. 37Cover five acacia wood posts with gold and set them each on a bronze stand. Then put gold hooks on the posts and hang the curtain there.