Welcome to Reading the Bible in a Year – Day 24.

Today were reading Exodus 28, Exodus 29 and Exodus 30.

Exodus Chapter 28

Exodus 28:1 Send for your brother Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. They are the ones I have chosen from Israel to serve as my priests.
Exodus 28:2 Make Aaron some beautiful clothes that are worthy of a high priest.
Exodus 28:3 Aaron is to be dedicated as my high priest, and his clothes must be made only by persons who possess skills that I have given them.
Exodus 28:4 Here are the items that need to be made: a breastpiece, a priestly vest, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. These sacred clothes are to be made for your brother Aaron and his sons who will be my priests.
Exodus 28:5 Only gold and fine linen, woven with blue, purple, and red wool, are to be used for making these clothes.
Exodus 28:6 The entire priestly vest must be made of fine linen skillfully woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and decorated with gold. It is to have two shoulder straps to support it and a sash that fastens around the waist.
Exodus 28:7 (SEE 28:6)
Exodus 28:8 (SEE 28:6)
Exodus 28:9 Put two onyx stones in gold settings, then attach one to each of the shoulder straps. On one of these stones engrave the names of Israel’s first six sons in the order of their birth. And do the same with his remaining six sons on the other stone. In this way Aaron will always carry the names of the tribes of Israel when he enters the holy place, and I will never forget my people.
Exodus 28:10 (SEE 28:9)
Exodus 28:11 (SEE 28:9)
Exodus 28:12 (SEE 28:9)
Exodus 28:13 Attach two gold settings to the shoulder straps and fasten them with two braided chains of pure gold.
Exodus 28:14 (SEE 28:13)
Exodus 28:15 From the same costly material make a breastpiece for the high priest to use in learning what I want my people to do.
Exodus 28:16 It is to be nine inches square and folded double
Exodus 28:17 with four rows of three precious stones: In the first row put a carnelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald;
Exodus 28:18 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
Exodus 28:19 in the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
Exodus 28:20 and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount the stones in delicate gold settings
Exodus 28:21 and engrave on each of them the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exodus 28:22 Attach two gold rings to the upper front corners of the breastpiece and fasten them with two braided gold chains to gold settings on the shoulder straps.
Exodus 28:23 (SEE 28:22)
Exodus 28:24 (SEE 28:22)
Exodus 28:25 (SEE 28:22)
Exodus 28:26 Attach two other gold rings to the lower inside corners next to the vest
Exodus 28:27 and two more near the bottom of the shoulder straps right above the sash.
Exodus 28:28 Then take a blue cord and tie the two lower rings on the breastpiece to those on the vest. This will keep the breastpiece in place.
Exodus 28:29 In this way Aaron will have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on his heart each time he enters the holy place, and I will never forget my people.
Exodus 28:30 He must also wear on his breastpiece the two small objects that he uses to receive answers from me.
Exodus 28:31 Under his vest Aaron must wear a robe of blue wool
Exodus 28:32 with an opening in the center for his head. Be sure to bind the material around the collar to keep it from raveling.
Exodus 28:33 Along the hem of the robe weave pomegranates of blue, purple, and red wool with a gold bell between each of them.
Exodus 28:34 (SEE 28:33)
Exodus 28:35 If Aaron wears these clothes when he enters the holy place as my high priest, the sound of the bells will be heard, and his life will not be in danger.
Exodus 28:36 On a narrow strip of pure gold engrave the words: “Dedicated to the LORD.”
Exodus 28:37 Fasten it to the front of Aaron’s turban with a blue cord,
Exodus 28:38 so he can wear it on his forehead. This will show that he will take on himself the guilt for any sins the people of Israel commit in offering their gifts to me, and I will forgive them.
Exodus 28:39 Make Aaron’s robe and turban of fine linen and decorate his sash with fancy needlework.
Exodus 28:40 Since Aaron’s sons are priests, they should also look dignified. So make robes, sashes, and special caps for them.
Exodus 28:41 Then dress Aaron and his sons in these clothes, pour olive oil on their heads, and ordain them as my priests.
Exodus 28:42 Make linen shorts for them that reach from the waist down to the thigh, so they won’t expose themselves.
Exodus 28:43 Whenever they enter the sacred tent or serve at the altar or enter the holy place, they must wear these shorts, or else they will be guilty and die. This same rule applies to any of their descendants who serve as priests.

Exodus Chapter 29

Exodus 29:1 When you ordain one of Aaron’s sons as my priest, choose a young bull and two rams that have nothing wrong with them.
Exodus 29:2 Then from your finest flour make three batches of dough without yeast. Shape some of it into larger loaves, some into smaller loaves mixed with olive oil, and the rest into thin wafers brushed with oil.
Exodus 29:3 Put all of this bread in a basket and bring it when you come to sacrifice the three animals to me.
Exodus 29:4 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the sacred tent and have them wash themselves.
Exodus 29:5 Dress Aaron in the priestly shirt, the robe that goes under the sacred vest, the vest itself, the breastpiece, and the sash.
Exodus 29:6 Put on his turban with its narrow strip of engraved gold
Exodus 29:7 and then ordain him by pouring olive oil on his head.
Exodus 29:8 Next, dress Aaron’s sons in their special shirts
Exodus 29:9 and caps and their sashes, then ordain them, because they and their descendants will always be priests.
Exodus 29:10 Lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent, where Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on its head.
Exodus 29:11 Kill the bull near my altar in front of the tent.
Exodus 29:12 Use a finger to smear some of its blood on each of the four corners of the altar and pour out the rest of the blood on the ground next to the altar.
Exodus 29:13 Then take the fat from the animal’s insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and send them up in smoke on the altar.
Exodus 29:14 But the meat, the skin, and the food still in the bull’s stomach must be burned outside the camp as an offering to ask forgiveness for the sins of the priests.
Exodus 29:15 Bring one of the rams to Aaron and his sons and have them lay their hands on its head.
Exodus 29:16 Kill the ram and splatter its blood against all four sides of the altar.
Exodus 29:17 Cut up the ram, wash its insides and legs, and lay all of its parts on the altar, including the head.
Exodus 29:18 Then make sure that the whole animal goes up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.
Exodus 29:19 Bring the other ram to Aaron and his sons and have them lay their hands on its head.
Exodus 29:20 Kill the ram and place some of its blood on Aaron’s right ear lobe, his right thumb, and the big toe of his right foot. Do the same for each of his sons and splatter the rest of the blood against the four sides of the altar.
Exodus 29:21 Then take some of the blood from the altar, mix it with the oil used for ordination, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes, and also on his sons and their clothes. This will show that they and their clothes have been dedicated to me.
Exodus 29:22 This ram is part of the ordination service. So remove its right hind leg, its fat tail, the fat on its insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat.
Exodus 29:23 Take one loaf of each kind of bread from the basket,
Exodus 29:24 and put this bread, together with the meat, into the hands of Aaron and his sons. Then they will lift it all up to show that it is dedicated to me.
Exodus 29:25 After this, the meat and bread are to be placed on the altar and sent up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.
Exodus 29:26 You may eat the choice ribs from this second ram, but you must first lift them up to show that this meat is dedicated to me.
Exodus 29:27 In the future, when anyone from Israel offers the ribs and a hind leg of a ram either to ordain a priest or to ask for my blessing, the meat belongs to me, but it may be eaten by the priests. This law will never change.
Exodus 29:28 (SEE 29:27)
Exodus 29:29 After Aaron’s death, his priestly clothes are to be handed down to each descendant who succeeds him as high priest, and these clothes must be worn during the seven-day ceremony of ordination.
Exodus 29:30 (SEE 29:29)
Exodus 29:31 Boil the meat of the ordination ram in a sacred place,
Exodus 29:32 then have Aaron and his sons eat it together with the three kinds of bread at the entrance to the sacred tent.
Exodus 29:33 At their ordination, a ceremony of forgiveness was performed for them with this sacred food, and only they have the right to eat it.
Exodus 29:34 If any of the sacred food is left until morning, it must be burned up.
Exodus 29:35 Repeat this ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons seven days in a row, just as I have instructed you.
Exodus 29:36 Each day you must offer a bull as a sacrifice for sin and as a way of purifying the altar. In addition, you must smear the altar with olive oil to make it completely holy.
Exodus 29:37 Do this for seven days, and the altar will become so holy that anyone who touches it will become holy.
Exodus 29:38 Each day you must sacrifice two lambs a year old,
Exodus 29:39 one in the morning and one in the evening.
Exodus 29:40 With each lamb offer two pounds of your finest flour mixed with a quart of pure olive oil, and also pour out a quart of wine as an offering. The smell of this sacrifice on the fires of the altar will be pleasing to me.
Exodus 29:41 (SEE 29:40)
Exodus 29:42 You and your descendants must always offer this sacrifice on the altar at the entrance to the sacred tent. People of Israel, I will meet and speak with you there, and my shining glory will make the place holy.
Exodus 29:43 (SEE 29:42)
Exodus 29:44 Because of who I am, the tent will become sacred, and Aaron and his sons will become worthy to serve as my priests.
Exodus 29:45 I will live among you as your God,
Exodus 29:46 and you will know that I am the LORD your God, the one who rescued you from Egypt, so that I could live among you.

Exodus Chapter 30

Exodus 30:1 Build an altar of acacia wood where you can burn incense.
Exodus 30:2 Make it eighteen inches square and thirty-six inches high, and make each of its four corners stick up like the horn of a bull.
Exodus 30:3 Cover it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it.
Exodus 30:4 Then below the edging on opposite sides attach two gold rings through which you can put the poles for carrying the altar.
Exodus 30:5 These poles are also to be made of acacia wood covered with gold.
Exodus 30:6 Put the altar in front of the inside curtain of the sacred tent. The chest with the place of mercy is kept behind that curtain, and I will talk with you there.
Exodus 30:7 From now on, when Aaron tends the lamp each morning and evening, he must burn sweet-smelling incense to me on the altar.
Exodus 30:8 (SEE 30:7)
Exodus 30:9 Burn only the proper incense on the altar and never use it for grain sacrifices or animal sacrifices or drink offerings.
Exodus 30:10 Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing on its four corners the blood of an animal sacrificed for sin, and this practice must always be followed. The altar is sacred because it is dedicated to me.
Exodus 30:11 The LORD said to Moses:
Exodus 30:12 Find out how many grown men there are in Israel and require each of them to pay me to keep him safe from danger while you are counting them.
Exodus 30:13 Each man over nineteen, whether rich or poor, must pay me the same amount of money, weighed according to the official standards.
Exodus 30:14 (SEE 30:13)
Exodus 30:15 (SEE 30:13)
Exodus 30:16 This money is to be used for the upkeep of the sacred tent, and because of it, I will never forget my people.
Exodus 30:17 The LORD said to Moses:
Exodus 30:18 Make a large bronze bowl and a bronze stand for it. Then put them between the altar for sacrifice and the sacred tent, so the priests can wash their hands and feet before entering the tent or offering a sacrifice on the altar. Each priest in every generation must wash himself in this way, or else he will die right there.
Exodus 30:19 (SEE 30:18)
Exodus 30:20 (SEE 30:18)
Exodus 30:21 (SEE 30:18)
Exodus 30:22 The LORD said to Moses:
Exodus 30:23 Mix a gallon of olive oil with the following costly spices: twelve pounds of myrrh, six pounds of cinnamon, six pounds of cane, and twelve pounds of cassia. Measure these according to the official standards. Then use this sacred mixture
Exodus 30:24 (SEE 30:23)
Exodus 30:25 (SEE 30:23)
Exodus 30:26 for dedicating the tent and chest,
Exodus 30:27 the table with its equipment, the lampstand with its equipment, the incense altar with all its utensils,
Exodus 30:28 the altar for sacrifices, and the large bowl with its stand.
Exodus 30:29 By dedicating them in this way, you will make them so holy that anyone who even touches them will become holy.
Exodus 30:30 When you ordain Aaron and his sons as my priests, sprinkle them with some of this oil,
Exodus 30:31 and say to the people of Israel: “This oil must always be used in the ordination service of a priest. It is holy because it is dedicated to the LORD.
Exodus 30:32 So treat it as holy! Don’t ever use it for everyday purposes or mix any for yourselves.
Exodus 30:33 If you do, you will no longer belong to the LORD’s people.”
Exodus 30:34 Mix equal amounts of the costly spices stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, then add salt to make the mixture pure and holy.
Exodus 30:35 (SEE 30:34)
Exodus 30:36 Pound some of it into powder and sprinkle it in front of the sacred chest, where I meet with you. Be sure to treat this incense as something very holy.
Exodus 30:37 It is truly holy because it is dedicated to me, so don’t ever make any for yourselves.
Exodus 30:38 If you ever make any of it to use as perfume, you will no longer belong to my people.

Get your daily dose of Wisdom read Chapter 24 of Proverbs Today.