Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 When the people saw that Moshe was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aharon and said to him, “Get busy; and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.”

2 Aharon said to them, “Have your wives, sons and daughters strip off their gold earrings; and bring them to me.”

3 The people stripped off their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon.

4 He received what they gave him, melted it down, and made it into the shape of a calf. They said, “Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”

5 On seeing this, Aharon built an altar in front of it and proclaimed, “Tomorrow is to be a feast forAdonai.”

6 Early the next morning they got up and offered burnt offerings and presented peace offerings. Afterwards, the people sat down to eat and drink; then they got up to indulge in revelry.

7 Adonaisaid to Moshe, “Go down! Hurry! Your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have become corrupt!

8 So quickly they have turned aside from the way I ordered them to follow! They have cast a metal statue of a calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it and said, ‘Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’”

9 Adonaicontinued speaking to Moshe: “I have been watching these people; and you can see how stiffnecked they are.

10 Now leave me alone, so that my anger can blaze against them, and I can put an end to them! I will make a great nation out of you instead.”

11 Moshe pleaded withAdonaihis God. He said, “Adonai, why must your anger blaze against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

12 Why let the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intentions that he led them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger! Relent! Don’t bring such disaster on your people!

13 Remember Avraham, Yitz’chak and Isra’el, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self. You promised them, ‘I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky; and I will give all this land I have spoken about to your descendants; and they will possess it forever.’”

14 Adonaithen changed his mind about the disaster he had planned for his people.

15 Moshe turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets inscribed on both sides, on the front and on the back.

16 The tablets were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

17 When Y’hoshua heard the noise of the people shouting he said to Moshe, “It sounds like war in the camp!”

18 He answered, “That is neither the clamor of victory nor the wailings of defeat; what I hear is the sound of people singing.”

19 But the moment Moshe got near the camp, when he saw the calf and the dancing, his own anger blazed up. He threw down the tablets he had been holding and shattered them at the base of the mountain.

20 Seizing the calf they had made, he melted it in the fire and ground it to powder, which he scattered on the water. Then he made the people of Isra’el drink it.

21 Moshe said to Aharon, “What did these people do to you to make you lead them into such a terrible sin?”

22 Aharon replied, “My lord shouldn’t be so angry. You know what these people are like, that they are determined to do evil.

23 So they said to me, ‘Make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.’

24 I answered them, ‘Anyone with gold, strip it off!’ So they gave it to me. I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!”

25 When Moshe saw that the people had gotten out of control — because Aharon had allowed them to get out of control, to the derision of their enemies —

26 Moshe stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “Whoever is forAdonai, come to me!” All the descendants of Levi rallied around him.

27 He told them, “Here is whatAdonai, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘Each of you, put his sword on his side; and go up and down the camp, from gate to gate; and every man is to kill his own kinsman, his own friend and his own neighbor!”

28 The sons of Levi did what Moshe said, and that day three thousand of the people died.

29 Moshe said, “You have consecrated yourselves today toAdonai, because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today.”

30 The next day Moshe said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up toAdonai; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin.”

31 Moshe went back toAdonaiand said, “Please! These people have committed a terrible sin: they have made themselves a god out of gold.

32 Now, if you will just forgive their sin! But if you won’t, then, I beg you, blot me out of your book which you have written!”

33 Adonaianswered Moshe, “Those who have sinned against me are the ones I will blot out of my book.

34 Now go and lead the people to the place I told you about; my angel will go ahead of you. Nevertheless, the time for punishment will come; and then I will punish them for their sin.”

35 Adonaistruck the people with a plague because they had made the calf, the one Aharon made.

1 Adonaisaid to Moshe, “Leave, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt; and move on from here toward the land of which I swore to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’

2 I will send an angel ahead of you; and I will drive out the Kena‘ani, Emori, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi.

3 You will go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I myself will not go with you, because you are such a stiffnecked people that I might destroy you on the way.”

4 When the people heard this bad news, they went into mourning; and no one wore his ornaments.

5 Adonaisaid to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are a stiffnecked people! If I were to go up with you for even one moment, I would exterminate you! Now, keep your ornaments off; then I will decide what to do to you.’”

6 So from Mount Horev onward, the people of Isra’el stripped themselves of their ornaments.

7 Moshe would take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who wanted to consultAdonaiwould go out to the tent of meeting, outside the camp.

8 Whenever Moshe went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand, each man at his tent door, and look at Moshe until he had gone into the tent.

9 Whenever Moshe entered the tent, the column of cloud would descend and station itself at the entrance to the tent; andAdonaiwould speak with Moshe.

10 When all the people saw the column of cloud stationed at the entrance to the tent, they would get up and prostrate themselves, each man at his tent door.

11 Adonaiwould speak to Moshe face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then he would return to the camp; but the young man who was his assistant, Y’hoshua the son of Nun, never left the inside of the tent.

(iii)

12 Moshe said toAdonai, “Look, you say to me, ‘Make these people move on!’ But you haven’t let me know whom you will be sending with me. Nevertheless you have said, ‘I know you by name,’ and also, ‘You have found favor in my sight.’

13 Now, please, if it is really the case that I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways; so that I will understand you and continue finding favor in your sight. Moreover, keep on seeing this nation as your people.”

14 He answered, “Set your mind at rest — my presence will go with you, after all.”

15 Moshe replied, “If your presence doesn’t go with us, don’t make us go on from here.

16 For how else is it to be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, other than by your going with us? That is what distinguishes us, me and your people, from all the other peoples on earth.”

(iv)

17 Adonaisaid to Moshe, “I will also do what you have asked me to do, because you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

18 But Moshe said, “I beg you to show me your glory!”

19 He replied, “I will cause all my goodness to pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce the name ofAdonai.Moreover, I show favor to whomever I will, and I display mercy to whomever I will.

20 But my face,” he continued, “you cannot see, because a human being cannot look at me and remain alive.

21 Here,” he said, “is a place near me; stand on the rock.

22 When my glory passes by, I will put you inside a crevice in the rock and cover you with my hand, until I have passed by.

23 Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face is not to be seen.”

1 (v)Adonaisaid to Moshe, “Cut yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones; and I will inscribe on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

2 Be ready by morning; in the morning you are to ascend Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain.

3 No one is to come up with you, and no one is to be seen anywhere on the mountain; don’t even let the flocks or herds feed in front of this mountain.”

4 Moshe cut two stone tablets like the first. Then he got up early in the morning and, with the two stone tablets in his hands, ascended Mount Sinai, asAdonaihad ordered him to do.

5 Adonaidescended in the cloud, stood with him there and pronounced the name ofAdonai.

6 Adonaipassed before him and proclaimed: “YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!!Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh[Adonai] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth;

7 showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.”

8 At once Moshe bowed his head to the ground, prostrated himself

9 and said, “If I have now found favor in your view,Adonai, then please letAdonaigo with us, even though they are a stiffnecked people; and pardon our offenses and our sin; and take us as your possession.”

(vi)

10 He said, “Here, I am making a covenant; in front of all your people I will do wonders such as have not been created anywhere on earth or in any nation. All the people around you will see the work ofAdonai.What I am going to do through you will be awesome!

11 Observe what I am ordering you to do today. Here! I am driving out ahead of you the Emori, Kena‘ani, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi.

12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the people living in the land where you are going, so that they won’t become a snare within your own borders.

13 Rather, you are to demolish their altars, smash their standing-stones and cut down their sacred poles;

14 because you are not to bow down to any other god; sinceAdonai— whose very name is Jealous — is a jealous God.

15 Do not make a covenant with the people living in the land. It will cause you to go astray after their gods and sacrifice to their gods. Then they will invite you to join them in eating their sacrifices,

16 and you will take their daughters as wives for your sons. Their daughters will prostitute themselves to their own gods and make your sons do the same!

17 “Do not cast metal gods for yourselves.

18 “Keep the festival ofmatzahby eatingmatzah, as I ordered you, for seven days during the month of Aviv; for it was in the month of Aviv that you came out from Egypt.

19 “Everything that is first from the womb is mine. Of all your livestock, you are to set aside for me the males, the firstborn of cattle and flock.

20 The firstborn of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb; if you won’t redeem it, break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you are to redeem, and no one is to appear before me empty-handed.

21 “Six days you will work, but on the seventh day you are to rest — even in plowing time and harvest season you are to rest.

22 “Observe the festival ofShavu‘otwith the first-gathered produce of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year.

23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord,Adonai, the God of Isra’el.

24 For I am going to expel nations ahead of you and expand your territory, and no one will even covet your land when you go up to appear beforeAdonaiyour God three times a year.

25 You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, and the sacrifice of the feast ofPesachis not to be left until morning.

26 You are to bring the best firstfruits of your land into the house ofAdonaiyour God.

“You are not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

(vii)

27 Adonaisaid to Moshe, “Write these words down, because they are the terms of the covenant I have made with you and with Isra’el.”

28 Moshe was there withAdonaiforty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water.[Adonai]wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.

29 When Moshe came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, he didn’t realize that the skin of his face was sending out rays of light as a result of his talking with[Adonai].

30 When Aharon and the people of Isra’el saw Moshe, the skin of his face was shining; and they were afraid to approach him.

31 But Moshe called to them; then Aharon and all the community leaders came back to him, and Moshe spoke to them.

32 Afterwards, all the people of Isra’el came near; and he passed on to them all the orders thatAdonaihad told him on Mount Sinai.

(Maftir)

33 Once Moshe had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

34 But when he went in beforeAdonaifor him to speak, he would take the veil off until he came out; then, when he came out, he would tell the people of Isra’el what he had been ordered.

35 But when the people of Isra’el saw Moshe’s face, that the skin of Moshe’s face shone, he would put the veil back over his face until he went in again to speak with[Adonai].

Haftarah Ki Tissa: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 18:1–39 (A); 18:20–39 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Ki Tissa: Luke 11:14 –20; Acts 7:35–8:1; 1 Corinthians 10:1–13; 2 Corinthians 3:1–18

Parashah 22: Vayak’hel (He assembled) 35:1–38:20

[In regular years read with Parashah 23, in leap years read separately]

1 Moshe assembled the whole community of the people of Isra’el and said to them, “These are the things whichAdonaihas ordered you to do.

2 On six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is to be a holy day for you, aShabbatof complete rest in honor ofAdonai. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.

3 You are not to kindle a fire in any of your homes onShabbat.”

4 Moshe said to the whole community of the people of Isra’el, “Here is whatAdonaihas ordered:

5 ‘Take up a collection forAdonaifrom among yourselves — anyone whose heart makes him willing is to bring the offering forAdonai: gold, silver and bronze;

6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn; fine linen, goat’s hair,

7 tanned ram skins and fine leather; acacia-wood;

8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

9 onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ritual vest and the breastplate.

10 “‘Then let all the craftsmen among you come and make everythingAdonaihas ordered:

11 the tabernacle with its tent, covering, fasteners, planks, crossbars, posts and sockets;

12 the ark with its poles, ark-cover and the curtain to screen it;

13 the table with its poles, all its utensils and the showbread;

14 themenorahfor the light, with its utensils and lamps, and the oil for the light;

15 the incense altar with its poles; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entranceway at the entrance to the tabernacle;

16 the altar for burnt offerings, with its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its base;

17 the tapestries for the courtyard, with their posts and sockets; the screen for the gateway of the courtyard;

18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle; the tent pegs for the courtyard, with their ropes;

19 the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; and the holy garments for Aharon thecohenand the garments for his sons, so that they can serve in the office ofcohen.’”

20 Then the whole community of the people of Isra’el withdrew from Moshe’s presence;(LY: ii)

21 and they came, everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit made him willing, and broughtAdonai’s offering for the work on the tent of meeting, for the service in it and for the holy garments.

22 Both men and women came, as many as had willing hearts; they brought nose-rings, earrings, signet-rings, belts, all kinds of gold jewelry — everyone bringing an offering of gold toAdonai.

23 Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn; fine linen; tanned ram skins or fine leather brought them.

24 Everyone contributing silver or bronze brought his offering forAdonai, and everyone who had acacia-wood suitable for any of the work brought it.

25 All the women who were skilled at spinning got to work and brought what they had spun, the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and the fine linen.

26 Likewise the women whose heart stirred them to use their skill spun the goat’s hair.

27 The leaders brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set, for the ritual vest and the breasplate;

28 the spices; and the oil for the light, for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.

29 Thus every man and woman of the people of Isra’el whose heart impelled him to contribute to any of the workAdonaihad ordered through Moshe brought it toAdonaias a voluntary offering.

(RY: ii, LY: iii)

30 Moshe said to the people of Isra’el, “See,Adonaihas singled out B’tzal’el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y’hudah.

31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God — with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry.

32 He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze,

33 cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft.

34 [Adonai]has also given him and Oholi’av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.

35 He has filled them with the skill needed for every kind of work, whether done by an artisan, a designer, an embroiderer using blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen, or a weaver — they have the skill for every kind of work and design.

1 “B’tzal’el and Oholi’av, along with all the craftsmen whomAdonaihas endowed with the wisdom and skill necessary to carry out the work needed for the sanctuary, are to do exactly according to everythingAdonaihas ordered.”

2 Moshe summoned B’tzal’el, Oholi’av and every craftsman to whomAdonaihad given wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come and take part in the work.

3 They received from Moshe all the offering which the people of Isra’el had brought for the work of building the sanctuary. But they still kept bringing voluntary offerings every morning,

4 until all the craftsmen doing the work for the sanctuary left the work they were involved with

5 to tell Moshe, “The people are bringing far more than is needed to do the workAdonaihas ordered done.”

6 So Moshe gave an order which was proclaimed throughout the camp: “Neither men nor women are to make any further efforts for the sanctuary offering.” In this way, the people were restrained from making additional contributions.

7 For what they had already was not only sufficient for doing all the work, but too much!

(LY: iv)

8 All the skilled men among them who did the work made the tabernacle, using ten sheets of finely woven linen and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn. He made them withk’ruvimworked in that had been crafted by a skilled artisan.

9 Each sheet was forty-two feet long and six feet wide; all the sheets were the same size.

10 He joined five sheets one to another, and the other five sheets he joined one to another.

11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and did the same on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set.

12 He made fifty loops on the one sheet, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the sheet in the second set; the loops were opposite one another.

13 He made fifty fasteners of gold and coupled the sheets to each other with the fasteners, so that the tabernacle formed a single unit.

14 He made sheets of goat’s hair to be used as a tent covering the tabernacle; he made eleven sheets.

15 Each sheet was forty-five feet long and six feet wide; all eleven sheets were the same size.

16 He joined five sheets together and six sheets together.

17 He made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and fifty loops on the outermost sheet in the second set.

18 He made fifty fasteners of bronze to join the tent together, so that it would be a single unit.

19 He made a covering for the tent of tanned ram skins and an outer covering of fine leather.

(LY: v)

20 He made the upright planks of acacia-wood for the tabernacle.

21 Each plank was fifteen feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide.

22 There were two projections on each plank, and the planks were joined one to another. This is how he made all the planks for the tabernacle.

23 He made the planks for the tabernacle as follows: twenty planks for the south side, facing southward.

24 He made forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under one plank for its two projections and two sockets under another plank for its two projections.

25 For the second side of the tabernacle, to the north, he made twenty planks

26 and their forty silver sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another.

27 For the rear part of the tabernacle, toward the west, he made six planks.

28 For the corners of the tabernacle in the rear he made two planks,

29 double from the bottom all the way to the top but joined at a single ring. He did the same with both of them at the two corners.

30 Thus there were eight planks with their silver sockets, sixteen sockets, two sockets under each plank.

31 He made crossbars of acacia-wood, five for the planks of the one side of the tabernacle,

32 five crossbars for the planks of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks at the side of the tabernacle at the rear toward the west.

33 He made the middle crossbar so that it extended from one end of the planks to the other, halfway up.

34 He overlaid the planks with gold, made gold rings for them through which the crossbars could pass and overlaid the crossbars with gold.

35 He made the curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. He made them withk’ruvimworked in that had been crafted by a skilled artisan.

36 He made for it four posts of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold, and gold hooks; and cast for them four silver sockets.

37 For the entrance to the tent he made a screen of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen, in colors, the work of a weaver;

38 with its five posts and their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their attached rings for hanging with gold, while their five sockets were of bronze.

1 B’tzal’el made the ark of acacia-wood three-and-three-quarters feet long, two-and-a-quarter feet wide and two-and-a-quarter feet high.

2 He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside and put a molding of gold for it around the top.

3 He cast four gold rings for it at its four feet, two rings on each side.

4 He made poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold.

5 He put the carrying-poles for the ark in the rings on the sides of the ark.

6 He made a cover for the ark of pure gold, three-and-three-quarters feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide.

7 He made twok’ruvimof gold; he made them of hammered work for the two ends of the ark-cover —

8 onekeruvfor one end and onekeruvfor the other end; he made thek’ruvimof one piece with the ark-cover at its two ends.

9 Thek’ruvimhad their wings spread out above, so that their wings covered the ark; their faces were toward each other and toward the ark-cover.

10 He made the table of acacia-wood, three feet long, eighteen inches wide and eighteen inches high.

11 He overlaid it with pure gold and put a molding of gold around the top of it.

12 He made around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a molding of gold around the rim.

13 He cast for it four gold rings and attached the rings to the four corners, near its four legs.

14 The rings to hold the carrying-poles for the table were placed close to the rim.

15 He made the carrying-poles for the table of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold.

16 He made the utensils to be put on the table — its dishes, pans, bowls and pitchers — of pure gold.

(RY: iii, LY: vi)

17 He made themenorahof pure gold. He made it of hammered work; its base, shaft, cups, rings of outer leaves and flowers were a single unit.

18 There were six branches extending from its sides, three branches of themenorahon one side of it and three on the other.

19 On one branch were three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a ring of outer leaves and petals; likewise on the opposite branch three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a ring of outer leaves and petals; and similarly for all six branches extending from themenorah.

20 On the central shaft of themenorahwere four cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with its ring of outer leaves and petals.

21 Where each pair of branches joined the central shaft was a ring of outer leaves of one piece with the pair of branches — thus for all six branches.

22 Their rings of outer leaves and their branches were of one piece with the shaft. Thus the wholemenorahwas one piece of hammered work made of pure gold.

23 He made its seven lamps, its tongs and its trays of pure gold.

24 Themenorahand its utensils were made of sixty-six pounds of pure gold.

25 He made the altar on which to burn incense of acacia-wood, eighteen inches square and three feet high; its horns were a single unit.

26 He overlaid it with pure gold — its top, all around its sides and its horns; and he put around it a molding of gold.

27 He made two gold rings for it under its molding at the two corners on both sides, to hold the carrying-poles.

28 He made the poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of aromatic plant substances as would an expert perfume-maker.

1 (RY: iv, LY: vii)He made the altar for burnt offerings of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide — it was square — and four-and-a-half feet high.

2 He made horns for it on its four corners, the horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.

3 He made all the utensils for the altar — its pots, shovels, basins, meat-hooks and fire pans; all its utensils he made of bronze.

4 He made for the altar a grate of bronze netting, under its rim, reaching halfway up the altar.

5 He cast four rings for the four ends of the bronze grate to hold the poles.

6 He made the poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with bronze.

7 He put the carrying-poles into the rings on the sides of the altar; he made it of planks and hollow inside.

8 He made the basin of bronze with its base of bronze from the mirrors of the women serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

9 He made the courtyard. On the south side, facing southward, the tapestries for the courtyard were made of finely woven linen, 150 feet long,

10 supported on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets; the hooks on the posts and the attached rings for hanging were of silver.

11 On the north side they were 150 feet long, hung on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets, with the hooks on the posts and their rings of silver.

12 On the west side were tapestries seventy-five feet long, hung on ten posts in ten sockets, with the hooks on the posts and their rings of silver.

13 On the east side were tapestries seventy-five feet long.

14 The tapestries for the one side [of the gateway] were twenty-two-and-a-half feet long, hung on three posts in three sockets;

15 likewise for the other side — on either side [of the gate] were tapestries twenty-two-and-a-half feet long on three posts in three sockets.

16 All the tapestries for the courtyard, all the way around, were of finely woven linen;

17 the sockets for the posts were of bronze; the hooks on the posts and their rings were of silver; the capitals of the posts were overlaid with silver; and all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.

(LY: Maftir)

18 The screen for the gateway to the courtyard was the work of a weaver in colors, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. Its length was thirty feet and its height seven-and-a-half feet all the way along, like the tapestries of the courtyard.

19 It had four posts in four bronze sockets, with silver hooks, capitals overlaid with silver and silver fasteners.

20 The tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard around it were of bronze.

Haftarah Vayak’hel: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 7:40–50 (A); 7:13–26 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Vayak’hel: 2 Corinthians 9:1–15; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 9:1–14; Revelation 11:1–13

Parashah 23: P’kudei (Accounts) 38:21–40:38

[In regular years read with Parashah 22, in leap years read separately]

21 These are the accounts of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, recorded, as Moshe ordered, by theL’vi’imunder the direction of Itamar the son of Aharon, thecohen.

22 B’tzal’el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y’hudah, made everything thatAdonaiordered Moshe to make.

23 Assisting him was Oholi’av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, who was an engraver, a designer and a weaver in colors — in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and in fine linen.

24 All the gold used for the work in everything needed for the sanctuary, the gold of the offering, weighed 29 talents 730shekels [1,930 pounds], using the sanctuaryshekel.

25 The silver given by the community weighed 100 talents 1,775shekels [6,650 pounds], using the sanctuaryshekel.

26 This was abekaper person, that is, half ashekel[one-fifth of an ounce], using the sanctuaryshekel, for everyone twenty years old or older counted in the census, 603,550 men.

27 The hundred talents of silver were used to cast the sockets for the sanctuary and the sockets for the curtain — one hundred sockets made from the hundred talents, one talent [sixty-six pounds] per socket.

28 The 1,775shekels [fifty pounds] he used to make hooks for the posts, to overlay their capitals and to make fasteners for them.

29 The bronze in the offering came to 4,680 pounds.

30 He used it to make the sockets for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, its bronze grate, all the utensils for the altar,

31 the sockets for the courtyard around it, the sockets for the gateway to the courtyard, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and all the tent pegs for the courtyard around it.

1 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; and they made the holy garments for Aharon, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.(RY: v, LY: ii)

2 He made the ritual vest of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely woven linen.

3 They hammered the gold into thin plates and cut them into threads in order to work it into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and the fine linen crafted by the skilled artisan.

4 They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined together; they were joined together at the two ends.

5 The decorated belt on the vest, used to fasten it, was of the same workmanship and materials — gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely twined linen — asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

6 They worked the onyx stones, mounted in gold settings, engraving them with the names of the sons of Isra’el as they would be engraved on a seal.

7 Then he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the vest to be stones calling to mind the sons of Isra’el, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

8 He made the breastplate; it was crafted by a skilled artisan and made like the work of the ritual vest—of gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen.

9 When folded double, the breastplate was square — doubled, it was a hand-span by a hand-span.

10 They set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a carnelian, a topaz and an emerald;

11 the second row a green feldspar, a sapphire and a diamond;

12 the third row an orange zircon, an agate and an amethyst;

13 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted in settings of gold.

14 The stones corresponded to the names of the twelve sons of Isra’el; they were engraved with their names as a seal would be engraved, each name representing one of the twelve tribes.

15 On the breastplate they made two pure gold chains, twisted like cords.

16 Also for the breastplate they made two settings of gold and two gold rings, and they put the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate.

17 They put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate

18 and attached the other two ends of the twisted chains to the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ritual vest.

19 They also made two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, at its edge, on the side facing in toward the vest.

20 Also they made two gold rings and attached them low on the front part of the vest’s shoulder-pieces, near the join, above the vest’s decorated belt.

21 Then they bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that it could be on the vest’s decorated belt, and so that the breastplate would not swing loose from the vest — asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

(RY: vi, LY: iii)

22 He made the robe for the ritual vest; it was woven entirely of blue,

23 with its opening in the middle, like that of a coat of mail, and with a border around the opening, so that it wouldn’t tear.

24 On the bottom hem they made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet, and woven linen;

25 and they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all the way around the hem of the robe — between the pomegranates,

26 that is, bell, pomegranate, bell, pomegranate, all the way around the hem of the robe for service — asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

27 They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aharon and his sons,

28 the turban of fine linen, the splendid headgear of fine linen, the linen shorts,

29 and the sash of finely woven linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, the work of a weaver in colors — asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

30 They made the ornament for the holy turban of pure gold; wrote on it the words, “Set apart forAdonai,” like the engraving on a seal;

31 and tied a blue cord on it to fasten it to the front of the turban — asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

32 Thus all the work for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished, with the people of Isra’el doing everything exactly asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

(LY: iv)

33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moshe — the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, planks, crossbars, posts and sockets;

34 the covering of tanned ram skins, the covering of fine leather and the curtain for the screen;

35 the ark for the testimony, its poles and the ark-cover;

36 the table, all its utensils and the showbread;

37 the puremenorah, its lamps and their arrangement for display, its accessories and the oil for the light;

38 the gold altar; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entrance to the tent;

39 the bronze altar with its bronze grate, poles and all its utensils; the basin with its base;

40 the tapestries for the courtyard, with their posts and sockets; the screen for the entrance to the courtyard, with its ropes and tent pegs; all the utensils for the service in the tabernacle, the tent of meeting;

41 the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; the holy garments for Aharon thecohen; and the garments for his sons to serve in the office ofcohen.

42 The people of Isra’el did all the work just asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

43 Moshe saw all the work, and — there it was! — they had done it! Exactly asAdonaihad ordered, they had done it. And Moshe blessed them.

1 (RY: vii, LY: v)Adonaisaid to Moshe,

2 “On the first day of the first month, you are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.

3 Put in it the ark for the testimony, and conceal the ark with the curtain.

4 Bring in the table, and arrange its display. Bring in themenorah, and light its lamps.

5 Set the gold altar for incense in front of the ark for the testimony, and set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle.

6 Place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.

7 Set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

8 Set up the courtyard all the way around, and hang up the screen for the entrance to the courtyard.

9 “Take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it — consecrate it with all its furnishings; then it will be holy.

10 Anoint the altar for burnt offerings with all its utensils — consecrate the altar; then the altar will be especially holy.

11 Anoint the basin and its base, and consecrate it.

12 “Then bring Aharon and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.

13 Put the holy garments on Aharon, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he can serve me in the office ofcohen.

14 Bring his sons, put tunics on them,

15 and anoint them as you anointed their father, so that they can serve me in the office ofcohen.Their anointing will signify that the office ofcohenis theirs through all their generations.”

16 Moshe did this — he acted in accordance with everythingAdonaihad ordered him to do.

(LY: vi)

17 On the first day of the first month of the second year, the tabernacle was set up.

18 Moshe erected the tabernacle, put its sockets in place, put up its planks, put in its crossbars and set up its posts.

19 He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent above it, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

20 He took and put the testimony inside the ark, put the poles on the ark, and set the ark-cover above, on the ark.

21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, set up the curtain as a screen and concealed the ark for the testimony, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

22 He put the table in the tent of meeting on the side of the tabernacle facing north, outside the curtain.

23 He arranged a row of bread on it beforeAdonai, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

24 He put themenorahin the tent of meeting across from the table, on the side of the tabernacle facing south.

25 Then he lit the lamps beforeAdonai, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

26 He set the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain

27 and burned on it incense made from aromatic spices, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

(LY: vii)

28 He set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle.

29 The altar for burnt offerings he placed at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing,

31 so that Moshe and Aharon and his sons could wash their hands and feet there —

32 so that they could wash when entering the tent of meeting and when approaching the altar, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

33 Finally, he erected the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar and set up the screen for the entrance to the courtyard.

(Maftir)

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory ofAdonaifilled the tabernacle.

35 Moshe was unable to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud remained on it, and the glory ofAdonaifilled the tabernacle.

36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Isra’el continued with all their travels.

37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not travel onward until the day when it was taken up.

38 For the cloud ofAdonaiwas above the tabernacle during the day, and fire was in [the cloud] at night, so that all the house of Isra’el could see it throughout all their travels.

Haftarah P’kudei: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 7:51–8:21 (A); 7:40–50 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah P’kudei: Revelation 15:5–8

Hazak, hazak, v’nit’chazek!

Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!