Exodus 25:1-22

1The Lord said to Moses:

2‘Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. Every person who wants to give can make a gift to me. You must receive their gifts.

3These are the gifts that you must receive from the people as an offering: gold, silver and bronze;

4blue, purple and red material; good linen and goat's hair;

5red leather from sheep's skins and other good leather; wood from acacia trees;

6olive oil for the lamps; spices for the special oil and for incense with a nice smell;

7onyx and other jewels to fix on the priest's ephod and his breastpiece.

8You must tell the Israelites to make a special place to be my home. Then I will live among them.

9I will show you how to make this tabernacle and everything that you will put inside it. But you must make everything in the way that I tell you.

10The Israelites must use acacia wood to make a big box. It must be 1 metre long, 75 centimetres wide and 75 centimetres high.

11Cover the wood with gold, both inside and outside. Build up the edges of the box with gold.

12Make four gold rings and fix them to the four feet of the box. Fix two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.

13Then use acacia wood to make two poles. Cover them with gold too.

14Push the poles through the rings on the sides of the box. You will use the poles to carry the box.

15The poles must remain along the side of the box, in the rings. Never remove them.

16Then put into the box the two flat stones with the words of the covenant on them. I will give those to you.

17Use pure gold to make a lid for the box. Make the lid 1 metre long and 75 centimetres wide.

18Use gold to make images of two cherubs. Use a hammer to make them the right shape. They will stand at the two ends of the lid.

19One cherub will stand at one end of the lid, and one cherub will stand at the other end. The two cherubs and the lid must be one piece of gold.

20The cherubs must look towards each other and watch over the lid. Their wings must touch each other over the top of the lid.

21Then put the lid on the top of the box. Put the flat stones with the words of the covenant into the box. I will give those to you.

22I will meet with you there, between the two cherubs that are above the lid. They watch over the Covenant Box. In that place I will give you all my commands for the Israelites.