Exodus 40

40 ¹Then our Father spoke to Moses, saying:

²"Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on day one of month one. ³Place in it the ark of the testimony, and shield the ark with the veil. ⁴Bring in the table, arrange its setup, bring in the lampstand, and light its lamps. ⁵Put the gold incense altar before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen at the tabernacle's entrance. ⁶Place the altar of burnt offering before the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, ⁷and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ⁸Set up the courtyard all around, and hang the screen at the gate of the courtyard.

⁹"Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; dedicate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. ¹⁰Anoint the burnt offering altar and all its utensils; dedicate the altar, and the altar will be most holy. ¹¹Anoint the basin and its stand, and dedicate it.

¹²"Then bring Aaron and his sons to the tent of meeting's entrance and wash them with water. ¹³Clothe Aaron in holy garments, anoint and dedicate him, to serve me as priest. ¹⁴Bring his sons; dress them in tunics. ¹⁵Anoint them as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing gives them a lasting priesthood for all generations."

¹⁶Moses did everything just as our Father commanded him. ¹⁷In the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was raised up. ¹⁸Moses raised the tabernacle: he put its bases, set its frames, put its bars, and raised its pillars. ¹⁹He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put its covering over it, as our Father had commanded Moses. ²⁰He took the testimony, put it in the ark, set poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark. ²¹He brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung the screening veil, and covered the ark of the testimony, as our Father commanded Moses. ²²He set the table in the tent of meeting, on the tabernacle's north side, outside the veil, ²³and arranged the bread on it before our Father, as our Father had commanded Moses. ²⁴He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the tabernacle's south side, ²⁵and set up the lamps before our Father, as our Father had commanded Moses. ²⁶He placed the golden altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil, ²⁷and burned fragrant incense on it, as our Father had commanded Moses. ²⁸Then he put up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle. ²⁹He placed the altar of burnt offering at the tabernacle's entrance, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and grain offering, as our Father commanded Moses. ³⁰He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, putting water in it for washing, ³¹and with it Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet. ³²Whenever they entered the tent of meeting or neared the altar, they washed, as our Father commanded Moses. ³³He set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar, and put up the screen at the courtyard gate. So Moses finished the work.

His Glory Fills the Tabernacle

³⁴Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of our Father filled the tabernacle. ³⁵Moses could not enter the tent of meeting, for the cloud settled on it, and our Father's glory filled the tabernacle. ³⁶Whenever the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle, the Israelites set out on each stage of their journey; ³⁷but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out until the day it lifted. ³⁸For the cloud of our Father covered the tabernacle by day, with fire in it by night, visible to all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.