Terumah

Terumah Posted On Jan 1, 1980 | Torah Reading

This translation was taken from the JPS Tanakh

Exodus 25:1 – 27:19

Chapter 25

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him. 3 And these are the gifts that you shall accept from them: gold, silver, and copper; 4 blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, goats’ hair; 5 tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood; 6 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense; 7 lapis lazuli and other stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. 9 Exactly as I show you — the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings — so shall you make it.

10 They shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 11 Overlay it with pure gold — overlay it inside and out — and make upon it a gold molding round about. 12 Cast four gold rings for it, to be attached to its four feet, two rings on one of its side walls and two on the other. 13 Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold; 14 then insert the poles into the rings on the side walls of the ark, for carrying the ark. 15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark: they shall not be removed from it. 16 And deposit in the Ark [the tablets of] the Pact which I will give you.

17 You shall make a cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 Make two cherubim of gold — make them of hammered work — at the two ends of the cover.

19 Make one cherub at one end and the other cherub at the other end; of one piece with the cover shall you make the cherubim at its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings. They shall confront each other, the faces of the cherubim being turned toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the Ark, after depositing inside the Ark the Pact that I will give you. 22 There I will meet with you, and I will impart to you — from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on top of the Ark of the Pact — all that I will command you concerning the Israelite people.

23 You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. 24 Overlay it with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. 25 Make a rim of a hand’s breadth around it, and make a gold molding for its rim round about. 26 Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 27 The rings shall be next to the rim, as holders for poles to carry the table. 28 Make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; by these the table shall be carried. 29 Make its bowls, ladles, jars and jugs with which to offer libations; make them of pure gold. 30 And on the table you shall set the bread of display, to be before Me always.

31 You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its base and its shaft, its cups, calyxes, and petals shall be of one piece. 32 Six branches shall issue from its sides; three branches from one side of the lampstand and three branches from the other side of the lampstand. 33 On one branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals, and on the next branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals; so for all six branches issuing from the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals: 35 a calyx, of one piece with it, under a pair of branches; and a calyx, of one piece with it, under the second pair of branches, and a calyx, of one piece with it, under the last pair of branches; so for all six branches issuing from the lampstand. 36 Their calyxes and their stems shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single hammered piece of pure gold. 37 Make its seven lamps — the lamps shall be so mounted as to give the light on its front side — 38 and its tongs and fire pans of pure gold. 39 It shall be made, with all these furnishings, out of a talent of pure gold. 40 Note well, and follow the patterns for them that are being shown you on the mountain.

Chapter 26
1 As for the tabernacle, make it of ten strips of cloth; make these of fine twisted linen, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with a design of cherubim worked into them. 2 The length of each cloth shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each cloth shall be four cubits, all the cloths to have the same measurements. 3 Five of the cloths shall be joined to one another, and the other five cloths shall be joined to one another. 4 Make loops of blue wool on the edge of the outermost cloth of the one set; and do likewise on the edge of the outermost cloth of the other set: 5 make fifty loops on the one cloth, and fifty loops on the edge of the end cloth of the other set, the loops to be opposite one another. 6 And make fifty gold clasps, and couple the cloths to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle becomes one whole.

7 You shall then make cloths of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; make the cloths eleven in number. 8 The length of each cloth shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each cloth shall be four cubits, the eleven cloths to have the same measurements. Join five of the cloths by themselves, and the other six cloths by themselves; and fold over the sixth cloth at the front of the tent. 10 Make fifty loops on the edge of the outermost cloth of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the cloth of the other set. 11 Make fifty copper clasps, and fit the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together so that it becomes one whole. 12 As for the overlapping excess of the cloths of the tent, the extra half-cloth shall overlap the back of the tabernacle, 13 while the extra cubit at either end of each length of tent cloth shall hang down to the bottom of the two sides of the Tabernacle and cover it. 14 And make for the tent a covering of tanned ram skins, and a covering of dolphin skins above.

15 You shall make the planks for the Tabernacle of acacia wood, upright. 16 The length of each plank shall be ten cubits and the width of each plank a cubit and a half. 17 Each plank shall have two tenons, parallel to each other; do the same with all the planks of the Tabernacle. 18 Of the planks of the Tabernacle, make twenty planks on the south side: 19 making forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under the one plank for its two tenons and two sockets under each following plank for its two tenons; 20 and for the other side wall of the Tabernacle, on the north side, twenty planks, 21 with their forty silver sockets, two sockets under the one plank and two sockets under each following plank. 22 And for the rear of the Tabernacle, to the west, make six planks; 23 and make two planks for the corners of the Tabernacle at the rear. 24 They shall match at the bottom, and terminate alike at the top inside one ring; thus shall it be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. 25 Thus there shall be eight planks with their sockets of silver: sixteen sockets, two sockets under the first plank, and two sockets under each of the other planks.

26 You shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the planks of the one side wall of the Tabernacle, 27 five bars for the planks of the other side wall of the Tabernacle, and five bars for the planks of the wall of the Tabernacle at the rear to the west. 28 The center bar halfway up the planks shall run from end to end. 29 Overlay the planks with gold, and make their rings of gold, as holders for the bars; and overlay the bars with gold. 30 Then set up the Tabernacle according to the manner of it that you were shown on the mountain.

31 You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen; it shall have a design of cherubim worked into it. 32 Hang it upon four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and having hooks of gold, [set] in four sockets of silver. 33 Hang the curtain under the clasps, and carry the Ark of the Pact there, behind the curtain, so that the curtain shall serve you as a partition between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. 34 Place the cover upon the Ark of the Pact in the Holy of Holies. 35 Place the table outside the curtain, and the lampstand by the south wall of the Tabernacle opposite the table, which is to be placed by the north wall.

36 You shall make a screen for the entrance of the Tent, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, done in embroidery. 37 Make five posts of acacia wood for the screen and overlay them with gold — their hooks being of gold — and cast for them five sockets of copper.

Chapter 27
1 You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide — the altar is to be square — and three cubits high. 2 Make its horns on the four corners, the horns to be of one piece with it; and overlay it with copper. 3 Make the pails for removing its ashes, as well as its scrapers, basins, flesh hooks, and fire pans — make all its utensils of copper. 4 Make for it a grating of meshwork in copper; and on the mesh make four copper rings at its four corners. 5 Set the mesh below, under the ledge of the altar, so that it extends to the middle of the altar. 6 And make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with copper. 7 The poles shall be inserted into the rings, so that the poles remain on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make it hollow, of boards. As you were shown on the mountain, so shall they be made.

9 You shall make the enclosure of the Tabernacle:
On the south side, a hundred cubits of hangings of fine twisted linen for the length of the enclosure on that side — 10 with its twenty posts and their twenty sockets of copper, the hooks and bands of the posts to be of silver.

11 Again a hundred cubits of hangings for its length along the north side — with its twenty posts and their twenty sockets of copper, the hooks and bands of the posts to be of silver.

12 For the width of the enclosure, on the west side, fifty cubits of hangings, with their ten posts and their ten sockets.

13 For the width of the enclosure on the front, or east side, fifty cubits: 14 fifteen cubits of hangings on the one flank, with their three posts and their three sockets; 15 fifteen cubits of hangings on the other flank, with their three posts and their three sockets; 16 and for the gate of the enclosure, a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, done in embroidery, with their four posts and their four sockets.

17 All the posts round the enclosure shall be banded with silver and their hooks shall be of silver; their sockets shall be of copper.

18 The length of the enclosure shall be a hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout; and the height five cubits — [with hangings] of fine twisted linen. The sockets shall be of copper: 19 all the utensils of the Tabernacle, for all its service, as well as all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of copper.


Taken from Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, (Philadelphia, Jerusalem: Jewish Publication Society) 1985.
Used by permission of The Jewish Publication Society. Copyright © 1962, 1992
Third Edition by the Jewish Publication Society.
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