1Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2“On the first day of the first month of the new year you must set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.

3You must place the ark of the testimony in it, and you must shield the ark with the curtain.

4You must bring in the table and set in order the things that belong on it. Then you must bring in the lampstand and set up the lamps.

5You must put the golden incense altar before the ark of the testimony, and you must put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

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

7You must put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and you must put water in it.

8You must set up the courtyard around it, and you must hang up the curtain at the courtyard entrance.

9You must take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything that is in it. You must set it apart and all its furnishings to me; then it will be holy.

10You must anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils. You must set apart the altar to me and it will become very holy to me.

11You must anoint the bronze basin and its base and set it apart to me.

12You are to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and you must wash them with water.

13You are to clothe Aaron with the garments that are set apart to me, anoint him and set him apart so that he may serve as my priest.

14You are to bring his sons and clothe them with coats.

15You must anoint them as you anointed their father so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will make for them a permanent priesthood throughout their people's generations.”

16This is what Moses did; he followed all that Yahweh had commanded him. He did all these things.

17So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.

18Moses set up the tabernacle, put its bases in place, set up its frames, attached its bars, and set up its pillars and posts.

19He spread the covering over the tabernacle and put tent over it, as Yahweh had commanded him.

20He took the covenant decrees and put them into the ark. He also placed the poles on the ark and put the atonement lid on it.

21He brought the ark into the tabernacle. He set up the curtain for it to shield the ark of the testimony, as Yahweh had commanded him.

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

23He placed the bread in order on the table before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him.

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

25He lit the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him.

26He put the golden incense altar into the tent of meeting in front of the curtain.

27He burned fragrant incense on it, as Yahweh had commanded him.

28He hung the curtain at the tabernacle entrance.

29He put the altar for the burnt offering at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. He offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as Yahweh had commanded him.

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

31Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet from the basin

32whenever they would go into the tent of meeting and whenever they would go up to the altar. They washed themselves, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

33Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar. He set up the curtain at the courtyard entrance. In this way, Moses finished the work.

34Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle.

35Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and because Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle.

36Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey.

37But if the cloud did not rise up from the tabernacle, then the people would not travel. They would stay until the day that it was lifted up.

38For Yahweh's cloud was over the tabernacle by day, and his fire was over it by night, in plain view of all the people of Israel throughout their journey.