Exodus 26: The tabernacle, its curtains and boards, and the veil

In plain English: "Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and of blue, purple, and scarlet, with cherubim. Make them with the work of a skilled workman.

In plain English: The length of each curtain is to be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains are to be the same size.

In plain English: Five curtains are to be joined to one another, and the other five curtains are to be joined to one another.

In plain English: Make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain, at the end of the joined set. Do the same on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second joined set.

In plain English: Make fifty loops on the one curtain, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain in the second joined set. The loops are to be opposite one another.

In plain English: Make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle is one whole.

In plain English: "Make curtains of goats' hair for a covering (literally: for a tent) over the tabernacle. Make eleven curtains.

The Hebrew words: "Tabernacle" is mishkan, explained at Exodus 25:8. "Tent" is ohel, which the dictionary gives as "a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)".

Good to know: This verse calls the goats' hair curtains a tent "over the tabernacle". Verse 1 says to make "the tabernacle" with the ten linen curtains, and verse 15 says the boards are "for the tabernacle". In verse 36 the screen is for "the door of the Tent". The text does not say more about how the tabernacle and the tent are related.

In plain English: The length of each curtain is to be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. All eleven curtains are to be the same size.

In plain English: Join five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent.

In plain English: Make fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the one joined set, and fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second joined set.

In plain English: Make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and join the tent together so that it is one.

In plain English: The part that is left over of the tent's curtains, the half curtain that is left over, is to hang over the back of the tabernacle.

In plain English: The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other side, of what is left over in the length of the tent's curtains, are to hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.

In plain English: Make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and above that a covering of sea cow hides.

In plain English: "Make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright.

In plain English: Each board is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.

In plain English: There are to be two tenons (literally: hands) in each board, joined to one another. Make all the boards of the tabernacle this way.

In plain English: Make twenty boards for the tabernacle, for the south side.

In plain English: Make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.

In plain English: For the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, make twenty boards,

In plain English: and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under one board and two sockets under another board.

In plain English: For the far side of the tabernacle, to the west, make six boards.

In plain English: Make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the far side.

In plain English: They are to be double at the bottom, and together they are to be whole up to the top, to one ring. It is to be so for both of them. They are for the two corners.

In plain English: There are to be eight boards, with their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets: two sockets under one board and two sockets under another board.

In plain English: "Make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle,

In plain English: five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards on the far side, to the west.

In plain English: The middle bar, in the middle of the boards, is to pass through from end to end.

In plain English: Overlay the boards with gold. Make their rings of gold, as places for the bars. Overlay the bars with gold.

In plain English: Set up the tabernacle according to the plan (or: the way) that was shown to you on the mountain.

In plain English: "Make a veil of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen, with cherubim. It is to be the work of a skilled workman.

In plain English: Hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold. Their hooks are to be of gold, on four sockets of silver.

In plain English: Hang the veil under the clasps, and bring the ark of the covenant (literally: the testimony) in there, inside the veil. The veil will separate the holy place from the most holy for you.

The Hebrew words: "The most holy" is the Hebrew word for holy said twice, qodesh qodashim, literally "holy of holies". "The holy place" is the single word qodesh, which the dictionary gives as "a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity".

How it is translated: The doubled phrase is in 7 verses of Exodus: 26:33, 26:34, 29:37, 30:10, 30:29, 30:36 and 40:10. This Bible says "most holy" in all 7.

In plain English: Put the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant in the most holy place.

Good to know: "Mercy seat" is explained at Exodus 25:17.

In plain English: Set the table outside the veil, and the lamp stand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle. Put the table on the north side.

In plain English: "Make a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer.

In plain English: Make five pillars of acacia for the screen and overlay them with gold. Their hooks are to be of gold. Cast five sockets of bronze for them.