Exodus 40: The tabernacle is raised up, and Yahweh's glory fills it

In plain English: Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

In plain English: "On the first day of the first month you are to raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

In plain English: You are to put the ark of the covenant (literally: the testimony) in it, and you are to screen the ark with the veil.

In plain English: You are to bring in the table and set in order the things that are on it. You are to bring in the lamp stand and light its lamps.

In plain English: You are to set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

In plain English: "You are to set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

In plain English: You are to set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

In plain English: You are to set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.

In plain English: "You are to take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and make it holy, and all its furniture, and it will be holy.

In plain English: You are to anoint the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, and make the altar holy, and the altar will be most holy.

In plain English: You are to anoint the basin and its base, and make it holy.

In plain English: "You are to bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.

In plain English: You are to put the holy garments on Aaron, anoint him, and make him holy, so that he may serve me in the priest's office.

In plain English: You are to bring his sons and put tunics on them.

In plain English: You are to anoint them as you anointed their father, so that they may serve me in the priest's office. Their anointing will be for them an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations."

In plain English: Moses did so. According to all that Yahweh commanded him, so he did.

Good to know: In verses 9 to 15 Yahweh tells Moses to anoint the tabernacle, its furniture, the altar and the basin, and to wash, dress and anoint Aaron and his sons. Verses 17 to 33 tell how Moses set up the tabernacle and what was put in it. They do not describe the anointing or the dressing of Aaron and his sons. Leviticus 8:10 to 13 tell of Moses anointing the tabernacle and all that is in it, anointing Aaron, and putting tunics on Aaron's sons.

In plain English: In the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was raised up.

Good to know: Verse 2 gives the day and the month. This verse adds the year, the second year, and does not say what it is counted from. Numbers 1:1 speaks of "the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt".

In plain English: Moses raised up the tabernacle. He laid its sockets, set up its boards, put in its bars, and raised up its pillars.

In plain English: He spread the covering over the tent and put the roof of the tabernacle on top of it (literally: he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it above), as Yahweh commanded Moses.

The Hebrew words: In the Hebrew, this Bible's "covering" in the first half is ohel, "tent", and its "tent" is mishkan, "tabernacle"; both words are explained at Exodus 26:7. Its "roof of the tabernacle" is mikseh and then ohel again. The dictionary gives mikseh as "a covering, i.e. weatherboarding".

Good to know: This Bible also says "outer covering" for ohel in Exodus 35:11 and "covering" in 36:14. This verse does not name the materials. Exodus 26:7 speaks of a tent of goats' hair over the tabernacle, and 26:14 of a covering for the tent.

In plain English: He took the covenant (literally: the testimony) and put it into the ark. He set the poles on the ark and put the mercy seat on top of the ark.

In plain English: He brought the ark into the tabernacle, set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the covenant (literally: the testimony), as Yahweh commanded Moses.

In plain English: He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil.

In plain English: He set the bread in order on it before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

In plain English: He put the lamp stand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle.

In plain English: He lit the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

In plain English: He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil,

In plain English: and he burned incense of sweet spices on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

In plain English: He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

In plain English: He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered the burnt offering and the meal offering on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

In plain English: He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing.

In plain English: Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there.

In plain English: When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

In plain English: He raised up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

In plain English: Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle.

In plain English: Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it and Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle.

Good to know: In Exodus 33:9, when Moses enters the Tent, the pillar of cloud comes down and stands at the door, and in Exodus 24:18 Moses enters into the middle of the cloud on the mountain. Here he is not able to enter. The text does not say how long this lasted. Leviticus 1:1 says that Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting.

In plain English: When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the Israelites set out on all their journeys,

In plain English: but if the cloud was not taken up, they did not travel until the day that it was taken up.

In plain English: For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud (or: on the tabernacle) by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

The Hebrew word: "In the cloud" is the one small Hebrew word bo, "in it" or "on it". The verse does not say whether "it" is the cloud or the tabernacle, and this Bible reads it as the cloud. Numbers 9:15 and 16 speak of "the appearance of fire" with the cloud over the tabernacle at night.