Exodus 37

Read Exodus 37. Exodus 37 details the craftsmanship of Bezaleel, the skilled artisan whom God had appointed to construct the sacred furnishings of the tabernacle. He began with the ark of the covenant, building it of shittim (acacia) wood measured at two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. He overlaid it inside and out with pure gold and crowned it with a golden crown around its top edge. He cast four gold rings for its four corners and fitted them with shittim wood staves overlaid in gold, so the ark could be carried without the poles ever being removed. Bezaleel then fashioned the mercy seat to rest atop the ark. It was made of pure gold and measured the same length and width as the ark itself. From that same piece of gold, he hammered out two cherubim, one on each end of the mercy seat, shaping them so their wings stretched upward and overshadowed the seat, with their faces turned toward one another and looking down on it. Next he built the table of shewbread from acacia wood, two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high, overlaying it with pure gold and adding a golden crown and border around it. He made a rim for the table and crowned that as well, then cast four gold rings and attached them near the legs to hold the carrying staves, which he also overlaid with gold. For the table's service, he crafted dishes, spoons, covers, and bowls, all of pure gold. Bezaleel then made the candlestick (the lampstand) of pure gold, hammered out as a single piece complete with its base, shaft, and six branches extending from its sides, three on each side. Each branch was adorned with cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with knops and flowers, and the central shaft itself bore four such almond-blossom cups. He also made the candlestick's seven lamps, along with its snuffers and snuff dishes, all from a single talent of pure gold. Finally, Bezaleel constructed the altar of incense from shittim wood, a cubit long and a cubit wide (square) and two cubits high, with horns rising from its corners as part of the same piece. He overlaid its top, sides, and horns with pure gold and added a golden crown around it, along with two gold rings beneath the crown on opposite sides to hold the carrying staves, which were also made of shittim wood overlaid with gold. Exodus 37 closes with the preparation of the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense, both crafted according to the skill of the apothecary.