36:1 “So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person1 in whom the Lord has put skill2 and ability3 to know how4 to do all the work of the service5 of the sanctuary, are to do the work6 according to all that the Lord has commanded.” 36:2 Then Moses called7 Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom8 the Lord had put skill—everyone whose heart stirred him up9 to volunteer10 for the work, to do it. 36:3 And they received from Moses all the offering the Israelites had brought to do the work of the service of the sanctuary,11and they still brought him a freewill offering each morning.12 36:4 So all the skilled people who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came from their work13 they were doing, 36:5 and told Moses, “The people are bringing much more than14 is needed for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.”15
36:6 Moses16 instructed them to take17 his message18 throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman do any more work for the offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more.19 36:7 Now the materials were more than enough20 for them to do all the work.21
The Building of the Tabernacle
36:8 And every skilled person among those who were doing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven in22 by the work of the designer. 36:9 The length of one curtain was forty-two feet, and its width was six feet; all the curtains were the same size.23 36:10 And he joined24 five of the curtains one to another, and the other25 five curtains he joined one to another. 36:11 Then he made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set; he did the same along the edge of the end curtain in the second set. 36:12 He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops at the end curtain that was in the second set, with the loops opposite one another. 36:13 Then he made fifty gold clasps and joined the curtains together one to another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle was one unit.26
36:14 He made27 curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains.28 36:15 The length of one curtain was forty-five feet, and its width was six feet; the eleven curtains were the same size.29 36:16 And he joined five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 36:17 And he made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that couples the second. 36:18 And he made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent together so that it might be a unit.30 36:19 And he made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of fine leather31 over that.
36:20 And he made the frames32 for the tabernacle out of acacia wood33 as uprights.34 36:21 The length of each35 frame was fifteen feet, the width of the same36 frame was two and a quarter feet. 36:22 Each frame had37 two projections set in order one against the other;38 he did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 36:23 So he made frames for the tabernacle, twenty frames for the south side facing south; 36:24 and he made forty silver bases under the twenty frames—two bases under one frame for its two projections. 36:25 And for the second side of the tabernacle facing north, he made twenty frames, 36:26 and their forty silver bases, two bases under the one frame, and two bases under each of39 the other frames. 36:27 And for the side of the tabernacle facing westward, he made six frames; 36:28 and he made two frames for the corners of the tabernacle on the back side. 36:29 At the two corners40 they were doubled at the lower end and41 finished together at the top in one ring; so he did for both corners.42 36:30 So there were eight frames, and their silver bases were sixteen bases, two bases under each frame.43 36:31 And he made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle 36:32 and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle on the back side facing west. 36:33 And he made the middle bar to reach from end to end in the midst of the frames. 36:34 And he overlaid the frames with gold, and he made their rings of gold to provide places44 for the bars; and he overlaid the bars with gold.
36:35 Then he made the veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely twined linen; he embroidered45 it with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer. 36:36 And he made for it four posts of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, with gold hooks.46 Then he cast for them four silver bases. 36:37 And he made a hanging for the entrance of the tent, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer, 36:38 and its five posts with47 their hooks. And he overlaid their tops48 and their bands with gold; but their five bases were bronze.49
The Making of the Ark