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Pentateuch · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Exodus 25

Israel's deliverance, covenant at Sinai, God's presence, and a people formed for worship.

Old Testament

Exodus 25

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2“Speak to the children of Israel, that they take an offering for me. From everyone whose heart makes him willing you shall take my offering.

3This is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, bronze,

4blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair,

5rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood,

6oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,

7onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.

8Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

9According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all of its furniture, even so you shall make it.

10“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.

11You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it.

12You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.

13You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

14You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.

15The poles shall be in the rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it.

16You shall put the covenant which I shall give you into the ark.

17You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its width.

18You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.

19Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy seat.

20The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

21You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I will give you.

22There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the covenant, all that I command you for the children of Israel.

23“You shall make a table of acacia wood. Its length shall be two cubits, and its width a cubit, and its height one and a half cubits.

24You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.

25You shall make a rim of a hand width around it. You shall make a golden molding on its rim around it.

26You shall make four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that are on its four feet.

27The rings shall be close to the rim, for places for the poles to carry the table.

28You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them.

29You shall make its dishes, its spoons, its ladles, and its bowls with which to pour out offerings. You shall make them of pure gold.

30You shall set bread of the presence on the table before me always.

31“You shall make a lamp stand of pure gold. The lamp stand shall be made of hammered work. Its base, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.

32There shall be six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lamp stand out of its one side, and three branches of the lamp stand out of its other side;

33three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a bud and a flower; and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bud and a flower, so for the six branches going out of the lamp stand;

34and in the lamp stand four cups made like almond blossoms, its buds and its flowers;

35and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the lamp stand.

36Their buds and their branches shall be of one piece with it, all of it one beaten work of pure gold.

37You shall make its lamps seven, and they shall light its lamps to give light to the space in front of it.

38Its snuffers and its snuff dishes shall be of pure gold.

39It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these accessories.

40See that you make them after their pattern, which has been shown to you on the mountain.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Israel's deliverance, covenant at Sinai, God's presence, and a people formed for worship. Read Exodus 25 within the complete Exodus overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Exodus 25

Exodus 25 contains 40 verses and about 830 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 40 closes: “See that you make them after their pattern, which has been shown to you on the mountain.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include make, gold, branches, pure, rings, mercy. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Exodus 25

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Exodus 25:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer