Setting up the tabernacle
1Then the Lord said to Moses: 2‘Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. 3Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain. 4Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the covenant law and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.
6‘Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 7place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. 8Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.
9‘Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. 10Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy. 11Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.
12‘Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so that he may serve me as priest. 14Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. 15Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.’ 16Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him.
17So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. 18When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. 19Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the Lord commanded him.
20He took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. 21Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the covenant law, as the Lord commanded him.
22Moses placed the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain 23and set out the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.
24He placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle 25and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.
26Moses placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain 27and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord commanded him.
28Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 29He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the Lord commanded him.
30He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, 31and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. 32They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses.
33Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.
The glory of the Lord
34Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
36In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out – until the day it lifted. 38So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
Adzutsa Chihema
1Kenaka Yehova anati kwa Mose, 2“Imika chihema, tenti ya msonkhano, tsiku loyamba la mwezi. 3Uyikemo bokosi la umboni ndipo uphimbe bokosilo ndi katani. 4Ulowetsemo tebulo ndi kuyika zimene zimakhala pamenepo. Kenaka ulowetse choyikapo nyale ndipo uyikepo nyale zake. 5Uyike guwa lofukiza la golide patsogolo pa bokosi la umboni ndipo uyike katani ya pa chipata cha chihema.
6“Uyike guwa lansembe yopsereza patsogolo pa chipata cha chihema, tenti ya msonkhano. 7Uyike beseni pakati pa tenti ya msonkhano ndi guwa lansembe ndipo uyikemo madzi. 8Upange bwalo lozungulira chihemacho ndipo uyike katani ya pa chipata cha bwalolo.
9“Utenge mafuta wodzozera ndipo udzoze chihema ndi chilichonse chili mʼmenemo ndipo zidzakhala zoyeretsedwa. 10Kenaka udzoze guwa lansembe lopsereza ndi ziwiya zake zonse. Ulipatule guwalo ndipo lidzakhala loyera kwambiri. 11Udzoze beseni ndi miyendo yake ndipo uzipatule.
12“Ubwere ndi Aaroni ndi ana ake pa chipata cha tenti ya msonkhano ndipo uwasambitse ndi madzi. 13Kenaka umuveke Aaroni zovala zopatulika, umudzoze ndi kumupatula kotero kuti athe kunditumikira monga wansembe. 14Ubweretse ana ake ndipo uwaveke minjiro. 15Uwadzoze monga momwe unadzozera abambo awo, kotero kuti anditumikire monga ansembe. Kudzozedwako kudzakhala unsembe wawo pa mibado ndi mibado” 16Mose anachita zonse monga Yehova anamulamulira.
17Kotero anayimika chihema tsiku loyamba la mwezi woyamba mʼchaka chachiwiri. 18Nthawi imene Mose anayimika chihema, anayika matsinde mʼmalo ake, kuyimitsa maferemu, kulowetsa mitanda ndi kuyika nsichi. 19Kenaka anayika tenti pamwamba pa chihema ndipo anayika chophimba pa tenti monga momwe Yehova analamulira Mose.
20Iye anatenga miyala ya umboni nayika mʼbokosi lija ndi kuyika chivundikiro pamwamba pake. 21Kenaka analowetsa bokosilo mʼchihema ndipo anapachika katani ndi kubisa bokosi la umboni monga momwe Yehova analamulira iye.
22Mose anayika tebulo mu tenti ya msonkhano kumpoto kwa chihema, kunja kwa katani, 23ndipo anayikapo buledi pamaso pa Yehova, monga momwe Yehova analamulira Mose.
24Iye anayikanso choyikapo nyale mu tenti ya msonkhano moyangʼanana ndi tebulo mbali yakummwera kwa chihema. 25Ndipo anayikapo nyale zija pamaso pa Yehova, monga Yehova analamulira Mose.
26Mose anayika guwa la golide mu tenti ya msonkhano patsogolo pa katani 27ndipo anapserezapo lubani wonunkhira monga Yehova anamulamulira. 28Kenaka anayika katani ya pa chipata cha chihema.
29Iye anayika guwa lansembe yopsereza pafupi ndi chipata cha chihema, tenti ya msonkhano, ndipo anapereka nsembe yopsereza ndi nsembe ya ufa monga Yehova anamulamulira.
30Iye anayika beseni pakati pa tenti ya msonkhano ndi guwa lansembe ndipo anathiramo madzi wosamba, 31ndipo Mose, Aaroni ndi ana ake amasamba manja ndi mapazi awo. 32Iwo amasamba nthawi zonse akamalowa mu tenti ya msonkhano kapena kuyandikira guwa lansembe monga Yehova analamulira Mose.
33Kenaka Mose anamanga bwalo kuzungulira chihema ndi guwa lansembe ndipo anayika katani ya pa chipata cha bwalo. Kotero Mose anamaliza ntchito.
Ulemerero wa Yehova
34Kenaka mtambo unaphimba tenti ya msonkhano, ndipo ulemerero wa Yehova unadzaza mʼchihemacho. 35Mose sanathe kulowa mu tenti ya msonkhano chifukwa mtambo unali utakhazikika pa chihemacho, ndipo ulemerero wa Yehova unadzaza mʼchihemacho.
36Pa maulendo awo onse, mtambo ukachoka pamwamba pa chihema, Aisraeli ankasamukanso pamene analipo. 37Koma ngati mtambo sunachoke, iwo sankasamukanso mpaka tsiku limene udzachoke. 38Kotero mtambo wa Yehova unkakhala pamwamba pa chihema usana, ndi mtambo wamoto umakhala usiku, pamaso pa nyumba yonse ya Israeli pa masiku onse aulendo wawo.
