1 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 2 Commande the children of Israel that they bring vnto thee pure oyle oliue beaten, for the light, to cause ye lampes to burne continually. 3 Without the vaile of the Testimonie, in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, shall Aaron dresse them, both euen and morning before the Lord alwayes: this shalbe a lawe for euer through your generations. 4 He shall dresse the lampes vpon the pure Candlesticke before the Lord perpetually. 5 Also thou shalt take fine floure, and bake twelue cakes thereof: two tenth deales shalbe in one cake. 6 And thou shalt set them in two rowes, six in a rowe vpon the pure table before the Lord. 7 Thou shalt also put pure incense vpon the rowes, that in steade of the bread it may bee for a remembrance, and an offering made by fire to the Lord. 8 Euery Sabbath hee shall put them in rowes before the Lord euermore, receiuing them of the children of Israel for an euerlasting couenant. 9 And the bread shalbe Aarons and his sonnes, and they shall eate it in the holie place: for it is most holie vnto him of the offrings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetuall ordinance. 10 And there went out among the children of Israel the sonne of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian: and this sonne of the Israelitish woman, and a man of Israel stroue together in the hoste. 11 So the Israelitish womans sonne blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed, and they brought him vnto Moses (his mothers name also was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan) 12 And they put him in warde, till he tolde them the minde of the Lord. 13 Then the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 14 Bring the blasphemer without the hoste, and let all that heard him, put their handes vpon his head, and let all the Congregation stone him. 15 And thou shalt speake vnto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoeuer curseth his God, shall beare his sinne. 16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shalbe put to death: all the Congregation shall stone him to death: aswell the stranger, as he that is borne in the lande: when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, let him beslaine. 17 He also that killeth any man, he shall be put to death. 18 And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it, beast for beast. 19 Also if a man cause any blemish in his neighbour: as he hath done, so shall it be done to him. 20 Breache for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: such a blemish as he hath made in any, such shalbe repayed to him. 21 And he that killeth a beast shall restore it: but he that killeth a man shall be slaine. 22 Ye shall haue one lawe: it shalbe aswel for the stranger as for one borne in the countrey: for I am the Lord your God. 23 Then Moses tolde the children of Israel, and they brought the blasphemer out of the hoste, and stoned him with stones: so the children of Israel did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Taking Care of the Lamps
(Exodus 27.20Exodus 21)
1 The Lord told Moses 2 to give the following orders to the people of Israel: Bring pure olive oil of the finest quality for the lamps in the Tent, so that a light might be kept burning regularly. 3 Each evening Aaron shall light them and keep them burning until morning, there in the Lord's presence outside the curtain in front of the Covenant Box, which is in the Most Holy Place. This regulation is to be observed for all time to come. 4 Aaron shall take care of the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold and must see that they burn regularly in the Lord's presence.
The Bread Offered to God
5 Take twenty-four pounds of flour and bake twelve loaves of bread. 6 Put the loaves in two rows, six in each row, on the table covered with pure gold, which is in the Lord's presence. 7 Put some pure incense on each row, as a token food offering to the Lord to take the place of the bread. 8 Every Sabbath, for all time to come, the bread must be placed in the presence of the Lord. This is Israel's duty forever. 9 The bread belongs to Aaron and his descendants, and they shall eat it in a holy place, because this is a very holy part of the food offered to the Lord for the priests.
An Example of Just and Fair Punishment
10-11 There was a man whose father was an Egyptian and whose mother was an Israelite named Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri from the tribe of Dan. There in the camp this man quarreled with an Israelite. During the quarrel he cursed the Lord, so they took him to Moses, 12 put him under guard, and waited for the Lord to tell them what to do with him.
13 The Lord said to Moses, 14 “Take that man out of the camp. Everyone who heard him curse shall put his hands on the man's head to testify that he is guilty, and then the whole community shall stone him to death. 15 Then tell the people of Israel that anyone who curses God must suffer the consequences 16 and be put to death. Any Israelite or any foreigner living in Israel who curses the Lord shall be stoned to death by the whole community.
17 “Any who commit murder shall be put to death, 18 and any who kill an animal belonging to someone else must replace it. The principle is a life for a life.
19 “If any of you injure another person, whatever you have done shall be done to you. 20 If you break a bone, one of your bones shall be broken; if you put out an eye, one of your eyes shall be put out; if you knock out a tooth, one of your teeth shall be knocked out. Whatever injury you cause another person shall be done to you in return. 21 Whoever kills an animal shall replace it, but whoever kills a human being shall be put to death. 22 This law applies to all of you, to Israelites and to foreigners living among you, because I am the Lord your God.”
23 When Moses had said this to the people of Israel, they took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death. In this way the people of Israel did what the Lord had commanded Moses.