New International Version
2 "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give."
3 These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze
4 Blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair
5 Ram skins dyed red and another durable leather; acacia wood
6 Olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense
7 And onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
8 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them."
9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.
10 "Have them make an ark of acacia wood – two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high."
11 Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.
12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other.
13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.
15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.
16 Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you.
Amplified Bible
2 Speak to the Israelites, that they take for Me an offering. From every man who gives it willingly and ungrudgingly with his heart you shall take My offering.
3 This is the offering you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze
4 Blue, purple, and scarlet [stuff] and fine twined linen and goats' hair
5 Rams' skins tanned red, goatskins, dolphin or porpoise skins, acacia wood
6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil and for sweet incense
7 Onyx stones, and stones for setting in the ephod and in the breastplate.
8 Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. [Heb. 8:1, 2; 10:1.]
9 And you shall make it according to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle or dwelling and the pattern of all the furniture of it.
10 They shall make an ark of acacia wood: two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
11 You shall overlay the ark with pure gold, inside and out, and make a gold crown, a rim or border, around its top.
12 You shall cast four gold rings and attach them to the four lower corners of it, two rings on either side.
13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold
14 And put the poles through the rings on the ark's sides, by which to carry it.
15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it [that the ark be not touched].
16 And you shall put inside the ark the Testimony [the Ten Commandments] which I will give you.
King James Version
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.
12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.
13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
Becoming a Christian
Would you like to experience forgiveness and new life from the God of the Bible, who calls every person to believe that he sent his son Jesus Christ to make this possible?
The Bible explains why everyone needs to receive forgiveness and is called to serve Jesus Christ. The consistency of the Bible story, which was authored by people living thousands of years apart from diverse cultures and even different languages, is often cited as evidence of divine inspiration. Wikipedia has a list of many Biblical prophesies which have come true.
The story of God's plan to restore his relationship with us can be summarised in eight famous Bible verses below.
- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
- All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
- God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
- Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
- If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8
- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
- Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
The truth in these verses is simple, yet to embrace it means letting go of all our personal hopes and dreams and embracing God's greater purpose for our lives instead, a purpose far above anything we could dream or imagine.
This is the most important decision you will ever make, because it affects not just the rest of your life here on earth, but what comes after as well. Don't put it off until too late. If you died tonight make the decision to spend eternity with your loving Father in Heaven.
If you're wondering what to do next as a new Christian, check out these helpful suggestions from Mary Fairchild on About.com: