The KJV Audio Bible

Exodus 26

Read Exodus 26 [https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/exo/26/1/s_76001]. The LORD instructed Moses on the construction of the tabernacle. It was to be built using ten curtains made of finely twisted linen, woven with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and decorated with artistic designs of cherubim. Each curtain was the same size, and they were to be joined together in two sets of five, with loops of blue material and gold clasps linking the two sets into a single unified covering. An additional set of eleven curtains made of goat hair was to be placed over the linen curtains as a protective outer covering. These goat hair curtains were slightly larger than the linen ones, and they too were joined in sets — five together and six together — with brass clasps fastening them. The extra length of these curtains was designed to hang down over the back and sides of the tabernacle, providing full coverage and protection. Over the goat hair curtains, the LORD directed Moses to place two more layers of coverings: one made of ram skins dyed red, and another outermost layer made of badger skins, shielding the entire structure from the elements. The framework of the tabernacle was to be constructed from upright frames made of shittim wood, each overlaid with gold. These frames were fitted with silver bases and connected by gold-covered crossbars running through rings, creating a sturdy and stable structure. Specific numbers and dimensions were given for each side — twenty frames for the north and south sides, eight for the west — ensuring precise and uniform construction. Finally, the LORD gave instructions for the inner curtain, or veil, which was to be made of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, again with cherubim worked into it. This veil was to be hung on four gold-overlaid shittim posts with gold hooks and silver bases, and it served as the dividing barrier separating the holy place from the most holy place, where the ark of the testimony would rest. A second curtain was to be made for the entrance of the tent, hung on five posts.

Exodus 25

Read Exodus 25 [https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/exo/25/1/s_75001]. The LORD instructed Moses to collect offerings from the Israelites — gold, silver, and brass; blue, purple, and scarlet; fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red; badger skin; shittim wood; oil; spices; and onyx and other precious stones. These were to be freewill offerings, given from the heart. The purpose of these materials was to construct a sanctuary so that the LORD could live among his people. The LORD then gave Moses precise instructions for building the ark of the testimony. It was to be a chest made of shittim wood, overlaid inside and out with pure gold, with a gold molding around it. Gold rings were to be attached to its four feet, through which shittim wood poles — also overlaid with gold — would be inserted for carrying. Into the ark, Moses was to place the testimony that God would provide. The lid of the ark, called the mercy seat, is also described in detail. It was to be made of pure gold, with two golden cherubim crafted at each end, their wings spread upward to overshadow the cover and their faces turned toward it. The LORD declared that he would meet with Moses and speak to him from above this cover, between the two cherubim. Next, the LORD gave instructions for a table, also made of shittim wood overlaid with gold and fitted with gold rings and carrying poles. The table was to hold the shewbread, and various dishes and spoons made of pure gold were to be made to accompany it. Finally, the LORD described the candlestick, which was to be made entirely of pure hammered gold. It would have a central shaft with six branches extending from its sides — three on each side — each branch adorned with cup-shaped blossoms in the style of almond flowers. The candlestick was to have seven lamps set on it to give light, along with accompanying tools such as tongs and snuffdishes, all made of pure gold. God noted that the entire candlestick and its accessories were to be made according to the exact pattern he had shown Moses on the mountain.

Exodus 24

Read Exodus 24 [https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/exo/24/1/s_74001]. Moses relayed to the people all the words and ordinances the LORD had spoken, and the people responded with unanimous agreement, pledging to obey everything God had commanded. Moses then wrote down all the LORD's words and rose early the next morning to build an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai, along with twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. He sent young Israelite men to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice oxen as peace offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood from the sacrifices and put it in basins, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. He then read the book of the covenant aloud to the people, who again affirmed their commitment to obey all that the LORD had spoken. Moses sprinkled blood on the people, declaring it the blood of the covenant that God had made with them based on all these words. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel then ascended the mountain, where they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself. God did not strike down these leaders of Israel — they saw Him, and they ate and drank together in His presence. Afterward, the LORD called Moses to come up higher on the mountain to receive the stone tablets on which God had written the law and commandments. Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, instructing the elders to wait and to refer any disputes to Aaron and Hur in his absence. As Moses went up, a cloud covered the mountain, and the glory of the LORD settled upon Mount Sinai for six days. On the seventh day, the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites watching below, the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire blazing on top of the mountain. Moses entered the cloud and went up the mountain, where he stayed for forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 23

Read Exodus 23 [https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/exo/23/1/s_73001]. Exodus 23 continues the LORD God's instructions to Moses and the children of Israel by outlining a series of laws governing justice, honesty, and fair treatment among the Israelites. The LORD commanded that no one spread false reports or join with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. The people were told not to follow a crowd in doing wrong, nor to pervert justice simply by siding with the majority. Even showing partiality to the poor in a lawsuit was forbidden. The LORD also instructed the Israelites on how to treat their enemies fairly. Even if a person disliked his neighbor, he was still required to return a stray ox or donkey and to help an overburdened animal, regardless of whether the owner was a friend or foe. In the courts, the people were not to deny justice to the poor, they were to avoid false charges, and they were to not accept bribes, since bribes blind the wise and twist the words of the innocent. Exodus 23 then turns to the sabbatical laws governing agricultural life. The Israelites were commanded to sow and harvest their fields for six years, but in the seventh year they were to let the land rest and lie fallow, allowing poor people and wild animals to eat whatever grew on its own. Similarly, they were to work for six days each week but rest on the seventh, so that their servants, animals, and foreigners among them could also be refreshed. The LORD then gave three specific commands related to religious integrity. The people were told not to invoke the names of other gods or even let those names be heard on their lips. They were required to observe three annual feasts: the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of harvest, and the feast of ingathering. All men were to appear before the LORD God three times a year in connection with these celebrations. Additional instructions accompanied these feasts — no one was to offer the blood of a sacrifice along with leavened bread, the fat of a festival offering was not to remain until morning, and the best of the firstfruits of the land were to be brought to the house of the LORD. The well-known prohibition against boiling a young goat in its mother's milk was also given here. Exodus 23 closes with the LORD's promise to send an Angel before the Israelites to guard them on the way and bring them to the land prepared for them. He warned the people to pay attention to this Angel and obey him, for the LORD's name was in him and he would not pardon sin. If the Israelites obeyed and did not worship the gods of the Canaanite peoples, the LORD promised to be an enemy to their enemies and to oppose those who opposed them. The Angel would go before them and drive out the various peoples of Canaan little by little, so that the land would not become desolate and overrun by wild animals before Israel could fill it. Finally, the LORD defined the boundaries of the land Israel would inhabit — from the Red sea to the sea of the Philistines, and "from the desert unto the river." He charged the people not to make any covenants with the inhabitants of Canaan or with their gods, and not to allow those peoples to live in the land with them; if the Israelites let them to stay, they would become a snare, drawing Israel into sin and unfaithfulness to the LORD God.

Exodus 22

Read Exodus 22 [https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/exo/22/1/s_72001]. Exodus 22 continues the legal code God gave to Moses, opening with laws concerning theft and property damage. If a man stole an ox or sheep and slaughtered or sold it, he was required to pay back multiple animals in restitution. A thief caught in the act at night could be struck down without guilt, but killing a thief in daylight carried the penalty of blood guilt. If a thief had nothing to repay, he was to be sold into servitude. If the stolen animal was found alive in his possession, he repaid double. The law then addressed damages caused by grazing animals and fire. If a man let his livestock graze in another's field or vineyard, he was to make restitution from the best of his own produce. If a fire spread and destroyed another's grain or field, whoever started the fire was required to make full restitution. God then gave laws governing disputes over property held in trust. If a man entrusted money or goods to a neighbor for safekeeping, and those items were stolen, the thief — if found — paid double. If the thief was not found, the matter was brought before the judges to determine whether the keeper had taken the goods himself. Similarly, disputes over borrowed or hired animals were to be settled before the judges, and the outcome depended on whether negligence or unavoidable misfortune was to blame. Exodus 22 then turns to social and moral laws. If a man seduced an unbetrothed virgin, he was required to pay the dowry and marry her. If her father refused to give her to him, the man still had to pay the dowry. Witches were not to be permitted to live, and anyone who lay with an animal was to be put to death. Those who sacrificed to any god other than the LORD alone were to be destroyed. God then commanded Israel to show compassion to the vulnerable. Foreigners were not to be mistreated or oppressed, since Israel itself had been foreigners in Egypt. Widows and orphans were not to be exploited; if they cried out to God, He warned that His anger would burn and He would strike down the oppressors, leaving their own wives as widows and children as orphans. The poor were to be treated with fairness; if a man lent money to the poor, he was not to charge excessive interest. If a neighbor's cloak was taken as a pledge, it had to be returned before sunset, since it was his only covering for the night. Exodus 22 closes with several brief but weighty commands. "The gods" (possibly the judges) were not to be scorned, and the rulers of the people were not to be cursed. The firstfruits of harvests and the firstborn of sons and livestock were to be given to God. Finally, Israel was called to be a holy people, which in this context meant they were not to eat meat torn by wild animals in the field — such meat was to be thrown to the dogs.