Ark of the Covenant

Ras Sadiki-I standing before the Temple of the Tablets and St. Mary of Zion

Building a New Temple for the Ark of the Covenant

OUR DIVINE HERITAGE –
AFRICA’S FUTURE

TO GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HATH DONE.

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER,
THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Exodus 25

²Speak 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.

⁸And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

⁹According 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.

¹⁰And 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

²⁰And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

²¹And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

²²And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

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Two weeks before I met Ras Sadiki-I, I reconnected with a dear sister, Glenda Phillips Lee-Yuk whom I had originally met at the Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church of North and South America in Harlem.  We had not been in communication for more than 2 years. The following week she invited me to a conference of Bishops in Brooklyn but I was unable to go. When I called her to apologize she said there was someone there from Ethiopia that I really should meet. I asked her, please give him my number and ask him to call me any time. She did. That night I received a call from an associate from the Bronx (Jah Wayne) with whom I had not had any communication with for at least 5 years – 6 years.  He greeted me and congratulated me on being the International President of the Ethiopian World Federation – which he said he found out on Facebook.  However, he said that the real reason he called me was that he had someone there with him that I needed to speak to.  It happened to be the same person that Pastor Glenda had wanted me to meet.

I had a very interesting conversation with Ras Sadiki I, and he promised that he would visit with me.  I was on pins and needles waiting to meet with him because of what he shared with me.  Is there any icon or symbol in Christendom more holy, more divine, mystic and spiritual than the Ark of the Covenant? What a blessing to be asked to participate in something so holy, so divine, so historical, so in keeping with God’s purpose for us, so required by the EWF, Inc. Constitution and By-laws – protecting our Divine Heritage, preserving ancient Ethiopian culture and To usher in the teaching and practice of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.

So Ras Sadiki I visited with me and told me his story – about how he came to be ordained by the Priests of the Temple and the Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant to undertake the mission of raising funds to build a new temple for the Ark of the Covenant:

After many miraculous events in his life as he travelled to Africa from Boston where he had made his home when he migrated from Montserrat – he visited the Temple that houses the Ark of the Covenant in Aksum because he wanted to pray there.  He had visited Senegal, Gambia and other African nations and met many well-known entertainers and public figures. In Senegal he met the Mbala King of Senegal, Thione Seck.  He was also blessed to meet the Highest Imam of the Muslim Mouridism sect in the Holy City of Touba, Sheik Saliou Mbacke who greeted him smiling with joy as if he was someone he knew, and who prayed for him.  Sheikh Saliou was the son of the Muslim leader, Amadou Bamba, whose legendary story is known internationally. He had been thrown to the lions by the French colonizers and the lions had not harmed him. He showed me the copy of the photograph of Amadou Bamba in the lions’ den with the lion beside him. So Amadou Bamba was then taken on a French ship to be exiled to Gabon and was ordered not to pray on the ship.  The soldiers on the ship later reported that while at sea, Amadou Bamba escaped his chains, jumped overboard and a prayer mat appeared on the ocean. He sat on it and was able to pray.

Ras Sadiki-I had met a special group of brethren and sistren who are followers of Amadou Bamba

Ras Sadiki-I and the Bifals

(the Bifals) and who wear dreadlocked hair – they see Amadou Bamba in the same way Rastafarians see His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I.  I later learned that this Muslim sect does have an historic connection to Ethiopia.  When he told the brethren that he had met Sheik Saliou, they were shocked and found it hard to believe because they said they had lived in the area for so long and never had the honor to meet him. They asked if he had prayed for Ras Sadiki I, and when he answered “Yes”, they fell down on their knees around him and asked him to touch them and pray for them – in order to extend the Sheikh’s blessings to them.

One month after he met Sheik Saliou, Sheik Saliou died. His followers said of Ras Sadiki-I “He had been waiting for you”.  They started calling him the American Sheik Saliou.  Sheik Saliou was the last living son of Amadou Bamba and on his death, the position of leader of the Mouridism sect was passed down to a grandson of Amadou Bamba, Elharji Barra.  Ras Sadiki-I was also honored to meet him  and be blessed by him, but he died 3 months after.  Ras Sadiki-I later came to realize that their prayers were preparing him for what was before him, and unintentionally, but as divinely ordered, He was being connected with both sides of Abraham’s seed – both Hagar’s and Sara’s.

He was now told by the Spirit of God to cut his beautiful dreadlocks. In his journeys through Africa he had met many important and high ranking personalities.  But God spoke to him in Spirit and told him he had plans for him.  God told him there were even more important people he was going to meet but he would be judged “before he got inside the gate”.  That was the reason he had to cut his locks. I saw the videos of Ras Sadiki in Senegal where he had the locks – one of the most attractive bongo natties I had ever seen.  So I could fully relate to the fight within him before he finally decided to submit to the spirit and cut his hair after he asked God to give him a sign.  God gave him three signs. He cut his hair.

His intention in traveling to Africa was to build a hotel in Ethiopia, and he went to Axum in order to pray at the Ark of the Covenant. When he visited the Temple that houses the Ark of the Covenant, he took pictures.  He went home, and looking at the pictures he saw the state of the dome and the fence.  He returned to Axum and asked to meet the Guardian Monk of the Ark of the Covenant but he was told that the chances of meeting the Guardian Monk and talking with him was almost nil – especially being a foreigner.  However, after waiting only 5 minutes, the Priest returned with the Monk who prayed for him through the fence.  He told the Priests he wanted to repair the dome and paint the fence. The Guardian Monk gave him permission to paint the fence but he was told that the dome was leaking and that it could not be fixed while the Ark of the Covenant was in the building.

The fence is now painted royally in green, gold and red, the official colors of the original colors of Ethiopia and that of the Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. as ordained in our Constitution and By-Laws.  And there was now a tarpaulin covering the Dome of the Temple for protection from the elements.  At first Ras Sadiki-I was only able to speak with the Guardian Monk outside of the fence.  Later on, the video he showed me, it shows him having a meal with the Monk in the Monk’s quarters. That reminded me of what God had said to him that he was going to meet people of much more importance and “You will be judged before you get inside the gate.” If he had not been obedient to God and cut his locks, he may not have been given the access to the Guardian Monk. The Monk does not normally allow people to take pictures of him, much less to eat with him.  The guardian Monk even gave him a photograph of himself.

Shortly thereafter, the Priests handed the specifications for building a new Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant to Ras Sadiki-I and told him he was being assigned the job to build the new Temple. The Priests told him that they had been holding the specification for two years – they had been waiting for someone to come. He showed me the specifications. I actually touched it! They explained that when the new building is completed, then the Ark would be moved and the repairs could begin on the original Temple. This was when he realized that all along God was preparing him for this. The Guardian Monk recognized and chose him to be the builder of the new Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant.

Ras Sadiki-I donated a large sum of money to the construction of the temple on two different occasions. Thus they were able to begin the project. The video I saw showed him laying the first three stones in the foundation while the bare-footed Monk blessed the stones with the maskel in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

When he had first visited Ethiopia, he was also welcomed warmly by the Priest of Bet Giyorgis Church in Lalibela (that Church cut out in the rock in the shape of a cross that is so well recognized in so many photographs on the internet). His guide told him that the priest had seen hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists come to the Temple each year and he had never before seen the Priest get up and approach anyone so enthusiastically, greeting them and then blessing them the way he received Ras Sadiki-I.  When he returned to the U.S. he received an email from the guide who had by now become his friend.  He told him that the Priest at Bet Giyorgis had been asking about him.  He was surprised that the priest even remembered him.  When he returned to Ethiopia and visited the church again, the Priest was outside strolling along and talking with some visitors.  When he saw him, he immediately left those folks and, almost running, hurried towards him and greeted him like an old friend.  Ras Sadiki-I was curious and asked the Priest what it was about him that made him remember him and greet him so warmly.  He said he didn’t know, but it was what he felt in his heart.  The video shows the Priest wrapping him in a white prayer cloth on the steps of the church.

They developed a beautiful friendship, and the Priest told him he should visit another church about 20 kilometers away.  This church was not a very well-known one because visitors would have to walk some of the distance and cross a river.  They told him that river has never dried up – not even in the longest drought in Ethiopia.  In his obedience he went and visited the church. On the way he was told to splash himself with the water from the river to receive special blessings. We see him do this in the video. This was a church which was older than most of the other churches. It was originally built in a cave but the cave had collapsed over time and they had built a structure around what was left of the church.  The Holy of Holies was still intact, behind a door that he was told was over 1,000 years old. They showed him the stain where the water had drained into the church (from the cave) for probably thousands of years.  This was the holy water that was used by the church before the cave collapsed.  However, the structure around the church was now in disrepair, so he immediately made arrangements to have the repairs done. He shows on the video the repaired structure.

Emperor Haile Selassie I had sent a tent as a gift to the church in 1952.  They showed him the proclamation in Amharic on a cloth banner.  He was also told that when Empress Menen was sick with her hand, His Imperial Majesty sent for the Priest to bring the maskel of that church which he laid on Her and immediately Her hand was healed.  Ras Sadiki was honored to have that same maskel that was used to heal Empress Menen laid on him to bless him.

Ras Sadiki-I, a Rastafarian from Montserrat, who loves Africa so much he visited 9 times, cut his locks in obedience to God.  Based on his obedience he was later baptized in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tawahedo Church by none other than the Guardian Monk of the Ark of the Covenant, attended by around 20 other high ranking priests of the Church. His baptism was not witnessed by a congregation. It was just him and the Priests – in his birthday suit. The guardian Monk arrived under armed guard that waited outside as the ceremony took place. This was a landmark, once in eternity event as well. No other Guardian of the Ark in history had ever baptized anyone. After the first ceremony he was taken to the Monastery of Our Lady Of Zion and anointed again with the Oil of David.  After the baptism ceremonies were complete, the Priests celebrated with Ras Sadiki-I in a reception he had arranged for them in the hotel in Aksum where he was staying.  The priests sang and danced in the hotel, celebrating his baptism with joy. It is shown on the video.  The Guardian Monk did not attend – he had done his duty and gone back to the life of discipline and sacrifice to which he had been born. (Guardian Monks are prepared from birth for this duty).  He would not go into a hotel.

During his trod in Ethiopia Ras Sadiki I was given three (3) different church names by the various priests with whom he had come in contact.  It appears that these prelates of the church all recognized him as someone who was special and who had a special purpose.

He was given the name Haile Giyorgis by the priest of Bet Giyorgis Church in Lalibela (the name of his church…it means the power of Saint George).

The Archbishop Of Axum (Tigray) gave him the name Menbera Selassie (it means the dwelling place of the Trinity) and

The Guardian Monk gave him the name Fisaha Tsion (it means the happiness of Zion).

And in response to someone who questioned him when he later showed a group the video in Brooklyn recently; “Yes”, he had three private meetings with Abuna Paulos at his palace in Addis Ababa.

He was given charge and responsibility by the Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant and the administrative priests responsible for the Temple to build the new temple.  He was given direct instructions to come to the West to raise the funds needed. Read Exodus 25.  And he had the endorsement of the highest order of the Orthodox Priesthood in Ethiopia. So we humbly give thanks and praise that the Almighty God who reveals Himself to those of the Rastafari faith in the spirit and personality of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I, Jah Rastafari, the Defender of the Faith, has chosen to use us to His glory and give our membership the opportunity to be blessed by our involvement with this project.

The Ark of the Covenant was designed by our Father God speaking through Moses as a way for His presence to be made visible to the Children of Israel throughout the Exodus – to lead, guide and protect them as they were delivered from bondage in Egypt, wandering 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land.

Exodus 25: Verse 22

²²And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Every Knee Shall Bow

Could this be our opportunity in these days to have the blessing of the Ark of the Covenant to help guide the Repatriation that we seek after more than 400 years? Is this our pathway to properly organize and centralize to occupy the Land promised by His Imperial Majesty as our Divine Heritage – just as Canaan was promised to the children of Israel back then by a loving God who saw the suffering of His people under the whip of the Egyptians and who raised Moses as a leader and provided the Ark to clear the way for them?

God gave Moses the specifications to build the Ark of the Covenant. The Monk who is the closest person to the Ark, and the only human being on earth allowed to be in the presence of the Ark (where God resides among men and speaks to us from the Mercy Seat) gave Ras Sadiki-I the specifications to build the new temple. God Himself spoke to Moses from the Mercy Seat upon the Ark – wherever the Ark is God Himself is there.  He has not abandoned His people. He did not abandon His holy place in Mt. Zion!  In the traditional Anthem we sing at our EWF membership gatherings, it begins:

“Ethiopia the Land of our Fathers – the Land where our God (Jah) loves to be…. As the swift bee to hive sudden gather, thy children all gather to thee…”

Those of us who are members of His Majesty’s Church, The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, have a different perspective in regards to this holy icon than the general public because the history of the Ark of the Covenant and how it got to Ethiopia is always taught. (It is significant to me that when I was baptized at St. Gabriel Church in Brooklyn in the 90’s, His Majesty’s name was in the Liturgy.  But shortly thereafter the Church leaders removed his name, obviously on orders from Ethiopia).  But, whatever your beliefs, hold this closely to your heart. Share only with others you know. In the meantime the request is urgent.  If you doubt the story or if you are not moved to help, just ignore this and forgive my intrusion. Or make some investigation on your own if you so desire.

Ras Sadiki-I returns to Ethiopia before Ethiopian Easter. For those willing to help, please make your donation as soon as you can.  Your name will be placed in a book to be blessed by the Guardian Monk.  Ras Sadiki-I may also request that the book be placed in the Holy of Holies close to the Ark of the Covenant for continued and blessing and protection for eternity.

We pray that the African Diaspora community, the EWF, Inc. membership and the Rastafari community all come together to Rally Round the Ark of the Covenant.  We must be aware that what we do for the Ark of the Covenant, we do for the Almighty God, and our sacrifice will not be in vain. The Constitution and By-Laws given to the Black Peoples of the World by His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I, makes it incumbent that we take up this high and holy task. I am honored, blessed and favored that Ras Sadiki-I has seen it fit to include me on behalf of the EWF, Inc. to be involved in this project and I want to share that blessing.

Provided here are the links and banking information provided by Ras Sadiki-I to make your donation. When you make your donation, please send me an email – you do not have to state the amount. Also, remember the widow’s mite. It was more valuable that the many dollars of the rich. Let the spirit speak to your heart.

As we pray to Our Father: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

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DONATIONS

Donations can be made to Africa’s Future Corp. at PAYPAL.COM
Paypal.com:  

       Email on Paypal is AfricasFutureCorp@gmail.com

If you wish to make payment by check or Money Order, Mail to:

AFRICA’S FUTURE CORP.
P.O. BOX 226
NEWTON, MA  02456

Contact Ras Sadiki-I: rassadiki@gmail.com
or The Ethiopian World Federation,Inc.
ewfheadquarters@gmail.com  

Preamble and Aim and Objects of the Constitution
given to the Black Peoples of the World
in care of The Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. in 1937
by His Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia,
King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah

PREAMBLE: “We, the Black Peoples of the World, In order to effect Unity, Solidarity, Liberty, Freedom and Self-determination, to secure Justice and maintain the Integrity of Ethiopia, which is our Divine Heritage, do hereby establish and ordain this Constitution for The Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated.”

Article I  Section 2.  The aims and objects of the Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated, shall be:

(a)   To promote love and good-will among Ethiopians at home and abroad and thereby to maintain the integrity and sovereignty of Ethiopia, to disseminate the ancient Ethiopian culture among its members, to correct abuses, relieve oppression and carve for ourselves and our posterity, a destiny comparable with our idea of perfect manhood and God’s purpose in creating us; that we may not only save ourselves from annihilation, but carve for ourselves a place in the Sun: in this endeavor, we determine to seek peace and pursue it, for it is the will of God for man.

(b)  To promote and pursue happiness; for it is the goal of human life and endeavor.

(c)  To usher in the teaching and practice of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.

(d)  To promote and stimulate interest among its members in world affairs, and to cultivate a spirit of international goodwill and comity.

(e)  To promote friendly interest among its members, to develop a fraternal spirit among them and to inculcate in its members the desire to render voluntary aid and assistance to one another at all times.

(f)  To render voluntary aid and protection to its members, without fee or charge for same when in need. And, if necessary, to provide and care for refugees and disabled victims of the Italio-Ethiopian war.

(g)  To give concrete material and voluntary aid without fee or charge for the same, to all such refugees and disabled victims and to raise funds by voluntary subscription for the purposes aforementioned. There shall be no charge, fee, beneficiary tax or other assessment upon the members of the Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated, except for dues, provided for in the Constitution and By-Laws of the Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated.

(h)  To encourage its members to develop interest and pride in Democratic institutions and to promote Democratic principles and ideals. May God help us to accomplish these aims and ideals.

Request a complete copy of the Black People’s Constitution & By-Laws by e-mail to ewfheadquarters@gmail.com

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Exodus Chapter 25 and Some additional verses from Exodus on God’s Covenant with His children and building of the Ark and the tabernacle…..

Exodus 25

¹And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

²Speak 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.

³And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,

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

⁵And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,

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

⁷Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.

⁸And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

⁹According 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.

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹And 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.

¹²And 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.

¹³And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

¹⁴And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.

¹⁵The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.

¹⁶And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

¹⁷And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

¹⁸And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

¹⁹And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

²⁰And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

²¹And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

²²And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

²³Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

²⁴And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.

²⁵And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.

²⁶And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.

²⁷Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.

²⁸And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.

²⁹And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.

³⁰And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.

³¹And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

³²And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:

³³Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.

³⁴And in the candlesticks shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.

³⁵And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.

³⁶Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.

³⁷And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.

³⁸And the tongs thereof, and the snuff dishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.

³⁹Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.

⁴⁰And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

Exodus 27: 20-21

²⁰And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

²¹In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Exodus 29: 45-46

⁴⁵And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.

⁴⁶And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.

Exodus 30 14-16

¹⁴Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.

¹⁵The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

¹⁶And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

Exodus 31: 15-18

¹⁵Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

¹⁶Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

¹⁷It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

¹⁸And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exodus 32

⁷And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

⁸They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

⁹And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

¹⁰Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

¹¹And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

¹²Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

¹⁴And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

²⁶Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

²⁷And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

²⁸And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

²⁹For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Exodus 35

²¹And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.

²²And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.

²³And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them.

²⁴Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’s offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.

²⁵And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.

²⁶And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair.

²⁷And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;

²⁸And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.

²⁹The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

³⁰And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;

³¹And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;

³²And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

³³And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.

³⁴And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

³⁵Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

Exodus 40

³³And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

³⁴Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

³⁵And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

³⁶And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

³⁷But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

³⁸For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journey.