When forty days and as many nights were expired, Moses came down; having tasted nothing of food usually appointed for the nourishment of men. His appearance filled the army with gladness; and he declared to them, what care God had of them, and by what manner of conduct they might live happily telling them that, during his absence, God had suggested to him* also that he would have a tabernacle built for him, into which he would descend when he came to them; and how they should carry it about with them when they removed and that there should be no longer any occasion for going up to mount Sinai; but that he would himself come and pitch his tabernacle amongst them, and be present at their prayers. As also that the tabernacle should be of such measures and construction as he had shewed him; and that the work must be immediately begun, and prosecuted diligently. When he had said this, he shewed them the two tables, with the Ten Commandments engraven upon them, five upon each table, and the writing was by the hand of God.

CHAP. VI.

OF THE TABERNACLE WHICH MOSES BUILT IN THE WILDERNESS, FOR THE HONOUR OF GOD.

NOW the Israelites rejoiced at what they had seen and heard of their conductor; and were not wanting in diligence according to their ability; but they brought silver, and gold, and brass, and the best sorts of wood, and such as would not at all decay by putrefaction; camels' hair also, and sheep-skins; some of them dyed of a blue colour, and some of a scarlet ; some brought the flower for the purple colour, and others for white, with wool dyed by the aforementioned flowers; and fine linen, and precious stones, which those that use costly ornaments set in ounces of gold: they brought also a great quanti

It is a query whether Josephus, in all his own transcripts, omitted here the heinous sin of the Israelites, in making and worshipping the golden calf, or the Egyptian Apis, made of wood, but covered over with cast gold round about it. See Isaiah xl. 19, 20. Jer. x. 3, 4, and Hab. ii. 19.

ty of spices. For of these materials did Moses build the tabernacle which did not at all differ from a moveable temple. Now when these things were brought together with great diligence, (for every one was ambitious to further the work, even beyond their ability,) he set architects over the works, and this by the command of God: and indeed the very same which the people themselves would have chosen, had the election been allowed to them. Now their names are set down in writing in the sacred books; and they were these, Bazaleel, the son of Uri, of the tribe of Judah, the grandson of Miriam, the sister of their conductor; and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Now the people went on with what they had undertaken with so great alacrity, that Moses was obliged to restrain them, by making proclamation, that what had been brought was sufficient, as the artificers had informed him: so they fell to work upon the building of the tabernacle. Moses also informed them, according to the direction of God, both what the measures were to be, and its dimensions; and how many vessels it ought to contain, for the use of the sacrifices. The women also were ambitious to do their parts about the garments of the priests, and about other things that would be wanted in this work, both for ornament, and for the divine service itself.

When all things were prepared, the gold, and the silver, and and the brass, and what was woven, Moses having previously appointed that there should be a festival, and that sacrifices should be offered according to every one's ability, reared up the tabernacle. And when he had measured the open coart, fifty cubits broad, and a hundred long, he set up brazen pillars five cubits high; twenty on each of the longer sides, and ten pillars for the breadth behind. Every one of the pillars also had a ring. Their chapiters were of silver, but their bases were of brass; they resembled the sharp ends of spears, and were of brass, fixed into the ground. Cords were also put through the rings, and were tied at the farther ends to brass nails of a cubit long, which at every pillar were driven into the floor, and would keep the tabernacle from being shaken by the violence of winds. But a curtain of fine soft linen went round all the pillars, and hung down in a flowing manner from their chapiters, and enclosed the whole space, forming a kind of wall about

it. Such was the structure of three of the sides of this enclosure: but as for the fourth side, which was fifty cubits in extent, and was the front of the whole; twenty cubits of it were for the opening at the gates, wherein stood two pillars on each side, after the resemblance of open gates; these were made wholly of silver, and polished all over, excepting the bases, which were of brass. Now on each side of the gates there stood three pillars, which were inserted into the concave bases of the gates, and were suited to them; and round them was drawn a curtain of fine linen. But to the gates themselves, which were twenty cubits in extent, and five in height, the curtain was composed of purple, and scarlet, and blue, and fine linen; and embroidered with divers sorts of figures, excepting the figures of animals. Within these gates was the brazen laver, for purification, having a bason beneath of the like matter: in which the priests might wash their hands,* and sprinkle their feet.— And this was the ornamental construction of the enclosure about the court of the tabernacle, which was exposed to the open air.

As to the tabernacle itself, Moses placed it in the middle of that court, with its front to the east; that when the sun rose, it might send its first rays upon it. Its length, when it was set up, was thirty cubits, and its breadth was ten cubits. One of its walls was on the south, and the other was exposed to the north, and on the back part of it remained the west. It was necessary that its height should be equal to its breadth, ten cubits.There were also pillars made of wood, twenty on each side; they were wrought into a quadrangular figure, in breadth a cubit and a half, but the thickness was four fingers: they had thin plates of gold affixed to them, on both sides, inwardly and outwardly they had also each of them, two silver tenons, inserted into their bases; in each of which was a socket to receive the tenon. But the pillars on the western wall were six. Now all these tenons and sockets accurately fitted one another, insomuch that the joints were invisible; and both seemed to be one united wall: it was also covered with gold, both within and without. The number of pillars was equal on the opposite sides. and there were on each part twenty; and every one had the third part of a span in thickness: so that the number of thirty

cubits were fully made up between them. But as to the wall behind, where the six pillars made up together only nine cubits, they made two other pillars, and cut them out of one cubit, which they placed in the corners, and made them equally fine with the others. Now every one of the pillars had rings of gold affixed to their fronts outward, as if they had taken root in the pillars, and stood one row over against another round about; through which were inserted gilded bars, each of them five cubits long, and these bound together the pillars; the head of one bar running into another, after the nature of one tenon inserted into another. But for the wall behind, there was but one row of bars that went through all the pillars: into which row ran the ends of the bars on each side of the longer walls; and all joined so fast together, that the tabernacle could not be shaken, either by the winds, or by any other means; but remained firm, quiet, and immoveable.

As for the inside, Moses divided its length into three partitions. At the distance of ten cubits from the most sacred end, he placed four pillars; whose workmanship was the same with that of the rest, and they stood upon the like bases with them; each at a small distance from his fellow. Now the room within those pillars was the most holy place: but the rest of the room was the tabernacle, which was open for the priests.However this proportion of the measures of the tabernacle proved to be an imitation of the system of the world; for that third part which was within the four pillars, to which the priests were not admitted, is, as it were, a heaven, peculiar to God; but the space of the twenty cubits, is, as it were, sea and land, on which men live, and so this part is peculiar to the priests only. At the front, where the entrance was made, they placed seven pillars of gold, that stood on bases of brass; and they spread over the tabernacle veils of fine linen, and purple, and blue, and scarlet colours, embroidered. The first veil was ten cubits every way; and this was spread oyer the pillars which parted the temple, and kept the most holy place concealed within; and this veil was that which made this part not visible to any. Now the whole temple was called the Holy Place; but that part which was within the four pillars, and to which none were admitted, was called the Holy of Holies. This veil was very ornamental, and embroidered with all sorts of fine flowers; and