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.
17 And you shall make a mercy seat (a covering) of pure gold, two cubits and a half long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And you shall make two cherubim (winged angelic figures) of [solid] hammered gold on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub on each end, making the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat, on the two ends of it. 20 And the cherubim shall spread out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, facing each other and looking down toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony [the Ten Commandments] that I will give you. 22 There I will meet with you and, from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the Testimony, I will speak intimately with you of all which I will give you in commandment to the Israelites.