Exodus 28

1 “Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office: Aaron, with Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

Have your brother Aaron come to you, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. They of all the Israelites are to serve me as priests.

2 You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

You are to have holy clothing made for your brother Aaron to make him look splendid and dignified.

3 You shall speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

You are to give instructions to all the skilful workers, to those who have received from me their abilities, as to how to make clothing for Aaron's dedication, so that he can serve me as priest.

4 These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

These are the clothes for them to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a pleated tunic, a turban, and a sash. These are the holy clothes they shall make for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they can serve me as priests.

5 They shall use the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.

The workers are to use gold thread, together with blue, purple, and crimson thread, and finely-spun linen.

6 “They shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skillful workman.

They are to make the ephod of finely-woven linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and crimson thread, skillfully worked.

7 It shall have two shoulder straps joined to the two ends of it, that it may be joined together.

Two shoulder pieces are to be attached to the front and back pieces.

8 The skillfully woven band, which is on it, shall be like its work and of the same piece; of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.

The waistband of the ephod is to be one piece made in the same way, using gold thread, with blue, purple, and crimson thread, and with finely-woven linen.

9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel.

Engrave on two onyx stones the names of the Israelite tribes,

10 Six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

six names on one stone and six on the other, in birth order.

11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel. You shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.

Engrave the names on the two stones the same way a jeweler engraves a personal seal. Then place the stones in ornamental gold settings.

12 You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel. Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial.

Attach both stones to the shoulder pieces of the ephod as reminders for the Israelite tribes. Aaron is to wear their names on his two shoulders to remind the Israelites that he represents them when he goes into the Lord's presence.

13 You shall make settings of gold,

Make ornamental gold settings

14 and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them like cords of braided work. You shall put the braided chains on the settings.

and two braided chains of pure gold, and fasten these chains to the settings.

15 “You shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, you shall make it.

You are also to make a breastpiece for decisions in the same skilful way as the ephod, to be used in determining the Lord's will. Make it using gold thread, with blue, purple, and crimson thread, and with finely-woven linen.

16 It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length, and a span its width.

It has to be square when folded, measuring around nine inches in length and width.

17 You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row;

Attach an arrangement of precious stones in four rows as follows. In the first row carnelian, peridot, and emerald.

18 and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;

In the second row turquoise, lapis lazuli, and sardonyx.

19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

In the third row jacinth, agate, and amethyst.

20 and the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be enclosed in gold in their settings.

In the fourth row topaz, beryl, and jasper. Place these stones in ornamental gold settings.

21 The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.

Each of the twelve stones will be engraved like a personal seal with the name of one of the twelve Israelites tribes and will represent them.

22 You shall make on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.

Make cords of braided chains from pure gold to attach the breastpiece.

23 You shall make on the breastplate two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

Make two gold rings and fasten them to the two top corners of the breastpiece.

24 You shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.

Attach the two gold chains to the two gold rings on the corners of the breastpiece,

25 The other two ends of the two braided chains you shall put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in its forepart.

and then fasten the opposite ends of the two chains to the ornamental gold settings on the shoulder pieces of the front side of the ephod.

26 You shall make two rings of gold, and you shall put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which is toward the side of the ephod inward.

Make two more gold rings and attach them to the two lower corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.

27 You shall make two rings of gold, and shall put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath, in its forepart, close by its coupling, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the front side of the ephod, near where it joins its woven waistband.

28 They shall bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate may not swing out from the ephod.

Tie the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue thread, so that the breastpiece won't come loose from the ephod.

29 Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

Like this, whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will wear the names of the Israelite tribes over his heart on the breastpiece, as a constant reminder before the Lord.

30 You shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before the LORD continually.

Place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece of decision, so that they too will be over Aaron's heart whenever he comes into the Lord's presence. Aaron will continually carry the means of gaining decisions over his heart before the Lord.

31 “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

Make the robe that goes with the ephod exclusively from blue cloth,

32 It shall have a hole for the head in the middle of it. It shall have a binding of woven work around its hole, as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it not be torn.

with an opening in the middle at the top. Stitch a woven collar around the opening to strengthen it so it won't tear.

33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, all around its hem; with bells of gold between and around them:

Make pomegranates using blue, purple, and crimson thread and attach them all the way around its hem, with gold bells between them,

34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.

having the gold bells and the pomegranates alternate.

35 It shall be on Aaron to minister: and its sound shall be heard when he goes in to the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, that he not die.

Aaron is to wear the robe whenever he serves, and the sound it makes will be heard when he enters or leaves the sanctuary as he goes into the Lord's presence, so that he won't die.

36 “You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘HOLY TO THE LORD.’

Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it like a seal, “Holy to the Lord.”

37 You shall put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be on the sash. It shall be on the front of the sash.

Attach it to the front of the turban using a blue cord.

38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall make holy in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

Aaron will wear it on his forehead, so that he may take responsibility for the guilt of the offerings the Israelites make, and this applies to all their holy gifts. It must always remain on his forehead in order that the people are accepted in the Lord's presence.

39 You shall weave the tunic with fine linen. You shall make a turban of fine linen. You shall make a sash, the work of the embroiderer.

Weave the tunic with finely-spun linen and make the turban of the same material, and also make sash and have it embroidered.

40 “You shall make tunics for Aaron’s sons. You shall make sashes for them. You shall make headbands for them, for glory and for beauty.

Make tunics, sashes, and headdresses for Aaron's sons, so that they will look splendid and dignified.

41 You shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.

Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons and then anoint them and ordain them. Dedicate them so that they can serve me as priests.

42 You shall make them linen pants to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the waist even to the thighs.

Make linen undershorts to cover their bare bodies, reaching from waist to thigh.

43 They shall be on Aaron and on his sons, when they go in to the Tent of Meeting, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy place, that they do not bear iniquity, and die. This shall be a statute forever to him and to his offspring after him.

Aaron and his sons are to wear them when they enter the Tent of Meeting or when they approach the altar to serve in the Holy Place, so that they will not bring guilt on themselves and die. This is a law for Aaron and his descendants forever.