Exodus 28

1 “Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests.

And do you take to yourself both Aaron your brother, and his sons, even [them] of the children of Israel; so that Aaron, and Nadab and Abiud, and Eleazar and Ithamar, sons of Aaron, may minister to me.

2 Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, to give him glory and splendor.

And you shall make holy apparel for Aaron your brother, for honor and glory.

3 You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as priest.

And speak you to all those who are wise in understanding, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom and perception; and they shall make the holy apparel of Aaron for the sanctuary, in which [apparel] he shall minister to me as priest.

4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may serve Me as priests.

And these are the garments which they shall make: the breast-plate, and the shoulder-piece, and the full-length robe, and the tunic with a fringe, and the tire, and the girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron and his sons to minister to me as priests.

5 They shall use gold, along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.

6 They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn.

And they shall make the shoulder-piece of fine linen spun, the woven work of the embroiderer.

7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached at two of its corners, so it can be fastened.

It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined together, fastened on the two sides.

8 And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod must be of one piece, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.

And the woven work of the shoulder-pieces which is upon it, shall be of one piece according to the work, of pure gold and blue and purple, and spun scarlet and fine twined linen.

9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel:

And you shall take the two stones, the stones of emerald, and you shall grave on them the names of the children of Israel.

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

Six names on the first stone, and the other six names on the second stone, according to their births.

11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings.

[It shall be] the work of the stone-engraver's are; as the graving of a seal you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel.

12 Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.

And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the shoulder-piece: they are memorial-stones for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel before the Lord on his two shoulders, a memorial for them.

13 Fashion gold filigree settings

And you shall make circlets of pure gold;

14 and two chains of pure gold, made of braided cord work; and attach these chains to the settings.

and you shall make two fringes of pure gold, variegated with flowers wreathen work; and you shall put the wreathen fringes on the circlets, fastening them on their shoulder-pieces in front.

15 You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.

And you shall make the oracle of judgment, the work of the embroiderer: in keeping with the ephod, you shall make it of gold, and blue and purple, and spun scarlet, and fine linen spun.

16 It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

You shall make it square: it shall be double; of a span the length of it, and of a span the breadth.

17 And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;

And you shall interweave with it a texture of four rows of stone; there shall be a row of stones, a sardius, a topaz, and emerald, the first row.

18 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

And the second row, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a jasper.

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

And the third row, a ligure, an agate, an amethyst:

20 and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings.

and the fourth row, a chrysolite, and a beryl, and an onyx stone, set round with gold, bound together with gold: let them be according to their row.

21 The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

And let the stones of the names of the children of Israel be twelve according to their names, engravings as of seals: let them be for the twelve tribes each according to the name.

22 For the breastpiece, make braided chains like cords of pure gold.

And you shall make on the oracle woven fringes, a chain-work of pure gold.

23 You are also to make two gold rings and fasten them to the two corners of the breastpiece.

And Aaron shall take the names of the children of Israel, on the oracle of judgment on his breast; a memorial before God for him as he goes into the sanctuary.

24 Then fasten the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece,

And you shall put the fringes on the oracle of judgment; you shall put the wreaths on both sides of the oracle,

25 and fasten the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.

and you shall put the two circlets on both the shoulders of the ephod in front.

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

And you shall put the Manifestation and the Truth on the oracle of judgment; and it shall be on the breast of Aaron, when he goes into the holy place before the Lord; and Aaron shall bear the judgments of the children of Israel on his breast before the Lord continually.

27 Make two additional gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near its seam just above its woven waistband.

And you shall make the full-length tunic all of blue.

28 The rings of the breastpiece shall be tied to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the waistband of the ephod and does not swing out from the ephod.

And the opening of it shall be in the middle having a fringe round about the opening, the work of the weaver, woven together in the joining of the same piece that it might not be tore.

29 Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he shall bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder before the LORD.

And under the fringe of the robe below you shall make as it were pomegranates of a flowering pomegranate tree, of blue, and purple, and spun scarlet, and fine linen spun, under the fringe of the robe round about: golden pomegranates of the same shape, and bells round about between these.

30 And place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will continually carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD.

A bell by the side of a golden pomegranate, and flower-work on the fringe of the robe round about.

31 You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth,

And the sound of Aaron shall be audible when he ministers, as he goes into the sanctuary before the Lord, and has he goes out, that he die not.

32 with an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening shall be a woven collar with an opening like that of a garment, so that it will not tear.

And you shall make a plate [of] pure gold, and you shall grave on it [as] the graving of a signet, Holiness of the Lord.

33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all the way around the lower hem, with gold bells between them,

And you shall put it on the spun blue cloth, and it shall be on the mitre: it shall be in the front of the mitre.

34 alternating the gold bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe.

And it shall be on the forehead of Aaron; and Aaron shall bear away the sins of their holy things, all that the children of Israel shall sanctify of every gift of their holy things, and it shall be on the forehead of Aaron continually acceptable for them before the Lord.

35 Aaron must wear the robe whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters or exits the sanctuary before the LORD, so that he will not die.

And the fringes of the garments [shall be] of fine linen; and you shall make a tire of fine linen, and you shall make a girdle, the work of the embroiderer.

36 You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.

And for the sons of Aaron you shall make tunics and girdles, and you shall make for them tires for honor and glory.

37 Fasten to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban.

And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, and you shall anoint them and fill their hands: and you shall sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.

38 And it will be worn on Aaron’s forehead, so that he may bear the iniquity of the holy things that the sons of Israel consecrate with regard to all their holy gifts. It shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be acceptable before the LORD.

And you shall make for them linen drawers to cover the nakedness of their flesh; they shall reach from the loins to the thighs.

39 You are to weave the tunic with fine linen, make the turban of fine linen, and fashion an embroidered sash.

And Aaron shall have them, and his sons, whenever they enter into the tabernacle of witness, or when they shall advance to the altar of the sanctuary to minister, so they shall not bring sin upon themselves, lest they die: [it is] a perpetual statute for him, and for his seed after him.

40 Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons, to give them glory and splendor.

41 After you put these garments on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them so that they may serve Me as priests.

42 Make linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh, extending from waist to thigh.

43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants.