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.

“Bring Aaron [Light-bringer] your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel [God prevails], that he may minister to me in the priest’s office, even Aaron [Light-bringer], Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar [Help of God] and Ithamar, Aaron [Light-bringer]’s sons.

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

You shall make holy garments for Aaron [Light-bringer] your brother, for glory and for beauty.

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.

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

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.

These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron [Light-bringer] your brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel [God prevails]:

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

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.

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.

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 [God prevails]: you shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.

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.

You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel [God prevails]: and Aaron [Light-bringer] shall bear their names before Adonai on his two shoulders for a memorial.

13 Fashion gold filigree settings

You shall make settings of gold,

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

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

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.

“You shall make a breastplate of mishpat ·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.

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

It shall be square and folded double; a span [9 in; 22.86 cm] shall be its length, and a span [9 in; 22.86 cm] its width.

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;

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

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

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

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

and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and 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, an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be enclosed in gold in their settings.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Aaron [Light-bringer] shall bear the names of the children of Israel [God prevails] in the breastplate of mishpat ·judgment· on his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before Adonai continually.

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.

You shall put in the breastplate of mishpat ·judgment· the 'Urim ·Lights· and the Thummim ·Perfections·; and they shall be on Aaron [Light-bringer]’s heart, when he goes in before Adonai: and Aaron [Light-bringer] shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel [God prevails] on his heart before Adonai continually.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

It shall be on Aaron [Light-bringer] to minister: and its sound shall be sh'ma ·heard obeyed· when he goes in to the holy place before Adonai, and when he comes out, that he not die.

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

“You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘Holy To Yahweh.’

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

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

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.

It shall be on Aaron [Light-bringer]’s forehead, and Aaron [Light-bringer] shall bear the depravity (moral evil) of the holy things, which the children of Israel [God prevails] shall make holy in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always on his forehead, that they may be accepted before Adonai.

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

You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of the embroiderer.

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

“You shall make coats for Aaron [Light-bringer]’s sons, and you shall make sashes for them and you shall make headbands for them, for glory and for beauty.

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.

You shall put them on Aaron [Light-bringer] 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.

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

You shall make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the waist even to the thighs they shall reach:

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.

They shall be on Aaron [Light-bringer], 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 don’t bear depravity (moral evil), and die: it shall be a regulation forever to him and to his offspring after him.