Exodus 28

1 “Also, join to yourself your brother Aaron, with his sons from the midst of the sons of Israel, so that they may exercise the priesthood for me: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

Now let Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, come near from among the children of Israel, so that they may be my priests, even Aaron, and Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, his sons.

2 And you shall make a holy vestment for Aaron, your brother, with glory and elegance.

And make holy robes for Aaron your brother, so that he may be clothed with glory and honour.

3 And you shall speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of prudence, so that they may make the vestments of Aaron, in which, having been sanctified, he may minister to me.

Give orders to all the wise-hearted workmen, whom I have made full of the spirit of wisdom, to make robes for Aaron, so that he may be made holy as my priest.

4 Now these shall be the vestments that they shall make: A breastplate and an ephod, a tunic and a close-fit linen garment, a headdress and a wide belt. They shall make the holy vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may exercise the priesthood for me.

This is what they are to make: a priest's bag, an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of coloured needlework, a head-dress, and a linen band; they are to make holy robes for Aaron your brother and for his sons, so that they may do the work of priests for me.

5 And they shall receive gold, and hyacinth, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine linen.

They are to take the gold and blue and purple and red and the best linen,

6 Then they shall make the ephod of gold, and hyacinth, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twisted linen, wrought with diverse colors.

And make the ephod of gold and blue and purple and red and the best linen, the work of a designer.

7 It shall have two edges joined at the top on both sides, so that they may respond as one.

It is to have two bands stitched to it at the top of the arms, joining it together.

8 Likewise, the weaving and all the detail work shall be of gold, and hyacinth, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

And the beautifully worked band, which goes on it, is to be of the same work and the same material, of gold and blue and purple and red and twisted linen-work.

9 And you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel:

You are to take two beryl stones, on which the names of the children of Israel are to be cut:

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

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

11 By the work of a sculptor and the skill of a jeweler, you shall engrave them with the names of the sons of Israel, enclosed and encompassed with gold.

With the work of a jeweller, like the cutting of a stamp, the names of the children of Israel are to be cut on them, and they are to be fixed in twisted frames of gold.

12 And you shall place them on both sides of the ephod, as a memorial to the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall carry their names before the Lord, upon both shoulders, as a remembrance.

And the two stones are to be placed on the ephod, over the arm-holes, to be stones of memory for the children of Israel: Aaron will have their names on his arms when he goes in before the Lord, to keep the Lord in mind of them.

13 You shall also make hooks of gold,

And you are to make twisted frames of gold;

14 and two little chains of the purest gold, linked to one another, which you shall insert into the hooks.

And two chains of the best gold, twisted like cords; and have the chains fixed on to the frames.

15 Likewise, you shall make the breastplate of judgment, wrought with diverse colors according to the weaving of the ephod: of gold, hyacinth and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

And make a priest's bag for giving decisions, designed like the ephod, made of gold and blue and purple and red and the best linen.

16 It shall have four corners and be doubled. It shall have the measure of the palm of a hand, both in length and in width.

It is to be square, folded in two, a hand-stretch long and a hand-stretch wide.

17 And you shall set within it four rows of stones. In the first row, there shall be a sardius stone, and a topaz, and an emerald.

And on it you are to put four lines of jewels; the first line is to be a cornelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald;

18 In the second, there shall be a garnet, a sapphire, and a jasper.

The second, a ruby, a sapphire, and an onyx;

19 In the third, there shall be a zircon, an agate, and an amethyst.

The third, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

20 In the fourth, there shall be a chrysolite, an onyx, and a beryl. They shall be set in gold by their rows.

The fourth, a topaz, a beryl, and a jasper; they are to be fixed in twisted frames of gold.

21 And these shall have the names of the sons of Israel. With twelve names shall they be engraved: each stone with one name from the twelve tribes.

The jewels are to be twelve in number, for the names of the children of Israel; every jewel having the name of one of the twelve tribes cut on it as on a stamp.

22 You shall make chains of the purest gold, linked one to another, on the breastplate,

And you are to make two chains of gold, twisted like cords, to be fixed to the priest's bag.

23 and two rings of gold, which you shall place at both ends of the breastplate.

And put two gold rings on the two ends of the bag.

24 And the golden chains, you shall join to the rings, which are at its edges.

Put the two gold chains on the two rings at the ends of the bag;

25 And the ends of the chains themselves, you shall couple with two hooks, on both sides of the ephod, which looks toward the breastplate.

Joining the other ends of the chains to the gold frames and putting them on the front of the ephod, at the top of the arms.

26 You shall also make two rings of gold, which you shall place at the ends of the breastplate, at the borders which are away from the region of the ephod and which look toward its back.

Then make two gold rings and put them on the lower ends of the bag, at the edge of it on the inner side nearest to the ephod.

27 And then you shall also make two other rings of gold, which are to be suspended on both sides at the bottom of the ephod, which looks out opposite the face of the lower juncture, so that the breastplate can be fitted to the ephod.

And make two more gold rings and put them on the front of the ephod at the top of the arms, at the join, over the worked band:

28 And it shall be drawn tight to the rings of the breastplate, by the rings of the ephod, with a hyacinth band, so that the well-constructed juncture will remain in place, and the breastplate and the ephod will not be able to be separated from one another.

So that the rings on the bag may be fixed to the rings of the ephod by a blue cord and on to the band of the ephod, so that the bag may not come loose from the ephod.

29 And Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment upon his chest, when he enters into the Sanctuary, as a memorial in the presence of the Lord in eternity.

And so Aaron will have the names of the children of Israel on the priest's bag over his heart whenever he goes into the holy place, to keep the memory of them before the Lord.

30 Then you shall place in the breastplate of judgment, Doctrine and Truth, which shall then be upon Aaron’s chest, when he enters before the Lord. And he shall wear the judgment of the sons of Israel on his chest, in the sight of the Lord always.

And in the bag you are to put the Urim and Thummim, so that they may be on Aaron's heart whenever he goes in before the Lord; and Aaron may have the power of making decisions for the children of Israel before the Lord at all times.

31 And you shall make the tunic for the ephod entirely of hyacinth,

The robe which goes with the ephod is to be made all of blue;

32 and the head will be above its middle, with a hem woven around it, just as is usually made at the end parts of a garment, so that it may not be easily broken.

With a hole at the top, in the middle of it; the hole is to be edged with a band to make it strong like the hole in the coat of a fighting-man, so that it may not be broken open.

33 Yet truly, beneath it, at the base of the same tunic, all around, you shall make something like pomegranates, from hyacinth, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, with little bells set in their midst.

And round the skirts of it put fruits in blue and purple and red, with bells of gold between;

34 So then, there shall be a little golden bell and a pomegranate, and again another golden bell and a pomegranate.

A gold bell and a fruit in turn all round the skirts of the robe.

35 And Aaron will be vested with it during the office of his ministry, so that the sound may be heard when he enters and exits the Sanctuary, in the sight of the Lord, and so that he may not die.

Aaron is to put it on for his holy work; and the sound of it will be clear, when he goes into the holy place before the Lord, and when he comes out, keeping him safe from death.

36 And you shall make a plate of the purest gold, in which you shall engrave, with the skill of a sculptor, ‘Holy to the Lord.’

You are to make a plate of the best gold, cutting on it, as on a stamp, these words: HOLY TO THE LORD.

37 And you shall fasten it with a band of hyacinth, and it shall be upon the headdress,

Put a blue cord on it and put it on the front of the twisted head-dress:

38 hanging in front of the high priest. And Aaron shall carry the iniquities of that which the sons of Israel have offered and sanctified, in all their gifts and donations. But the plate will always be at his forehead, so that the Lord may be well pleased with them.

And it will be over Aaron's brow, so that Aaron will be responsible for any error in all the holy offerings made by the children of Israel; it will be on his brow at all times, so that their offerings may be pleasing to the Lord.

39 And you shall draw the tunic tight with fine linen, and you shall make a headdress of fine linen, and a wide belt, wrought with embroidery.

The coat is to be made of the best linen, worked in squares; and you are to make a head-dress of linen, and a linen band worked in needlework.

40 Furthermore, for the sons of Aaron, you shall prepare linen tunics, and wide belts as well as headdresses, with glory and elegance.

And for Aaron's sons you are to make coats, and bands, and head-dresses, so that they may be clothed with glory and honour.

41 And with all these you shall vest your brother Aaron, and his sons with him. And you shall consecrate all their hands, and you shall sanctify them, so that they may exercise the priesthood for me.

These you are to put on Aaron, your brother, and on his sons, putting oil on them, separating them and making them holy, to do the work of priests to me.

42 You shall also make linen undergarments, in order to cover the flesh of their nakedness, from the kidneys all the way to the thighs.

And you are to make them linen trousers, covering their bodies from the middle to the knee;

43 And Aaron and his sons will use them when they enter the tabernacle of the testimony, and when they approach toward the altar, in order to minister in the sanctuary, lest, being guilty of iniquity, they may die. It shall be a law forever for Aaron, and for his offspring after him.”

Aaron and his sons are to put these on whenever they go into the Tent of meeting or come near the altar, when they are doing the work of the holy place, so that they may be free from any sin causing death: this is to be an order for him and his seed after him for ever.