Exodus 28

1 Take unto thee also Aaron thy brother with his sons, from among the children of Israel, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office: Aaron, Nadab, and Abiu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

“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.

2 And thou shalt make a holy vesture for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

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

3 And thou shalt speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s vestments, in which he being consecrated may minister to me.

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.

4 And these shall be the vestments that they shall make: A rational and an ephod, a tunick and a strait linen garment, a mitre and a girdle. They shall make the holy vestments for thy brother Aaron and his sons, that they may do the office of priesthood unto me.

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.

5 And they shall take gold, and violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine linen.

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

6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, and violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen, embroidered with divers colours.

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

7 It shall have the two edges joined in the top on both sides, that they may be closed together.

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

8 The very workmanship also and all the variety of the work shall be of gold, and violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen.

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.

9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and shalt grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

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

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

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

11 With the work of an engraver and the graving of a jeweller, thou shalt engrave them with the names of the children of Israel, set in gold and compassed about:

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.

12 And thou shalt put them in both sides of the ephod, a memorial for the children of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon both shoulders, for a remembrance.

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.

13 Thou shalt make also hooks of gold.

Fashion gold filigree settings

14 And two little chains of the purest gold linked one to another, which thou shalt put into the hooks.

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

15 And thou shalt make the rational of judgment with embroidered work of divers colours, according to the workmanship of the ephod, of gold, violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen.

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.

16 It shall be foursquare and doubled: it shall be the measure of a span both in length and in breadth.

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

17 And thou shalt set in it four rows of stones: in the first row shall be a sardius stone, and a topaz, and an emerald:

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;

18 In the second a carbuncle, a sapphire and a jasper.

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

19 In the third a ligurius, an agate, and an amethyst:

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

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

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

21 And they shall have the names of the children of Israel: with twelve names shall they be engraved, each stone with the name of one according to the twelve tribes.

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.

22 And thou shalt make on the rational chains linked one to another of the purest gold:

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

23 And two rings of gold, which thou shalt put in the two ends at the top of the rational.

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

24 And the golden chains thou shalt join to the rings, that are in the ends thereof:

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

25 And the ends of the chains themselves thou shalt join together with two hooks on both sides of the ephod, which is towards the rational.

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.

26 Thou shalt make also two rings of gold which thou shalt put in the top parts of the rational, in the borders that are over against the ephod, and look towards the back parts thereof.

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

27 Moreover also other two rings of gold, which are to be set on each side of the ephod beneath, that looketh towards the nether joining, that the rational may be fitted with the ephod,

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.

28 And may be fastened by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a violet fillet, that the joining artificially wrought may continue, and the rational and the ephod may not be loosed one from the other.

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.

29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the rational of judgement upon his breast, when he shall enter into the sanctuary, a memorial before the Lord for ever.

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.

30 And thou shalt put in the rational of judgment doctrine and truth, which shall be on Aaron’s breast, when he shall go in before the Lord: and he shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his breast, in the sight of the Lord always.

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.

31 And thou shalt make the tunick of the ephod all of violet,

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

32 In the midst whereof above shall be a hole for the head, and a border round about it woven, as is wont to be made in the outmost parts of garments, that it may not easily be broken.

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.

33 And beneath at the feet of the same tunick round about, thou shalt make as it were pomegranates, of violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, with little bells set between:

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

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

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

35 And Aaron shall be vested with it in the office of his ministry, that the sound may be heard, when he goeth in and cometh out of the sanctuary, in the sight of the Lord, and that he may not die.

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.

36 Thou shalt make also a plate of the purest gold: wherein thou shalt grave with engraver’s work, Holy to the Lord.

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

37 And thou shalt tie it with a violet fillet, and it shall be upon the mitre,

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

38 Hanging over the forehead of the high priest. And Aaron shall bear the iniquities of those things, which the children of Israel have offered and sanctified, in all their gifts and offerings. And the plate shall be always on his forehead, that the Lord may be well pleased with them.

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.

39 And thou shalt gird the tunick with fine linen, and thou shalt make a fine linen mitre, and a girdle of embroidered work.

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

40 Moreover for the sons of Aaron thou shalt prepare linen tunicks, and girdles and mitres for glory and beauty:

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

41 And with all these things thou shalt vest Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him. And thou shalt consecrate the hands of them all, and shalt sanctify them, that they may do the office of priesthood unto me.

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 Thou shalt make also linen breeches, to cover the flesh of their nakedness from the reins to the thighs:

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

43 And Aaron and his sons shall use them when they shall go in to the tabernacle of the testimony, or when they approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary, lest being guilty of iniquity they die. It shall be a law for ever to Aaron, and to his seed after him.

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.