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, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

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

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

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.

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 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 your brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest's office.

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

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

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

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

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

8 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.

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

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 sons of Israel: you shall make them to be enclosed in settings of 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 You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the sons of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before Jehovah on his two shoulders for a memorial.

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 make settings of gold,

And you are to make twisted frames of gold;

14 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.

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

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.

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 be square and folded double; a span shall be its length of it, and a span its breadth.

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

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;

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

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

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

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

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

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

21 The stones shall be according to the names of the sons 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate for judging over his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, as a continual reminder before God.

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 You are to put in the breastplate for judging the Urim and the Thummim; and they are to be over Aaron's heart, when he goes in before Jehovah. And Aaron will carry the means to make decisions for the children of Israel over his heart before Jehovah continually.

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

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

32 It shall have a hole for the head in its midst: 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 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 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:

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

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

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

35 It shall be on Aaron to minister: and its sound shall be heard when he goes in to the holy place before Jehovah, and when he comes out, that he 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 "You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, 'HOLY TO JEHOVAH.'

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

37 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.

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

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 Jehovah.

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 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.

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 "You shall make coats for Aaron's sons, and you shall make sashes for them and you shall make headbands for them, for glory and for beauty.

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 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.

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

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

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: it shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants 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.