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.

Call to yourself Aaron your brother and his sons—Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar—from among the Israelites so that they may serve me as priests.

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

You must make for Aaron, your brother, garments that are set apart to me. These garments will be for his honor and splendor.

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.

You must speak to all people who are wise in heart, those whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, so that they may make Aaron's garments to set him apart to serve me 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.

The garments that they must make are a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of woven work, a turban, and a sash. They must make these garments that are set them apart to me. They will be for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve me as priests.

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

Craftsmen must use fine linen that is gold, blue, purple, and scarlet.

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

They must make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine-twined linen. It must be the work of a skillful craftsman.

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

It must have two shoulder pieces attached to its two upper corners.

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.

Its finely-woven waistband must be like the ephod; it must be made of one piece with the ephod, made of fine twined linen that is gold, blue, purple, and scarlet.

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

You must take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel's twelve sons.

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 of their names must be on one stone, and six names must be on the other stone, in order of the sons' 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 an engraver in stone, like the engraving on a signet, you must engrave the two stones with the names of Israel's twelve sons. You must mount the stones in settings 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 YHWH on his two shoulders for a memorial.

You must put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, to be stones to remind Yahweh of Israel's sons. Aaron will carry their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders as a reminder to him.

13 You shall make settings of gold,

You must make settings 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 braided chains of pure gold like cords, and you must attach the chains to the settings.

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.

You must make a breastpiece for decision making, the work of a skillful workman, fashioned like the ephod. Make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine 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. You must fold the breastpiece double. It must be one span long and one span 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;

You must place in it four rows of precious stones. The first row must have a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet.

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

The second row must have an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

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

The third row must have 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 row must have a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper. They must be mounted in gold settings.

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 stones must be arranged by the names of Israel's twelve sons, each in order by name. They must be like the engraving on a signet ring, each name standing for one of the twelve tribes.

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

You must make on the breastpiece chains like cords, braided work of pure gold.

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

You must make two rings of gold for the breastpiece and must attach them to the two ends of the breastpiece.

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

You must attach the two golden chains to the two corners of the breastpiece.

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.

You must attach the other ends of the two braided chains to the two settings. Then you must attach those to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at its front.

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.

You must make two rings of gold, and you must put them on the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the edge next to the inner border.

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.

You must make two more gold rings, and you must attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the front of the ephod, close to its seam above the finely-woven waistband of the ephod.

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.

They must tie the breastpiece by its rings to the ephod's rings with a blue cord, so that it might be attached just above the ephod's woven waistband. This is so that the breastpiece might not become unattached 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.

When Aaron goes into the holy place, he must carry the names of the people of Israel over his heart in the breastpiece for decision making, as a continuing memorial before Yahweh.

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 YHWH. And Aaron will carry the means to make decisions for the children of Israel over his heart before YHWH continually.

You are to put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece for decision making, so they may be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before Yahweh. Thus Aaron will always carry the means for making decisions for the people of Israel over his heart before Yahweh.

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

You will make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue fabric.

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.

It must have an opening for the head in the middle. The opening must have a woven edge round about so that it does not tear. This must be the work of a weaver.

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:

On the bottom hem, you must make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all around. Gold bells must be between them all around.

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

There must be a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate—and so on—all around the hem 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 YHWH, and when he comes out, that he not die.

The robe is to be on Aaron when he serves, so that its sound can be heard when he goes into the holy place before Yahweh and when he leaves. This is so that he does not die.

36 "You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, 'HOLY TO YHWH.'

You must make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving on a signet, “Holy to Yahweh.”

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.

You must attach this plate by a blue cord to the front of the turban.

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 YHWH.

It must be on Aaron's forehead; he must always bear any guilt that might attach to the offering of the holy gifts that the Israelites set apart to Yahweh. The turban must be always on his forehead so that Yahweh may accept their gifts.

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.

You must make the coat with fine linen, and you must make a turban of fine linen. You must also make a sash, the work of an embroiderer.

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.

For Aaron's sons you must make coats, sashes, and headbands for their honor and splendor.

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.

You must clothe Aaron your brother, and his sons with him. You must anoint them, ordain them, and set them apart to me, so that they may serve me as priests.

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

You must make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh, that will cover them from the waist to the thighs.

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 must wear these garments when they enter the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to serve in the holy place. They must do this so they would not be guilty or else they would die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants after him.