Exodus 28

1 And take thou to thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, 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.

“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 holy garments 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 [that are] wise in heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to me in the priest's office.

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 [are] the garments which they shall make; a breast-plate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a miter, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest's office.

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 blue, and purple, and scarlet, 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, [of] blue, and [of] purple, [of] scarlet, and fine twined linen, with curious work.

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 shoulder-pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and [so] it shall be joined together.

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

8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which [is] upon it, shall be of the same, according to its work; [even of] gold, [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined 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 engrave 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 of their names on one stone, and [the] six names of the rest on the other stone, according to 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 in stone, [like] the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

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 the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod [for] stones of memorial to the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

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 And thou shalt make ouches [of] gold;

Fashion gold filigree settings

14 And two chains [of] pure gold at the ends; [of] wreathed work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathed chains to the ouches.

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

15 And thou shalt make the breast-plate of judgment with curious work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; [of] gold, [of] blue, and [of] purple, and [of] scarlet, and [of] fine twined linen shalt thou make it.

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 Foursquare it shall be, [being] doubled; a span [shall be] its length, and a span [shall be] its breadth.

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

17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, [even] four rows of stones: [the first] row [shall be] a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: [this shall be] the first row.

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 And the second row [shall be] an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

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

19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

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

20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

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

21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, [like] the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be 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 upon the breast-plate chains at the ends [of] wreathed work [of] pure gold.

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

23 And thou shalt make upon the breast-plate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breast-plate.

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

24 And thou shalt put the two wreathed [chains] of gold in the two rings [which are] on the ends of the breast-plate.

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

25 And [the other] two ends of the two wreathed [chains] thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put [them] on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod before it.

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 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breast-plate in its border, which [is] in the side of the ephod inward.

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 And two [other] rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, towards the forepart of it, over against the [other] coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of 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 they shall bind the breast-plate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that [it] may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breast-plate be not loosed from the ephod.

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 breast-plate of judgment upon his heart, when he entereth into the holy [place], for a memorial before the LORD continually.

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 breast-plate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

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 robe of the ephod all [of] blue.

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

32 And there shall be a hole in the top of it, in the midst of it: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

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], upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates [of] blue, and [of] purple, and [of] scarlet, round about its hem; and bells of gold between them around it.

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

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

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

35 And it shall be upon Aaron, to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in to the holy [place] before the LORD, and when he cometh out; 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 And thou shalt make a plate [of] pure gold, and engrave upon it, [like] the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS 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 put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the miter; upon the front of the miter it shall be.

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

38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

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 embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the miter [of] fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle [of] needle-work.

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

40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.

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

41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and on his sons with him: and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.

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 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness: from the loins even to the thighs they shall reach:

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

43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they enter in to the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy [place]; that they bear not iniquity, and die. [It shall be] a statute for ever to him, 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.