The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 28 -

“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.

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

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.

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.

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

The Ephod

(Exodus 39:1–7)

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Fashion gold filigree settings

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

The Breastpiece

(Exodus 39:8–21)

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.

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

And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones:(b) In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

And place the Urim and Thummim

(c)

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.

Additional Priestly Garments

(Exodus 39:22–31)

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

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,(d) so that it will not tear.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Footnotes

(a)28:16 The breastpiece, when folded over, was approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters in both length and width.

(b)28:17 The precise identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.

(d)28:32 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly a coat of mail.

(e)28:36 That is, the LORD

“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: Aaron, with Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

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

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.

These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

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

The Ephod

(Exodus 39:1–7)

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

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

The skillfully woven band, which is on it, shall be like its work and of the same piece; of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.

You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel.

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.

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 children of Israel. You shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.

You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel. Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial.

You shall make settings of gold,

and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them like cords of braided work. You shall put the braided chains on the settings.

The Breastpiece

(Exodus 39:8–21)

“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.

It shall be square and folded double; a span (a) shall be its length, and a span its width.

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 the second row a turquoise, a sapphire,(b) and an emerald;

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

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

The stones shall be according to the names of the children 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.

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

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

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

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 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 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.

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.

Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

You shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before the LORD continually.

Additional Priestly Garments

(Exodus 39:22–31)

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

It shall have a hole for the head in the middle of it. 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.

On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, all around its hem; with bells of gold between and around them:

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

It shall be on Aaron to minister: and its sound shall be heard when he goes in to the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, that he not die.

“You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘HOLY TO THE LORD.’

You shall put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be on the sash. It shall be on the front of the sash.

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 the LORD.

You shall weave the tunic with fine linen. You shall make a turban of fine linen. You shall make a sash, the work of the embroiderer.

“You shall make tunics for Aaron’s sons. You shall make sashes for them. You shall make headbands for them, for glory and for beauty.

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 shall make them linen pants to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the waist even to the thighs.

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 don’t bear iniquity, and die. This shall be a statute forever to him and to his offspring after him.

Footnotes

(a)28:16 A span is the length from the tip of a man’s thumb to the tip of his little finger when his hand is stretched out (about half a cubit, or 9 inches, or 22.8 cm.)

(b)28:18 or, lapis lazuli