God's New Bible

The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

Catholic Public Domain Version 2009

- Chapter 39 -

(Exodus 28:6–14)
1
Truly, from hyacinth and purple, vermillion and fine linen, he made the vestments with which Aaron was clothed when he ministered in the holy places, just as the Lord instructed Moses.
2
And so he made an ephod of gold, hyacinth, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twisted linen,
3
wrought with embroidery. And he cut thin strips of gold and drew them into threads, so that they could be twisted into the weave of the first colors.
4
And he made two edges, coupled to one another at the top of both sides,
5
and a wide belt from the same colors, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
6
He also prepared two onyx stones, set and enclosed in gold, and engraved with the skill of a jeweler, with the names of the sons of Israel.
7
And he set them in the sides of the ephod, as a memorial to the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

The Breastpiece

(Exodus 28:15–30)
8
He also made a breastplate, wrought with embroidery, according to the work of the ephod, from gold, hyacinth, purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twisted linen:
9
with four equal sides, doubled, of the measure of the palm of a hand.
10
And he set four rows of gems in it. In the first row was a sardius stone, a topaz, an emerald;
11
in the second was a garnet, a sapphire, and a jasper;
12
in the third was a zircon, an agate, and an amethyst;
13
in the fourth was a chrysolite, an onyx, and a beryl, surrounded and enclosed in gold by their rows.
14
And these twelve stones were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, each one with a single name.
15
They also made, in the breastplate, little chains linked to one another, from the purest gold,
16
and two hooks, and the same number of gold rings. Moreover, they set the rings at both sides of the breastplate,
17
from which two golden chains would hang, which they connected with the hooks that projected from the corners of the ephod.
18
These were both in front and in back so that they met one another, and so that the ephod and the breastplate were woven together,
19
being fastened to the wide belt and strongly coupled with rings, to which a hyacinth band was joined, lest they should shake loose and be moved away from one another, just as the Lord instructed Moses.
20
They also made the tunic of the ephod entirely from hyacinth,
21
with the head in the upper part at the middle, and a woven edge all around the head.

Additional Priestly Garments

(Exodus 28:31–43)
22
Then, at the feet below, they also made pomegranates from hyacinth, purple, vermillion, and fine twisted linen,
23
and little bells from the purest gold, which they set between the pomegranates at the very bottom of the tunic all around.
24
So then, the high priest approached, adorned with gold bell and pomegranate, when he performed his ministry, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
25
They also made fine linen tunics with woven work, for Aaron and his sons,
26
and headdresses with their little crowns of fine linen,
27
and also linen undergarments of fine linen.
28
Truly, they also made a wide band of fine twisted linen, hyacinth, purple, as well as vermillion, twice-dyed, with skillful embroidery, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
29
They also made the plate of sacred veneration from the purest gold, and they wrote on it, with the skill of a jeweler: “Holy to the Lord.”
30
And they fastened it to the headdress with a hyacinth band, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
31
And so all the work of the tabernacle and of the covering of the testimony was completed. And the sons of Israel did all that the Lord had instructed Moses.(a)

Moses Approves the Work

32
And they offered the tabernacle, and the covering, and all of the articles: the rings, the panels, the bars, the columns and bases,
33
the cover of the skins of rams, dyed red, and the other cover of violet skins,
34
the veil, the ark, the bars, the propitiatory,
35
the table, with its vessels and the bread of the presence,
36
the lampstand, the lamps, and their utensils with the oil,
37
the altar of gold, and the ointment, and the incense of aromatics,
38
and the tent at the entrance of the tabernacle,
39
the altar of brass, the grating, the bars, and all of its vessels, the washtub with its base, the hangings of the atrium, and the columns with their bases,
40
the hanging at the entrance of the atrium, and their little cords and pegs. Nothing was lacking of the articles that were commanded to be made for the ministry of the tabernacle and for the covering of the covenant.
41
Likewise, the vestments, which the priests, namely, Aaron and his sons, make use of use in the Sanctuary,
42
the sons of Israel offered, just as the Lord had instructed.
43
After this, when Moses saw that everything was completed, he blessed them.

Footnotes

(a)39:31 The covering of the ark of the testimony was apparently the last object to be completed. This makes sense because the work of making two large Cherubim out of pure gold must have been very difficult and must have required the most skill and time.(Conte)