Exodus 28

1 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.

“Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from amongst 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.

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

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

3 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.

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.

4 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.

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.

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

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

6 And make the ephod of gold and blue and purple and red and the best linen, the work of a designer.

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

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

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

8 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.

The skilfully 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.

9 You are to take two beryl stones, on which the names of the children of Israel are to be cut:

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

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

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.

11 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.

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.

12 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.

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.

13 And you are to make twisted frames of gold;

You shall make settings of gold,

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

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

15 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.

“You shall make a breastplate of judgement, the work of the skilful 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.

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

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

17 And on it you are to put four lines of jewels; the first line is to be a cornelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald;

You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row;

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

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

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

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

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

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

21 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

25 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.

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.

26 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.

You shall make two rings of gold, and you shall put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which is towards the side of the ephod inward.

27 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:

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 skilfully woven band of the ephod.

28 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.

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 skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate may not swing out from the ephod.

29 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.

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

30 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.

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

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

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

32 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.

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.

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

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:

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

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

35 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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

38 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.

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.

39 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.

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.

40 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.

“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.

41 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.

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.

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

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

43 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.

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.