Exodus 28
1 And do you take to yourself both Aaron your brother, and his sons, even [them] of the children of Israel; so that Aaron, and Nadab and Abiud, and Eleazar and Ithamar, sons of Aaron, may minister to me.
“Summon your [older] brother Aaron and his sons—Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ([Set them apart/They are the ones whom I have chosen]) from [the rest of] the Israeli people, in order that they can serve me [by being] priests.
2 And you shall make holy apparel for Aaron your brother, for honour and glory.
[Tell the people to] make beautiful clothes for Aaron, clothes that are [suitable for one who] has this dignified and sacred [work].
3 And speak you to all those who are wise in understanding, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom and perception; and they shall make the holy apparel of Aaron for the sanctuary, in which [apparel] he shall minister to me as priest.
Talk to all the skilled workmen, those to whom I have given special ability. [Tell them] to make clothes for Aaron, for him to wear when he is (set apart/dedicated) [to become] a priest to serve me.
4 And these are the garments which they shall make: the breast-plate, and the shoulder-piece, and the full-length robe, and the tunic with a fringe, and the tire, and the girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron and his sons to minister to me as priests.
These are the clothes that they are to make: A sacred pouch for Aaron to wear over his chest, a sacred apron, a robe, an embroidered tunic/gown, a (turban/cloth to wrap around his head), and a sash/waistband. These are the clothes that your [older] brother Aaron and his sons must wear as they serve me [by doing the work that] priests do.
5 And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.
The skilled workmen must use fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn/thread to make these clothes.”
6 And they shall make the shoulder-piece of fine linen spun, the woven work of the embroiderer.
“The skilled workmen must make the sacred apron from fine linen, and skillfully embroider it with blue, purple, and red yarn/thread.
7 It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined together, fastened on the two sides.
It must have two shoulder straps, to join the front part to the back part.
8 And the woven work of the shoulder-pieces which is upon it, shall be of one piece according to the work, of pure gold and blue and purple, and spun scarlet and fine twined linen.
A carefully-woven sash, which must be made from the same materials as the sacred apron, must be [sewn] onto the sacred apron.
9 And you shall take the two stones, the stones of emerald, and you shall grave on them the names of the children of Israel.
[A skilled workman] must take two [expensive] onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the twelve sons of Jacob.
10 Six names on the first stone, and the other six names on the second stone, according to their births.
He must engrave the names in the order in which Jacob’s sons were born. He must engrave six names on one stone, and the other six names on the other stone.
11 [It shall be] the work of the stone-engraver's are; as the graving of a seal you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel.
A gem-cutter should engrave these names on the stones. Then he should enclose the stones in (settings/tiny gold frames).
12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the shoulder-piece: they are memorial-stones for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel before the Lord on his two shoulders, a memorial for them.
Then he should fasten the stones onto the shoulder straps [of the sacred apron], to represent the twelve Israeli tribes. In that way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes on his shoulders in order that [I], Yahweh, will never forget [my people] (OR, in order that [he will always] remember that [those tribes belong to] Yahweh).
13 And you shall make circlets of pure gold;
The settings for the stones must be made from gold.
14 and you shall make two fringes of pure gold, variegated with flowers wreathen work; and you shall put the wreathen fringes on the circlets, fastening them on their shoulder-pieces in front.
[Tell them to] make two tiny chains that are braided like cords, and fasten the chains to the settings.”
15 And you shall make the oracle of judgement, the work of the embroiderer: in keeping with the ephod, you shall make it of gold, and blue and purple, and spun scarlet, and fine linen spun.
“[Tell the skilled workman to] make a sacred pouch for Aaron to wear over his chest. [He will use the things he puts into the pouch] to determine [my answers to the questions he asks]. It must be made of the same materials as the sacred apron, and embroidered in the same way.
16 You shall make it square: it shall be double; of a span the length of it, and of a span the breadth.
It is to be square, and the material must be folded double, so that it is (9 in./22 cm.) on each side.
17 And you shall interweave with it a texture of four rows of stone; there shall be a row of stones, a sardius, a topaz, and emerald, the first row.
[The skilled workman must] fasten four rows of valuable stones onto the pouch. In the first row he must put a [red] ruby, a [yellow] topaz, and a [red] garnet.
18 And the second row, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a jasper.
In the second row he must put a [green] emerald, a [blue] sapphire, and a [clear/white] diamond.
19 And the third row, a ligure, an agate, an amethyst:
In the third row he must put a [red] jacinth, a [white] agate, and a [purple] amethyst.
20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, and a beryl, and an onyx stone, set round with gold, bound together with gold: let them be according to their row.
In the fourth row he must put a [yellow] beryl, a [red] carnelian, and a [green] jasper.
21 And let the stones of the names of the children of Israel be twelve according to their names, engravings as of seals: let them be for the twelve tribes each according to the name.
A gem-cutter should engrave on each of these twelve stones the name of one of the sons of Jacob. These names will represent the twelve Israeli tribes.
22 And you shall make on the oracle woven fringes, a chain-work of pure gold.
The two [chains] that are made from pure gold and braided like cords are for [attaching] the sacred pouch [to the sacred apron].
23 And Aaron shall take the names of the children of Israel, on the oracle of judgement on his breast; a memorial before God for him as he goes into the sanctuary.
[The workman must] make two gold rings, and attach them to the upper corners of the sacred pouch.
24 And you shall put the fringes on the oracle of judgement; you shall put the wreaths on both sides of the oracle,
[He must make] two gold cords, and fasten one end of each cord to one of the rings.
25 and you shall put the two circlets on both the shoulders of the ephod in front.
He must fasten the other end of each cord to the two settings [that enclose the stones]. In that way, the sacred pouch will be attached to the shoulder straps of the sacred apron.
26 And you shall put the Manifestation and the Truth on the oracle of judgement; and it shall be on the breast of Aaron, when he goes into the holy place before the Lord; and Aaron shall bear the judgements of the children of Israel on his breast before the Lord continually.
Then [he must] make two more gold rings, and attach them to the lower corners of the sacred pouch, on the inside edges, next to the sacred apron.
27 And you shall make the full-length tunic all of blue.
[He must] make two more gold rings, and attach them to the lower part of the front of the shoulder straps, near to where [the shoulder straps] are joined [to the sacred apron], just above the carefully-woven sash/waistband.
28 And the opening of it shall be in the middle having a fringe round about the opening, the work of the weaver, woven together in the joining of the same piece that it might not be tore.
The skilled workman must tie the rings on the sacred pouch to the rings on the sacred apron with a blue cord, so that the sacred pouch is above the sash/waistband and does not come loose from the sacred apron.
29 And under the fringe of the robe below you shall make as it were pomegranates of a flowering pomegranate tree, of blue, and purple, and spun scarlet, and fine linen spun, under the fringe of the robe round about: golden pomegranates of the same shape, and bells round about between these.
In that way, Aaron will have the names of the twelve Israeli tribes in the sacred pouch close to his chest when he enters the Holy Place. This will remind him that I, Yahweh, [will never forget my people] (OR, [that he represents my people when he talks to me, Yahweh]).
30 A bell by the side of a golden pomegranate, and flower-work on the fringe of the robe round about.
Put into the sacred pouch the two things that the priest will use to determine my answers to the questions he asks. In that way, they will be close to his chest when he enters [the Holy Place to talk] to me. He will use them to find out what is my will for the Israeli people.”
31 And the sound of Aaron shall be audible when he ministers, as he goes into the sanctuary before the Lord, and has he goes out, that he die not.
“[Tell the workmen to] use only blue [cloth] to make the robe that is to be worn underneath the priest’s sacred apron.
32 And you shall make a plate [of] pure gold, and you shall grave on it [as] the graving of a signet, Holiness of the Lord.
It is to have an opening through which [the priest] can put his head. They must sew a border around this opening, to keep the material from tearing.
33 And you shall put it on the spun blue cloth, and it shall be on the mitre: it shall be in the front of the mitre.
At the lower edge on the robe, they must fasten [decorations that look like] pomegranate fruit. They must be [woven from] blue, purple, and red yarn/thread.
34 And it shall be on the forehead of Aaron; and Aaron shall bear away the sins of their holy things, all that the children of Israel shall sanctify of every gift of their holy things, and it shall be on the forehead of Aaron continually acceptable for them before the Lord.
Between each of these decorations, they must fasten a tiny gold bell.
35 And the fringes of the garments [shall be] of fine linen; and you shall make a tire of fine linen, and you shall make a girdle, the work of the embroiderer.
When Aaron enters the Holy Place [in the Sacred Tent] to do his work as a priest and when he leaves the Sacred Tent, the bells will ring [as he walks]. As a result, he will not die [because of disobeying my instructions].
36 And for the sons of Aaron you shall make tunics and girdles, and you shall make for them tires for honour and glory.
“[Tell them to] make a tiny ornament of pure gold, and tell a (skilled workman/gem-cutter) to engrave on it the words, ‘Dedicated to Yahweh.’
37 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, and you shall anoint them and fill their hands: and you shall sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.
They should fasten this ornament to the front of the turban by a blue cord.
38 And you shall make for them linen drawers to cover the nakedness of their flesh; they shall reach from the loins to the thighs.
Aaron must always wear this on his forehead. In that way, Aaron himself will show [that he accepts] the guilt if the Israeli people offer [their sacrifices] to me in a way that is not correct, and I, Yahweh, will accept their sacrifices.
39 And Aaron shall have them, and his sons, whenever they enter into the tabernacle of witness, or when they shall advance to the altar of the sanctuary to minister, so they shall not bring sin upon themselves, lest they die: [it is] a perpetual statute for him, and for his seed after him.
“[Tell them to] weave the long-sleeved tunic/gown from fine linen. Also, they must make from fine linen a turban and a sash/waistband, and embroider [designs on it].
“[Tell them to] make beautiful long-sleeved tunics/gowns, sashes, and caps for Aaron’s sons. Make ones that will be suitable for those who have this dignified work.
Put these clothes on your [older] brother Aaron and on his sons. Then (set them apart/dedicate them) for this work by anointing them [with olive oil], in order that they may serve me [by being] priests.
Also [tell them to] make linen undershorts for them. The undershorts should extend from their waists to their thighs, in order that no one can see their private parts.
Aaron and his sons must always wear those undershorts when they enter the Sacred Tent or when they come near to the altar to offer sacrifices in the Holy Place. If they do not obey this command, I will cause them to die. Aaron and all his male descendants must obey this rule forever.”
