Exodus 27-28

Complete Jewish Bible

27 (vi) “You are to make the altar of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide — the altar is to be square and four-and-a-half feet high. ² Make horns for it on its four corners; the horns are to be of one piece with it; and you are to overlay it with bronze.

³ “Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat-hooks and fire pans; all its utensils you are to make of bronze. ⁴ Make for it a grate of bronze netting; and on the four corners of the netting, make four bronze rings. ⁵ Put it under the rim of the altar, so that the netting reaches halfway up the altar. ⁶ Make poles of acacia-wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ Its poles are to be put into the rings; the poles are to be on both sides of the altar for carrying it. ⁸ The altar is to be made of planks and hollow inside. They are to make it just as you were shown on the mountain.

(vii) ⁹ “Here is how you are to make the courtyard of the tabernacle. On the south side, facing southward, are to be tapestries for the courtyard made of finely woven linen, 150 feet for one side, ¹⁰ supported on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets; the hooks on the posts and the attached rings for hanging are to be of silver. ¹¹ Likewise, along the north side are to be tapestries 150 feet long, hung on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets, with silver hooks and rings for the posts. ¹² Across the width of the courtyard on the west side are to be tapestries seventy-five feet long, hung on ten posts in ten sockets. ¹³ The width of the courtyard on the east side, facing east, will be seventy-five feet. ¹⁴ The tapestries for one side [of the gateway] will be twenty-two-and-a-half feet long, hung on three posts in three sockets; ¹⁵ for the other side there will be tapestries twenty-two-and-a-half feet long on three posts in three sockets.

¹⁶ “For the gateway of the courtyard there is to be a screen thirty feet made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. It should be in colors, the work of a weaver. It is to be on four posts in four sockets. (Maftir) ¹⁷ All the posts all the way around the courtyard are to be banded with silver and to stand in sockets of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet and the width seventy-five feet everywhere; with the height seven-and-a-half feet. The tapestries and screen are to be of finely woven linen, and the sockets are to be of bronze.

¹⁹ “All the equipment needed for every kind of service in the tabernacle, as well as the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

Haftarah T’rumah: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 5:26(12)– 6:13

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah T’rumah: Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 8:1–6; 9:23–24; 10:1

Parashah 20: Tetzaveh (You are to order) 27:20 –30:10

²⁰ “You are to order the people of Isra’el to bring you pure oil of pounded olives for the light, and to keep a lamp burning continually. ²¹ Aharon and his sons are to put it in the tent of meeting, outside the curtain in front of the testimony, and keep it burning from evening until morning before Adonai. This is to be a permanent regulation through all the generations of the people of Isra’el.

28 “You are to summon your brother Aharon and his sons to come from among the people of Isra’el to you, so that they can serve me as cohanim — Aharon and his sons Nadav, Avihu, El‘azar and Itamar. ² You are to make for your brother Aharon garments set apart for serving God, expressing dignity and splendor. ³ Speak to all the craftsmen to whom I have given the spirit of wisdom, and have them make Aharon’s garments to set him apart for me, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen.

⁴ “The garments they are to make are these: a breastplate, a ritual vest, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aharon and his sons, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen. ⁵ They are to use gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

⁶ “They are to make the ritual vest of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely woven linen, crafted by a skilled artisan. ⁷ Attached to its front and back edges are to be two shoulder-pieces that can be fastened together. ⁸ Its decorated belt is to be of the same workmanship and materials — gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen. ⁹ Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Isra’el — ¹⁰ six of their names on one stone and the six remaining names on the other, in the order of their birth. ¹¹ An engraver should engrave the names of the sons of Isra’el on the two stones as he would engrave a seal. Mount the stones in gold settings, ¹² and put the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the vest as stones calling to mind the sons of Isra’el. Aharon is to carry their names before Adonai on his two shoulders as a reminder.

(ii) ¹³ “Make gold squares ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; attach the cord-like chains to the squares.

¹⁵ “Make a breastplate for judging. Have it crafted by a skilled artisan; make it like the work of the ritual vest — make it of gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen. ¹⁶ When folded double it is to be square — a hand-span by a hand-span. ¹⁷ Put in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: the first row is to be a carnelian, a topaz and an emerald; ¹⁸ the second row a green feldspar, a sapphire and a diamond; ¹⁹ the third row an orange zircon, an agate and an amethyst; ²⁰ and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They are to be mounted in their gold settings. ²¹ The stones will correspond to the names of the twelve sons of Isra’el; they are to be engraved with their names as a seal would be engraved, to represent the twelve tribes.

²² “On the breastplate, make two pure gold chains twisted like cords. ²³ Also for the breastplate, make two gold rings; and put the gold rings on the two ends of the breastplate. ²⁴ Put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate; ²⁵ attach the other two ends of the twisted chains to the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ritual vest. ²⁶ Make two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, at its edge, on the side facing in toward the vest. ²⁷ Also make two gold rings and attach them low on the front part of the vest’s shoulder-pieces, near the join, above the vest’s decorated belt. ²⁸ Then bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that it can be on the vest’s decorated belt, and so that the breastplate won’t swing loose from the vest. ²⁹ Aharon will carry the names of the sons of Isra’el on the breastplate for judging, over his heart, when he enters the Holy Place, as a continual reminder before Adonai. ³⁰ You are to put the urim and the tumim in the breastplate for judging; they will be over Aharon’s heart when he goes into the presence of Adonai. Thus Aharon will always have the means for making decisions for the people of Isra’el over his heart when he is in the presence of Adonai.

(iii) ³¹ “You are to make the robe for the ritual vest entirely of blue. ³² It is to have an opening for the head in the middle. Around the opening is to be a border woven like the neck of a coat of mail, so that it won’t tear. ³³ On its bottom hem make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet; and put them all the way around, with gold bells between them all the way around — ³⁴ gold bell, pomegranate, gold bell, pomegranate, all the way around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ Aharon is to wear it when he ministers, and its sound will be heard whenever he enters the Holy Place before Adonai and when he leaves, so that he won’t die.

³⁶ “You are to make an ornament of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal, ‘Set apart for Adonai.’ ³⁷ Fasten it to the turban with a blue cord, on the front of the turban, ³⁸ over Aharon’s forehead. Because Aharon bears the guilt for any errors committed by the people of Isra’el in consecrating their holy gifts, this ornament is always to be on his forehead, so that the gifts for Adonai will be accepted by him.

³⁹ “You are to weave the checkered tunic of fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make a belt, the work of a weaver in colors. ⁴⁰ Likewise for Aharon’s sons make tunics, sashes and headgear expressing dignity and splendor. ⁴¹ With them clothe your brother Aharon and his sons. Then anoint them, inaugurate them, and consecrate them, so that they will be able to serve me in the office of cohen. ⁴² Also make for them linen shorts reaching from waist to thigh, to cover their bare flesh. ⁴³ Aharon and his sons are to wear them when they go into the tent of meeting and when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they won’t incur guilt and die. This is to be a perpetual regulation, both for him and for his descendants.