Exodus 28
New King James Version
Garments for the Priesthood(A)
28 “Now take (B)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as (C)priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: (D)Nadab, Abihu, (E)Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 And (F)you shall make [a]holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 So (G)you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, (H)whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make: (I)a breastplate, (J)an [b]ephod, (K)a robe, (L)a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and (M)a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.
The Ephod
5 “They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, 6 (N)and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder straps joined at its two edges, and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the [c]intricately woven band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen.
9 “Then you shall take two onyx (O)stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: 10 six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, in order of their (P)birth. 11 With the work of an (Q)engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall set them in settings of gold. 12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So (R)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (S)as a memorial. 13 You shall also make settings of gold, 14 and you shall make two chains of pure gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the settings.
The Breastplate(T)
15 (U)“You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. 16 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. 17 (V)And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a [d]sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; 18 the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 the third row, a [e]jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a [f]beryl, an [g]onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. 21 And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.
22 “You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. 23 And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; 25 and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.
26 “You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. 27 And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the [h]intricately woven band of the ephod. 28 They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.
29 “So Aaron shall (W)bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. 30 And (X)you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the [i]Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.
Other Priestly Garments(Y)
31 (Z)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. 33 And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die.
36 (AA)“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:
HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
37 And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may (AB)bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their [j]holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be (AC)accepted before the Lord.
39 “You shall (AD)skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.
40 (AE)“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make [k]hats for them, for glory and (AF)beauty. 41 So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall (AG)anoint them, (AH)consecrate them, and [l]sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests. 42 And you shall make (AI)for them linen trousers to cover their [m]nakedness; they shall [n]reach from the waist to the thighs. 43 They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near (AJ)the altar to minister in the holy place, that they (AK)do not incur [o]iniquity and die. (AL)It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:2 sacred
- Exodus 28:4 Ornamented vest
- Exodus 28:8 ingenious work of
- Exodus 28:17 Or ruby
- Exodus 28:19 Or amber
- Exodus 28:20 Or yellow jasper
- Exodus 28:20 Or carnelian
- Exodus 28:27 ingenious work of
- Exodus 28:30 Lit. Lights and the Perfections
- Exodus 28:38 sacred
- Exodus 28:40 headpieces or turbans
- Exodus 28:41 set them apart
- Exodus 28:42 bare flesh
- Exodus 28:42 Lit. be
- Exodus 28:43 guilt
Exodus 28
Lexham English Bible
Instructions for Making Garments for Priests
28 “And bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him from the midst of the Israelites[a] to serve as priests for me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. 2 And you will make holy garments[b] for Aaron, your brother, for glory and for splendor.[c] 3 And you will speak to all the skilled of heart, whom I have given a gift of skill,[d] and they will make the garments of Aaron to consecrate him for his serving as my priest. 4 And these are the garments that they will make: A breast piece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of specially woven fabric,[e] a turban and a sash. And they will make holy garments[f] for Aaron your brother, and for his sons to serve as priests for me.
5 “And they will take the gold and the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns and the fine linen, 6 and they will make the ephod of gold, blue and purple, and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman. 7 It will have two joining shoulder pieces at its two edges, so that it can be fastened. 8 And the waistband of his ephod, which is on it, will be of like work to it—gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen.
9 “And you will take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the Israelites,[g] 10 with six of their names on the one stone and the remaining six on the second, according to their genealogies.[h] 11 As the work of a skilled stone craftsman, with seal engravings you will engrave on the two stones the names of the Israelites;[i] you will make them mounted in gold filigree settings. 12 And you will set the two stones on the ephod’s shoulder pieces as stones of remembrance for the Israelites,[j] and Aaron will bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulder pieces for remembrance.
13 “And you will make gold filigree settings. 14 And you will make two braided chains of pure gold ornamental cord work, and you will put the chains of the ornamental cords on the filigree settings. 15 And you will make a breast piece of judgment, a work of a skilled craftsman; you will make it like the work of the ephod; you will make it of gold, blue and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. 16 It will be squared, doubled, a span its length and a span its width. 17 And you will fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone, a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald is the first row; 18 and the second row is a malachite, a sapphire, and a moonstone; 19 and the third row is a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row is a turquoise and an onyx and a jasper. Their settings will be woven with gold. 21 The stones will be according to the names of the Israelites,[k] twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name they will be for the twelve tribes.
22 “And you will make on the breast piece braided chains, a work of pure gold ornamental cord. 23 And you will make on the breast piece two gold rings, and you will put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. 24 And you will put the two gold ornamental cords on the two rings on the edges of the breast piece. 25 And you will put the two ends of the two ornamental cords on the two filigree settings, and you will put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 26 And you will make two gold rings, and you will place them on the two ends of the breast piece, on its edge that is on the other side[l] of the ephod, to the inside.[m] 27 And you will make two rings and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below at its front near its seam above the waistband of the ephod. 28 And they will tie the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord to be on the waistband of the ephod, and the breast piece will not come loose from the ephod. 29 And Aaron will bear the names of the Israelites[n] in the breast piece of judgment on his heart, when he comes to the sanctuary, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually. 30 And you will put the Urim and the Thummim on the breast piece of judgment, and they will be on the heart of Aaron when he comes before Yahweh, and Aaron will bear the judgment of the Israelites[o] on his heart before Yahweh continually.
31 “And you will make the robe of the ephod totally of blue yarn. 32 And the opening for his head will be in the middle of it; its opening will have an edge all around, the work of a weaver; it will be like the opening of a sturdy garment for it, so that it will not be torn. 33 And you will make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and crimson yarns on its hem all around and bells of gold in the midst of them all around, 34 a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around. 35 And it will be on Aaron for serving, and its sound will be heard at his coming into the sanctuary before Yahweh and at his going out, so that he will not die.
36 “And you will make a pure gold rosette,[p] and you will engrave on it with seal engravings: “A holy object for Yahweh.” 37 And you will place it on a blue cord, and it will be on the turban, at the front of the turban it will be. 38 And it will be on the forehead of Aaron, and Aaron will bear the guilt of the holy objects that the Israelites[q] will consecrate for all their holy gifts, and it will be on his forehead continually for acceptance for them before Yahweh.
39 “And you will weave the tunic of fine linen, and you will make a turban of fine linen, and you will make a sash, the work of an embroiderer. 40 And for the sons of Aaron you will make tunics, and you will make for them sashes and headdresses; you will make them for glory and for splendor.[r] 41 And you will clothe them—Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him—and you will anoint them and ordain them[s] and consecrate them, and they will serve as priests for me. 42 And make for them undergarments of linen to cover naked flesh; they will be from loins to thigh. 43 And they will be on Aaron and on his sons when they come to the tent of assembly or when they approach the altar to serve in the sanctuary, so that they will not bear guilt and die. It is a lasting statute for him and for his offspring after him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:2 Or “garments of holiness”
- Exodus 28:2 Or “beauty”
- Exodus 28:3 Literally “a spirit of wisdom”
- Exodus 28:4 Precisely what kind of fabric this was is debated
- Exodus 28:4 Or “garments of holiness”
- Exodus 28:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:10 In other words, “according to their birth order”
- Exodus 28:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:21 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:26 Literally “beyond”
- Exodus 28:26 Literally “houseward,” “to house,” meaning “inward”
- Exodus 28:29 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:30 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:36 Or “medallion”
- Exodus 28:38 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:40 Or “beauty”
- Exodus 28:41 Literally “fill their hand”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software