祭司的衣服

39 比撒列按照耶和华对摩西的吩咐,用蓝色、紫色、朱红色的线精工制作在圣所供职时穿的礼服,又为亚伦制作圣衣。 用金线和细麻线及蓝色、紫色、朱红色的线精工制作以弗得, 把金子打成薄片,剪成细线,与细麻线和蓝色、紫色、朱红色的线巧妙地织在一起。 他做了两条肩带,固定在以弗得两边,用来连接以弗得。 又按耶和华对摩西的吩咐,照以弗得的做法用金线和细麻线及蓝色、紫色、朱红色的线精工制作腰带,缝在以弗得上。 他选了两块红玛瑙,用刻图章的方法刻上以色列十二个儿子的名字,镶在两个金框里, 再缝在以弗得的两条肩带上,作以色列人的纪念石。这些都是照耶和华对摩西的吩咐做的。

他精工制作胸牌,与以弗得一样用金线和细麻线及蓝色、紫色、朱红色的线织成。 胸牌呈正方形,叠成两层,长宽各二十二厘米。 10 上面镶上四行宝石:第一行是红宝石、黄玉和翠玉; 11 第二行是绿宝石、蓝宝石和金刚石; 12 第三行是紫玛瑙、白玛瑙和紫晶; 13 第四行是水苍玉、红玛瑙和碧玉。以上四行宝石都镶在胸牌的金框内。 14 他用刻图章的方法,在十二颗宝石上刻上以色列儿子的名字,代表以色列的十二支派。

15 他用纯金拧成两条像绳子一样的链子,连在胸牌上, 16 又造两个金框和两个金环,把金环安在胸牌两端。 17 把两条金链分别穿在两个金环里, 18 又把两条金链的另一端分别连在以弗得前面肩带的两个金框上。 19 在靠近以弗得内侧、胸牌下面的两端造了两个金环。 20 在以弗得肩带下端、接近腰带的地方又造了两个金环。 21 用一条蓝色的带子系住以弗得和胸牌上面的金环,使胸牌贴在精工织成的以弗得腰带上,不会从以弗得上松脱。这些都是照耶和华对摩西的吩咐做的。

22 以弗得的外袍用纯蓝色的线织成, 23 上面有领口,领口上织领边,像铠甲上的领口一样,免得领口破裂。 24 外袍的底边用细麻线和蓝色、紫色、朱红色的线做成石榴状的饰物, 25 又造纯金的铃铛挂在外袍底边的石榴间, 26 一个石榴一个金铃铛,相间排列,围在外袍的底边。这件外袍是祭司供职时穿的,正如耶和华对摩西的吩咐。

27 他用细麻布为亚伦父子们缝制内袍、 28 礼冠、头巾和裤子, 29 还用细麻线和蓝色、紫色、朱红色的线绣制腰带。这是照耶和华对摩西的吩咐做的。 30 又用纯金造了牌子,就是圣冠,上面用刻图章的方法刻上“奉献给耶和华”的字样, 31 然后用一条蓝色的带子把这个牌子系在礼冠上。这些都是照耶和华对摩西的吩咐做的。

圣幕完工

32 圣幕,就是会幕的工作就这样全部完成了,都是以色列人照耶和华对摩西的吩咐做的。 33 他们把圣幕和各样器具都送到摩西那里,即钩子、木板、横闩、柱子、带凹槽的底座; 34 海狗皮顶盖、遮掩约柜的幔子、染成红色的公羊皮盖; 35 约柜、抬约柜的横杠、施恩座; 36 桌子、桌上的一切器具和供饼; 37 纯金的灯台、灯盏、灯台的一切器具、灯油; 38 金坛、膏油、芬芳的香;会幕的门帘; 39 铜祭坛、祭坛的铜网、抬祭坛的横杠、祭坛用的一切器具、洗濯盆和盆座; 40 院子的帷幔、柱子、带凹槽的底座、院子入口的门帘、绳子、橛子和会幕,即圣幕所需的一切器具; 41 在圣所供职时穿的精制礼服、亚伦祭司的圣衣及其众子供祭司之职时穿的衣服。 42 这一切都是以色列人照耶和华对摩西的吩咐做的。 43 摩西察看这一切工作,见他们都是按照耶和华的吩咐做的,就给他们祝福。

The Vestments

39 From the blue, purple, and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, and they made the holy garments for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Special Vest

He[a] made the special vest[b] from gold and from blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine woven linen. They beat the gold into thin sheets and cut it into threads so that they could work it into the blue, purple, and scarlet material and into the fine linen, the work of a skilled craftsman.[c] They made two shoulder straps for the top, one on each side, so that the vest could be fastened together. The decorated sash, which is attached to the vest, was made just like it: of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet material, and of fine woven linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

They took two onyx stones and mounted them in gold settings and engraved on them the names of the sons of Israel, like the engraving on signet seals. They mounted them on the shoulder straps of the vest as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Chest Pouch

Bezalel made a folded pouch, the work of a skillful craftsman. He made it with the same workmanship as the vest. He made it of gold, and of blue, purple, and scarlet material and of fine woven linen. It was square, nine inches by nine inches when it was folded double.

10 They mounted on it four rows of precious stones. The first row was carnelian, diamond, and jacinth; 11 the second row agate, sapphire, and emerald; 12 the third row beryl, jasper, and ruby; 13 and the fourth row topaz, onyx, and turquoise.[d] The stones were mounted in gold settings. 14 There were twelve stones, corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel. Each one was like an engraved seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

15 They made braided chains of pure gold for the pouch. 16 They made two gold rings for the pouch and attached the two rings to the top corners of the pouch. 17 They put the two braided gold chains into the two rings at the top corners of the pouch. 18 The other ends of the two braided chains they attached to the two settings, and then attached them to the shoulder straps on the front of the vest. 19 They made two gold rings and put them on the two lower corners of the pouch, on its inside edge, which is toward the vest. 20 They made two more gold rings and attached them to the two shoulder straps of the vest in the front, close to the bottom where it is joined to the sash of the vest. 21 They tied the rings of the pouch to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that the pouch was kept right next to the woven sash of the vest and would not swing out from the vest—just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Robe Worn With the Vest

22 The robe that was to be worn under the vest was the work of a weaver. It was all blue. 23 It had an opening in the middle of its top for the head. It had a woven binding around the opening, like the opening of a collar,[e] to prevent it from tearing. 24 For its hem they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet material. 25 They put the pomegranates around its hem with gold bells alternating with them 26 (a gold bell, then a pomegranate, a gold bell, then a pomegranate), all around the hem of the robe that was worn when ministering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Tunics and Pants

27 They wove the tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons. 28 They made the turban and the small pointed turbans of fine linen,[f] and the underwear was made from a special kind of finely woven linen.[g] 29 The sash was made of finely woven linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet material, the work of an embroiderer, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Gold Medallion

30 They made a medallion of pure gold to serve as a crest and engraved on it (like the engravings on a seal): Holy to the Lord. 31 They put it on a blue cord to fasten it to the turban on the front, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Completion of the Dwelling

32 In this way all the work on the Dwelling, that is, the Tent of Meeting, was finished. The people of Israel did everything exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 They brought the Dwelling to Moses: the tent with all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its crossbars, its posts, its socket bases, 34 the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, the covering made from hides of sea cows, the special veil, 35 the Ark of the Testimony with its poles, the atonement seat, 36 the table, all its utensils, the Bread of the Presence, 37 the pure gold lampstand, its lamps (that is, the lamps to be set out in order), all its vessels and utensils, the oil for the Light, 38 the golden altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, the screen for the door of the Tent, 39 the bronze altar, its bronze grate, its poles, all of its utensils, the basin and its pedestal, 40 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts, its sockets, the screen for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes, its stakes, all the equipment for the service of the Dwelling (that is, the Tent of Meeting), 41 the finely woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister in the priest’s office. 42 So the people of Israel did all the work according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected all the work, and he saw that they had done it exactly as the Lord had commanded, so Moses blessed them.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 39:2 Some of the Hebrew pronouns and verbs in this section are singular referring to the leader Bezalel. Some are plural referring to the craftsmen who worked under his supervision. It is likely most items were the work of several craftsmen directed by Bezalel.
  2. Exodus 39:2 Hebrew ephod
  3. Exodus 39:3 Here we have the clearest description of how the five materials (gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads, and linen) were woven together into one fabric. The material from which the blue, purple, and scarlet threads were made is a question because Deuteronomy 22:11 forbids fabric that is a mixture of wool and linen. Perhaps this mixture was reserved for the sacred material.
  4. Exodus 39:13 The specific identification of these gems is uncertain, and translations vary widely. The translation uses names of recognizable modern gemstones, even if they might not have the same mineral makeup as the ancient stones. The Jewish commentator Ibn Ezra writes, “We have no way to identify what they are, having no tradition to rely on.”
  5. Exodus 39:23 The meaning of this word is uncertain. Traditionally a coat of mail.
  6. Exodus 39:28 The Hebrew word mitznephet most likely refers to a turban, since the word for putting it on comes from a Hebrew root meaning “to wrap.” The turban worn by the high priest was larger than the head coverings of the priests and was wound so that it formed a broad, flat-topped turban, resembling the blossom of a flower or a chef’s hat. The head covering of the priests was different, being wound so that it formed a cone-shaped turban, called a migbahat.
  7. Exodus 39:28 There are two different words for linen in this verse. The precise distinction between them is unknown.