The Priests' Garments

28 “Then bring near to you (A)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron's sons, (B)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (C)And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the (D)skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. These are the garments that they shall make: a (E)breastpiece, an (F)ephod, (G)a robe, (H)a coat of checker work, (I)a turban, and (J)a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. They shall receive (K)gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

(L)“And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. And the (M)skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. 12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And (N)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (O)for remembrance. 13 You shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

15 (P)“You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it. 16 It shall be square and doubled, a span[a] its length and a span its breadth. 17 (Q)You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius,[b] topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; 18 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree. 21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 22 You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. 23 And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. 25 The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the (R)skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 (S)So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular (T)remembrance before the Lord. 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment (U)you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.

31 (V)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment,[c] so that it may not tear. 33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 35 And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.

36 “You shall make (W)a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, (X)‘Holy to the Lord.’ 37 And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall (Y)bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

39 “You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.

40 (Z)“For Aaron's sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them (AA)for glory and beauty. 41 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall (AB)anoint them and ordain them and (AC)consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 42 You shall make for them (AD)linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they (AE)bear guilt and die. (AF)This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 28:16 A span was about 9 inches or 22 centimeters
  2. Exodus 28:17 The identity of some of these stones is uncertain
  3. Exodus 28:32 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly coat of mail

The Priestly Garments

28 “Have Aaron(A) your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu,(B) Eleazar and Ithamar,(C) so they may serve me as priests.(D) Make sacred garments(E) for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.(F) Tell all the skilled workers(G) to whom I have given wisdom(H) in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece,(I) an ephod,(J) a robe,(K) a woven tunic,(L) a turban(M) and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.(N)

The Ephod(O)

“Make the ephod(P) of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen—the work of skilled hands. It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. Its skillfully woven waistband(Q) is to be like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen.

“Take two onyx stones and engrave(R) on them the names of the sons of Israel 10 in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings 12 and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders(S) as a memorial(T) before the Lord. 13 Make gold filigree settings 14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece(U)

15 “Fashion a breastpiece(V) for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 16 It is to be square—a span[a] long and a span wide—and folded double. 17 Then mount four rows of precious stones(W) on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite(X) and beryl; 18 the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 19 the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; 20 the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper.[b] Mount them in gold filigree settings. 21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel,(Y) each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.(Z)

22 “For the breastpiece make braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 23 Make two gold rings for it and fasten them to two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 26 Make two gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 28 The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod.

29 “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place,(AA) he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. 30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim(AB) in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

Other Priestly Garments(AC)

31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar[c] around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates(AD) of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

36 “Make a plate(AE) of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord.(AF) 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt(AG) involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable(AH) to the Lord.

39 “Weave the tunic(AI) of fine linen and make the turban(AJ) of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. 40 Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons(AK) to give them dignity and honor.(AL) 41 After you put these clothes(AM) on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint(AN) and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.(AO)

42 “Make linen undergarments(AP) as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting(AQ) or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place,(AR) so that they will not incur guilt and die.(AS)

“This is to be a lasting ordinance(AT) for Aaron and his descendants.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 28:16 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  2. Exodus 28:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
  3. Exodus 28:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

The Final Judgment

31 (A)“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, (B)then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him (C)will be gathered (D)all the nations, and (E)he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates (F)the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then (G)the King will say to (H)those on his right, ‘Come, you (I)who are blessed by my Father, (J)inherit (K)the kingdom (L)prepared for you (M)from the foundation of the world. 35 For (N)I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you (O)gave me drink, (P)I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 (Q)I was naked and you clothed me, (R)I was sick and you (S)visited me, (T)I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And (U)the King will answer them, (V)‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these (W)my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, (X)‘Depart from me, you (Y)cursed, into (Z)the eternal fire prepared for (AA)the devil and his angels. 42 For (AB)I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, (AC)you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away (AD)into eternal punishment, but the righteous (AE)into (AF)eternal life.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, (AG)“You know that after two days (AH)the Passover is coming, and (AI)the Son of Man (AJ)will be delivered up to be crucified.”

(AK)Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in (AL)the palace of the high priest, whose name was (AM)Caiaphas, (AN)and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, (AO)lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

(AP)Now when Jesus was at (AQ)Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,[b] a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and (AR)given to the poor.” 10 But (AS)Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For (AT)you always have the poor with you, but (AU)you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it (AV)to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever (AW)this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told (AX)in memory of her.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 25:40 Or brothers and sisters
  2. Matthew 26:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.(B) 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.(D) 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom(E) prepared for you since the creation of the world.(F) 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,(G) 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,(H) I was sick and you looked after me,(I) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’(J)

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’(K)

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,(L) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire(M) prepared for the devil and his angels.(N) 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’(O)

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.(P)(Q)

The Plot Against Jesus(R)

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things,(S) he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover(T) is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled(U) in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,(V) and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.(W) “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot(X) among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany(Y)(Z)

While Jesus was in Bethany(AA) in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you,[a](AB) but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.(AC) 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 26:11 See Deut. 15:11.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am (A)in distress;
    (B)my eye is wasted from grief;
    my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
    and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
    and (C)my bones waste away.

11 Because of all my adversaries I have become (D)a reproach,
    especially to my (E)neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
    those who see me in the street (F)flee from me.
12 I have been (G)forgotten like one who is dead;
    I have become like (H)a broken vessel.
13 For I (I)hear the whispering of many—
    terror on every side!—
(J)as they scheme together against me,
    as they plot to take my life.

14 But I (K)trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15 My (L)times are in your hand;
    (M)rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16 (N)Make your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love!
17 O Lord, (O)let me not be put to shame,
    for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
    let them go (P)silently to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be mute,
    which (Q)speak (R)insolently against the righteous
    in pride and contempt.

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Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;(A)
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,(B)
    my soul and body(C) with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish(D)
    and my years by groaning;(E)
my strength fails(F) because of my affliction,[a](G)
    and my bones grow weak.(H)
11 Because of all my enemies,(I)
    I am the utter contempt(J) of my neighbors(K)
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
    those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;(L)
    I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,(M)
    “Terror on every side!”(N)
They conspire against me(O)
    and plot to take my life.(P)

14 But I trust(Q) in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times(R) are in your hands;
    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
    from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine(S) on your servant;
    save me in your unfailing love.(T)
17 Let me not be put to shame,(U) Lord,
    for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
    and be silent(V) in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips(W) be silenced,
    for with pride and contempt
    they speak arrogantly(X) against the righteous.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 31:10 Or guilt

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and (A)discretion.
13 (B)The fear of the Lord is (C)hatred of evil.
(D)Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
    and (E)perverted speech I hate.

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12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
    I possess knowledge and discretion.(A)
13 To fear the Lord(B) is to hate evil;(C)
    I hate(D) pride and arrogance,
    evil behavior and perverse speech.

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