Exodus 28
New American Standard Bible
Garments of the Priests
28 “Then (A)bring forward to yourself your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to serve as priest to Me—Aaron, (B)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2 And you shall make (C)holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the [a](D)skillful people (E)whom I have endowed with [b]the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may serve as priest to Me. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make: a [c](F)breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a tunic of checkered work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that he may serve as priest to Me. 5 They shall take (G)the gold, the [d]violet, the purple, the scarlet material, and the fine linen.
6 “They shall also make (H)the ephod of gold, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, the work of the skilled embroiderer. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, so that it may be joined. 8 The skillfully woven band of its overlay, which is on it, shall be like its workmanship, [e]of the same material: of gold, of violet and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. 9 And 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 [f]other stone, according to their birth. 11 [g]As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall [h]set them in filigree settings of gold. 12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall (I)carry their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (J)as a memorial. 13 And (K)you shall make filigree settings of gold, 14 and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them of twisted cord work, and you shall put the corded chains on the filigree settings.
15 “(L)You shall make a [i]breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled embroiderer; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen you shall make it. 16 It shall be square and folded double, a [j]span [k]in length and a [l]span [m]in width. 17 And you shall [n]mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; 18 and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. 21 The stones shall be engraved according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a signet, each (M)according to his name for the twelve tribes. 22 You shall also make on the [o]breastpiece twisted chains of cord work in pure gold. 23 And you shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 25 You shall put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front of it. 26 And you shall make two rings of gold and place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod. 29 So Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy Place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. 30 And (N)you shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the [p](O)Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.
31 “(P)You shall make the robe of the ephod all of violet. 32 There shall be an opening [q]at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn. 33 You shall make on its hem pomegranates of violet, purple, and scarlet material all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. 35 It shall be on Aaron [r]when he ministers; and its sound shall be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place before the Lord, so that he will not die.
36 “You shall also make (Q)a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘(R)Holy to the Lord.’ 37 You shall [s]fasten it on a violet cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall [t](S)take away the guilt of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, regarding all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, so that (T)they may be accepted before the Lord.
39 “And you shall weave (U)the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a [u]weaver.
40 “For Aaron’s sons you shall also make (V)tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make [v](W)caps for them, for glory and for beauty. 41 Then you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall (X)anoint them and [w]ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve Me as priests. 42 You shall make for them (Y)linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh; they shall [x]reach from the waist even to the thighs. 43 And they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or (Z)when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not incur [y]guilt and die. (AA)It shall be a statute forever to him and to his [z]descendants after him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:3 Lit wise of heart
- Exodus 28:3 I.e., artistic skill
- Exodus 28:4 Or pouch
- Exodus 28:5 Or bluish; LXX hyacinth in color, and so throughout the ch
- Exodus 28:8 Lit from it
- Exodus 28:10 Lit second
- Exodus 28:11 Lit A work of a lapidary, engravings of a seal
- Exodus 28:11 Lit make them to be surrounded
- Exodus 28:15 Or pouch
- Exodus 28:16 About 9 in. or 23 cm
- Exodus 28:16 Lit its
- Exodus 28:16 About 9 in. or 23 cm
- Exodus 28:16 Lit its
- Exodus 28:17 Lit fill in a setting of stones, four rows of stones
- Exodus 28:22 Or pouch, and so through v 30
- Exodus 28:30 I.e., lights and perfections
- Exodus 28:32 Or for his head
- Exodus 28:35 Lit for ministering
- Exodus 28:37 Lit place
- Exodus 28:38 Or bear
- Exodus 28:39 Lit variegator; i.e., a weaver in colors
- Exodus 28:40 Lit headgear
- Exodus 28:41 Lit fill their hand
- Exodus 28:42 Lit be
- Exodus 28:43 Or wrongdoing
- Exodus 28:43 Lit seed
Exodus 28
International Standard Version
The Garments for the Priests
28 “You are to bring your brother Aaron, along with his sons, from among the Israelis so they can serve as priests for me: that is, Aaron and his sons[a] Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 You are to make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for dignity and beauty. 3 You are to speak to all who are skilled,[b] whom I’ve endowed[c] with talent,[d] that they should make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments that they are to make: a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for Aaron your brother and for his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They are to use[e] gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material, as well as fine linen.”
The Ephod
6 “They are to make the ephod from gold, along with blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine woven linen, all of it[f] skillfully worked. 7 It is to have two shoulder-pieces attached to its two edges so it can be joined together. 8 The skillfully woven band that is on it is to be made like it, that is, of one piece with it, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material, and fine woven linen. 9 You are to take two onyx stones and engrave the names of the sons of Israel on them, 10 six of their names on one stone, and the six remaining names on the other stone. Engrave them[g] according to their order of birth. 11 With work like a jeweler engraves on a signet,[h] you are to inscribe the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel, and you are to mount them in settings of gold filigree. 12 You are to put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance representing the sons of Israel, and Aaron is to carry their names into the Lord’s presence on his two shoulders as a memorial. 13 You are to make settings of gold filigree, 14 and you are to make two chains of pure gold twisted like cords, and then fasten the twisted chains to the filigree settings.”
The Breast Piece
15 “You are to make a breast piece to be worn by the high priest when he makes legal decisions.[i] It is to be skillfully worked, made like the work of the ephod from gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material, and from fine woven linen. 16 It is to be square when folded double, one hand span[j] long and one hand span wide.[k] 17 You are to mount on it a setting for four rows of stones. The first row is to contain carnelian,[l] topaz, and emerald; 18 the second row ruby,[m] sapphire, and crystal; 19 the third row jacinth, agate, and amethyst; 20 the fourth row beryl, onyx, and jasper, and they are to be set in gold filigree. 21 The stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve stones[n] corresponding to their names. They are to be engraved like a signet,[o] each with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
22 “You are to make chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, for the breast piece. 23 You are to make two gold rings for the breast piece, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. 24 You are to put the two gold cords on the two gold rings at the edges of the breast piece, 25 and you are to attach the other two ends of the two cords to the filigree settings and attach them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod in front.
26 “You are to make two gold rings and attach them to the two edges of the breast piece, on the side of it that is toward the inner side of the ephod. 27 You are to make two gold rings and attach them in front on the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod close to the place where it’s joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 They are to fasten the rings on the breast piece to the rings on the ephod with a blue cord so it will rest[p] on the skillfully woven band of the ephod and so the breast piece won’t come loose from the ephod.
29 “Aaron is to carry the names of Israel’s sons on his heart on the breast piece to be worn by the high priest when he makes legal decisions,[q] that is, whenever he goes into the Holy Place in order to remember them continuously in the Lord’s presence. 30 You are to put the Urim and Thummim[r] into the breast piece of judgment, and they are to be on Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. He is to carry the breast piece of decision[s] that depicts Israel’s sons[t] on his heart in the Lord’s presence continuously.”
Other Garments for the Priests
31 “You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue. 32 There is to be an opening at its top, in the middle, with a woven binding around the opening like the opening of a coat of mail so that it cannot be torn. 33 On its hem you are to make blue and purple and scarlet pomegranates, all around the skirt, with gold bells between them all the way[u] around. 34 You are to have a gold bell and a pomegranate, then[v] a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all the way[w] around it. 35 Aaron is to wear the robe when he ministers[x] so its sound may be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place in the Lord’s presence, so that he won’t die.
36 “You are to make a medallion[y] of pure gold, and engrave on it ‘Holy to the Lord,’ like the engravings of a signet. 37 You are to put it on a blue cord and place it on the turban. It is to be on the front of the turban 38 and worn on Aaron’s forehead in order to take away any guilt contained in the holy things which the Israelis consecrate as holy gifts. It is to remain on his forehead continuously, so they may be accepted in the Lord’s presence.
39 “You are to weave the checkered tunic of fine linen, you are to make a turban of fine linen, and you are to make an embroidered sash. 40 “You are to make tunics for the sons of Aaron, you are to make sashes for them, and you are to make head coverings for them for dignity and beauty. 41 You are to put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and you are to anoint them, ordain them,[z] and consecrate them to serve as my priests.
42 “You are to make linen undergarments for them to cover their naked flesh, and they are to reach[aa] from the loins to the thighs. 43 They are to be on Aaron and his sons when they enter the Tent of Meeting or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place so they don’t incur guilt and die. This is to be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants[ab] after him.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:1 Lit. Aaron’s sons
- Exodus 28:3 Lit. wise (or skilled) of heart
- Exodus 28:3 Lit. filled
- Exodus 28:3 Lit. a spirit of wisdom (or skill)
- Exodus 28:5 Lit. take
- Exodus 28:6 The Heb. lacks all of it
- Exodus 28:10 The Heb. lacks Engrave them
- Exodus 28:11 I.e. a type of seal used to indicate ownership
- Exodus 28:15 Lit. breast piece of judgment
- Exodus 28:16 I.e. about the distance between the outstretched thumb and little finger, or about nine inches
- Exodus 28:16 I.e. about the distance between the outstretched thumb and little finger, or about nine inches
- Exodus 28:17 The meaning of MT is uncertain.
- Exodus 28:18 Or turquoise
- Exodus 28:21 The Heb. lacks stones
- Exodus 28:21 Lit. the engravings of a seal (or signet ring)
- Exodus 28:28 Lit. be
- Exodus 28:29 Lit. breast piece of judgment
- Exodus 28:30 I.e. the jewel-encrusted breastplate worn by the high priest by which the will of God could be revealed; cf. Ezra 2:63, Neh 7:65
- Exodus 28:30 Lit. judgment
- Exodus 28:30 Lit. of judgment of Israel’s sons
- Exodus 28:33 The Heb. lacks the way
- Exodus 28:34 The Heb. lacks then
- Exodus 28:34 The Heb. lacks the way
- Exodus 28:35 Lit. for ministering
- Exodus 28:36 Or plate
- Exodus 28:41 Lit. fill their hand
- Exodus 28:42 Lit. be
- Exodus 28:43 Lit. seed
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
