Making the Priestly Garments

39 They made specially woven[a] garments for ministry in the sanctuary, and the holy garments for Aaron from the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.(A)

Making the Ephod

Bezalel(B) made the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. They hammered out thin sheets of gold, and he[b] cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and the fine linen in a skillful design. They made shoulder pieces for attaching it; it was joined together at its two edges. The artistically woven waistband that was on the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, according to the same workmanship of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Then they mounted the onyx stones surrounded with gold filigree settings, engraved with the names of Israel’s sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. He fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Making the Breastpiece

He(C) also made the embroidered breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. They made the breastpiece square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.[c] 10 They mounted four rows of gemstones[d] on it. The first row was a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald;[e] 11 the second row, a turquoise,[f] a sapphire,[g] and a diamond;[h] 12 the third row, a jacinth,[i] an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were surrounded with gold filigree in their settings.

14 The 12 stones corresponded to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone was engraved like a seal with one of the names of the 12 tribes.

15 They made braided chains of pure gold cord for the breastpiece. 16 They also fashioned two gold filigree settings and two gold rings and attached the two rings to its two corners. 17 Then they attached the two gold cords to the two gold rings on the corners of the breastpiece. 18 They attached the other ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings and, in this way, attached them to the ephod’s shoulder pieces in front. 19 They made two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod. 20 They made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the ephod’s two shoulder pieces on its front, close to its seam,[j] above the ephod’s woven waistband. 21 Then they tied the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the ephod’s waistband and did not come loose from the ephod. They did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Making the Robe

22 They(D) made the woven robe of the ephod entirely of blue yarn. 23 There was an opening in the center of the robe like that of body armor[k] with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear. 24 They made pomegranates of finely spun blue, purple, and scarlet yarn[l] on the lower hem of the robe. 25 They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates, all around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates, 26 a bell and a pomegranate alternating all around the lower hem of the robe[m] to be worn for ministry. They made it just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Other Priestly Garments

27 They made the tunics of fine woven linen for Aaron and his sons. 28 They also made the turban and the ornate headbands[n] of fine linen, the undergarments,(E) 29 and the sash of finely spun linen of embroidered blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. They did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Making the Holy Diadem

30 They also made a medallion, the holy diadem, out of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription like the engraving on a seal:(F)

HOLY TO THE LORD.

31 Then they attached a cord of blue yarn to it in order to mount it on the turban, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses’ Inspection of the Tabernacle

32 So all the work for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.(G) 33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its planks, its crossbars, and its posts and bases; 34 the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of manatee skins;[o] the veil for the screen; 35 the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat; 36 the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand, with its lamps arranged and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the light; 38 the gold altar; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entrance to the tent; 39 the bronze altar with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; 40 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and bases, the screen for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 41 and the specially woven[p] garments for ministering in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests. 42 The Israelites had done all the work according to everything the Lord had commanded Moses.(H) 43 Moses inspected all the work they had accomplished. They had done just as the Lord commanded. Then Moses blessed them.(I)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 39:1 Hb obscure
  2. Exodus 39:3 Sam, Syr, Tg read they
  3. Exodus 39:9 Lit a span its length and a span its width
  4. Exodus 39:10 Many of these stones cannot be identified with certainty.
  5. Exodus 39:10 Or beryl
  6. Exodus 39:11 Or malachite, or garnet
  7. Exodus 39:11 Or lapis lazuli
  8. Exodus 39:11 Hb uncertain; LXX, Vg read jasper
  9. Exodus 39:12 Hb obscure
  10. Exodus 39:20 The place where the shoulder pieces join the front of the ephod
  11. Exodus 39:23 Hb obscure
  12. Exodus 39:24 Sam, LXX, Vg add and linen
  13. Exodus 39:26 Lit bell and pomegranate, bell and pomegranate, on the hem of the robe around
  14. Exodus 39:28 Lit and the headdresses of headbands
  15. Exodus 39:34 Or of dolphin skins, or of fine leather; Hb obscure
  16. Exodus 39:41 Hb obscure

Making Garments for Priests

39 And from the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary, and they made the holy garments that were for Aaron, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. And he hammered out the leaves of gold, and he cut off cords to weave in the midst of the blue and in the midst of the purple and in the midst of the crimson and in the midst of the linen—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made joined shoulder pieces for it; it was joined on its two edges. And the waistband of his ephod, which was of one piece with it,[a] was of like work, gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And they made onyx stones mounted in gold filigree settings, engraved with seal engravings according to the names of the Israelites.[b] And he set them on the ephod’s shoulder pieces as stones of remembrance for the Israelites,[c] as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

And he made the breast piece, the work of a skilled craftsman, like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. It was squared; they made the breast piece doubled; its length was a span, and its width was a span when doubled. 10 And they filled it with four rows of stone; a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald was the first row; 11 and the second row was a malachite, a sapphire, and a moonstone; 12 and the third row was a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row was a turquoise, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set with gold filigree settings in their mountings. 14 And the stones were according to the names of the Israelites;[d] they were twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name for the twelve tribes.

15 And they made on the breast piece braided chains, a work of pure gold ornamental cord. 16 And they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. 17 And they put the two gold ornamental cords on the two rings on the edges of the breast piece. 18 And they put the two ends of the two ornamental cords on the two filigree settings, and they put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 19 And they made two gold rings, and they placed them on the two edges of the breast piece, on its lip that is on the other side[e] of the ephod, to the inside.[f] 20 And they made two gold rings and put them on the ephod’s two shoulder pieces below, at its front near its seam above the waistband of the ephod. 21 And they tied the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord so that the breast piece would be on the waistband of the ephod and not come loose from the ephod, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

22 And he made the robe of the ephod, weaver’s work, totally of blue yarn. 23 And the opening of the robe in the middle of it was like the opening of a sturdy garment, with an edge for its opening all around so that it would not be torn. 24 And they made on the hem of the robe pomegranates of finely twisted blue and purple and crimson. 25 And they made pure gold bells and put the bells in the midst of the pomegranates on the hem of the robe all around in the midst of the pomegranates, 26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate on the hem of the robe all around for serving, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

27 And they made the tunics of fine linen, a weaver’s work, for Aaron and for his sons, 28 and the turban of fine linen and the headdresses of the headbands of fine linen and undergarments of the linen cloth, finely twisted, 29 and the sash of finely twisted linen and blue and purple and crimson yarns, the work of an embroiderer, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

30 And they made the rosette[g] of the holy diadem of pure gold, and they wrote on it with the writing of seal engravings: “A holy object for Yahweh.” 31 And they put a blue cord on it to put it above on the turban, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Preparations Complete

32 And all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of assembly was finished, and the Israelites[h] had done according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses; so they did. 33 And they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its equipment, its hooks, its frames,[i] its bars, and its pillars and its bases; 34 and the covering of the red-dyed ram skins and the covering of fine leather and the curtain of the screen; 35 the ark of the testimony and its poles and the atonement cover; 36 the table, all its equipment, and the bread of the presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand, its lamps—the lamps of the row—and all its equipment and the oil of the light; 38 the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the screen of the entrance of the tent; 39 the bronze altar, and the bronze grating that is for it, its poles, and all its equipment, the basin and its stand, 40 the hangings of the courtyard, its pillars, and its bases; and the screen for the courtyard gate, its tent cords and its pegs;[j] and all the equipment of the service of the tabernacle for the tent of assembly, 41 the woven garments for serving in the sanctuary—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests. 42 According to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the Israelites[k] did all the work. 43 And Moses saw all the work, and, indeed, they had done it as Yahweh had commanded; so they did, and Moses blessed them.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 39:5 Literally “on it from it”
  2. Exodus 39:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Exodus 39:7 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  4. Exodus 39:14 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Exodus 39:19 Literally “beyond”
  6. Exodus 39:19 Literally “houseward,” “to house,” meaning “inward”
  7. Exodus 39:30 Or “medallion”
  8. Exodus 39:32 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Exodus 39:33 Or “boards” or “planks”
  10. Exodus 39:40 Literally “hands”
  11. Exodus 39:42 Literally “sons/children of Israel”