Exodus 39
New English Translation
The Making of the Priestly Garments
39 From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary; they made holy garments that were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.[a]
The Ephod
2 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen. 3 They hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave[b] them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, the work of an artistic designer. 4 They made shoulder pieces for it, attached to two of its corners, so it could be joined together. 5 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it,[c] of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
6 They set the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved as with the engravings of a seal[d] with the names of the sons of Israel.[e] 7 He put[f] them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
The Breastpiece of Decision
8 He made the breastpiece, the work of an artistic designer, in the same fashion as the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen. 9 It was square—they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled. 10 They set on it[g] four rows of stones: a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl—the first row; 11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold filigree settings. 14 The stones were for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, corresponding to the number of[h] their names. Each name corresponding to one of the twelve tribes was like the engravings of a seal.
15 They made for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 16 and they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they attached the two rings to the upper[i] two ends of the breastpiece. 17 They attached the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 18 the other[j] two ends of the two chains they attached to the two settings, and they attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 19 They made two rings of gold and put them on the other[k] two ends of the breastpiece on its edge, which is on the inner side of the ephod.[l] 20 They made two more[m] gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 21 They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it was above the waistband of the ephod, so that the breastpiece would not be loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
The Other Garments
22 He made the robe of the ephod completely blue, the work of a weaver. 23 There was an opening in the center of the robe, like the opening of a collar,[n] with an edge all around the opening so that it could not be torn. 24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and twisted linen[o] around the hem of the robe. 25 They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates. 26 There was[p] a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe, to be used in ministering,[q] just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 They made tunics of fine linen—the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons— 28 and the turban of fine linen, the headbands of fine linen, and the undergarments of fine twisted linen. 29 The sash was of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of an embroiderer, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 They made a plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription, as on the engravings of a seal, “Holiness to the Lord.” 31 They attached to it a blue cord to attach it to the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Moses Inspects the Tabernacle
32 [r] So all the work of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed, and the Israelites did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses—they did it exactly so. 33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; 34 and the coverings of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather,[s] and the protecting[t] curtain; 35 the ark of the testimony and its poles, and the atonement lid; 36 the table, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; 37 the pure[u] lampstand, its lamps, with the lamps set in order, and all its accessories, and oil for the light; 38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin with its pedestal; 40 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway of the courtyard, its ropes and its tent pegs, and all the furnishings[v] for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 the woven garments for serving[w] in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.
42 The Israelites did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected[x] all the work, and[y] they had done it just as the Lord had commanded—they had done it exactly—and Moses blessed them.[z]
Footnotes
- Exodus 39:1 sn This chapter also will be almost identical to the instructions given earlier, with a few changes along the way.
- Exodus 39:3 tn The verb is the infinitive that means “to do, to work.” It could be given a literal rendering: “to work [them into] the blue….” Weaving or embroidering is probably what is intended.
- Exodus 39:5 tn Heb “from it” or the same.
- Exodus 39:6 tn Or “as seals are engraved.”
- Exodus 39:6 sn The twelve names were those of Israel’s sons. The idea was not the remembrance of the twelve sons as such, but the twelve tribes that bore their names.
- Exodus 39:7 tn Or “attached.”
- Exodus 39:10 tn That is, they set in mountings.
- Exodus 39:14 tn The phrase “the number of” has been supplied.
- Exodus 39:16 tn Here “upper” has been supplied.
- Exodus 39:18 tn Here “other” has been supplied.
- Exodus 39:19 tn Here “other” has been supplied.
- Exodus 39:19 tn Heb “homeward side.”
- Exodus 39:20 tn Here “more” has been supplied.
- Exodus 39:23 tn See the note on this word in Exod 28:32 for discussion of its meaning.
- Exodus 39:24 tn The word is simply “twined” or “twisted.” It may refer to the twisted linen that so frequently is found in these lists; or, it may refer to the yarn twisted. The LXX reads “fine twined linen.” This is not found in the text of Exod 28:33, except in Smr and LXX.
- Exodus 39:26 tn The words “there was” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Exodus 39:26 tn The infinitive “to minister” is present; “to be used” is supplied from the context.
- Exodus 39:32 sn The last sections of the book bring several themes together to a full conclusion. Not only is it the completion of the tabernacle, it is the fulfillment of God’s plan revealed at the beginning of the book, i.e., to reside with his people.
- Exodus 39:34 tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.
- Exodus 39:34 tn Or “shielding” (NIV); NASB “the screening veil.”
- Exodus 39:37 tn Possibly meaning “pure gold lampstand.”
- Exodus 39:40 tn Heb “utensils, vessels.”
- Exodus 39:41 tn The form is the infinitive construct; it means the clothes to be used “to minister” in the Holy Place.
- Exodus 39:43 tn Or “examined” (NASB, TEV); NCV “looked closely at.”
- Exodus 39:43 tn The deictic particle draws attention to what he saw in such a way as to give the reader Moses’ point of view and a sense of his pleasure: “and behold, they….”
- Exodus 39:43 sn The situation and wording in Exod 39:43 are reminiscent of Gen 1:28 and 31, with the motifs of blessing people and inspecting what has been made.
Exodus 39
Legacy Standard Bible
Making the Holy Garments
39 Moreover, from the [a](A)blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely (B)woven garments for ministering in the holy place [b]as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
2 (C)He made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. 3 Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads [c]to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen, the work of a skillful designer. 4 They made joining shoulder pieces for [d]the ephod; it was joined at its two upper ends. 5 The skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, [e]of the same material: of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
6 (D)They made the onyx stones, set all around in filigree settings of gold; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. 7 And (E)he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
8 (F)He made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful designer, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. 9 It was square; they made the breastpiece, having been folded double, a [f]span [g]long and a span [h]wide when folded double. 10 And they [i]mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; 11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in their filigree settings with gold filigree. 14 The stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes. 15 They made on the breastpiece chains of a twisted work of cords in pure gold. 16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. 17 Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 18 They 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. 19 They made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod. 20 Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 21 They bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it would be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
22 (G)Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work entirely of blue; 23 (H)and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, so that it would not be torn. 24 They made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the [j]robe, 26 [k]alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the ministry, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
27 (I)They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons, 28 and the turban of fine linen, and the headdresses of the [l]caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twisted linen, 29 and the sash of fine twisted linen, and blue and purple and scarlet material, the work of the [m]weaver, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
30 (J)They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold and [n]wrote upon it with engraved writing as found on a signet, “Holy to Yahweh.” 31 They [o]fastened a blue cord to it, to [p]fasten it on the turban above, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
32 Thus all the service of constructing the [q]tabernacle of the tent of meeting was (K)completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses; so they did. 33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its [r]furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars and its bases; 34 and the covering of rams’ skins [s]dyed red, and the covering of porpoise skins, and the screening veil; 35 the ark of the testimony and its poles and the [t]mercy seat; 36 the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the [u]Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand, [v]with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; 38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the veil for the doorway of the tent; 39 the [w]bronze altar and its [x]bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the laver and its stand; 40 the hangings for the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords and its pegs, and all the [y]equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 the woven garments for ministering in the holy place and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests. 42 Thus, according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did in all their service. 43 And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; just as Yahweh had commanded, so they had done. Then Moses (L)blessed them.
Footnotes
- Exodus 39:1 Or violet, so in ch
- Exodus 39:1 Lit and they made
- Exodus 39:3 Lit to work
- Exodus 39:4 Lit it
- Exodus 39:5 Lit from it
- Exodus 39:9 A span was approx. 9 in. or 23 cm
- Exodus 39:9 Lit its length
- Exodus 39:9 Lit its width
- Exodus 39:10 Lit filled
- Exodus 39:25 Lit robe, between the pomegranates
- Exodus 39:26 Lit a bell and a pomegranate, a bell...
- Exodus 39:28 Lit headgear
- Exodus 39:29 A weaver in colors; lit variegator
- Exodus 39:30 Lit wrote on it a writing
- Exodus 39:31 Lit put
- Exodus 39:31 Lit put
- Exodus 39:32 Lit dwelling place
- Exodus 39:33 Or utensils
- Exodus 39:34 Or tanned
- Exodus 39:35 Or propitiatory seat, place of atonement
- Exodus 39:36 Lit Face
- Exodus 39:37 Lit its lamps, the lamps set in order
- Exodus 39:39 Or copper
- Exodus 39:39 Or copper
- Exodus 39:40 Or utensils
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