Exodus 39
New Living Translation
Clothing for the Priests
39 The craftsmen made beautiful sacred garments of blue, purple, and scarlet cloth—clothing for Aaron to wear while ministering in the Holy Place, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Making the Ephod
2 Bezalel[a] made the ephod of finely woven linen and embroidered it with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 3 He made gold thread by hammering out thin sheets of gold and cutting it into fine strands. With great skill and care, he worked it into the fine linen with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread.
4 The ephod consisted of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders with two shoulder-pieces. 5 The decorative sash was made of the same materials: finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 6 They mounted the two onyx stones in settings of gold filigree. The stones were engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, just as a seal is engraved. 7 He fastened these stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as a reminder that the priest represents the people of Israel. All this was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Making the Chestpiece
8 Bezalel made the chestpiece with great skill and care. He made it to match the ephod, using finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 9 He made the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches[b] square. 10 They mounted four rows of gemstones[c] on it. The first row contained a red carnelian, a pale-green peridot, and an emerald. 11 The second row contained a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and a white moonstone. 12 The third row contained an orange jacinth, an agate, and a purple amethyst. 13 The fourth row contained a blue-green beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these stones were set in gold filigree. 14 Each stone represented one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of that tribe was engraved on it like a seal.
15 To attach the chestpiece to the ephod, they made braided cords of pure gold thread. 16 They also made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings and attached them to the top corners of the chestpiece. 17 They tied the two gold cords to the rings on the chestpiece. 18 They tied the other ends of the cords to the gold settings on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod. 19 Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the inside edges of the chestpiece next to the ephod. 20 Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the front of the ephod, below the shoulder-pieces, just above the knot where the decorative sash was fastened to the ephod. 21 They attached the bottom rings of the chestpiece to the rings on the ephod with blue cords. In this way, the chestpiece was held securely to the ephod above the decorative sash. All this was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Additional Clothing for the Priests
22 Bezalel made the robe that is worn with the ephod from a single piece of blue woven cloth, 23 with an opening for Aaron’s head in the middle of it. The opening was reinforced with a woven collar[d] so it would not tear. 24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and attached them to the hem of the robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold and placed them between the pomegranates along the hem of the robe, 26 with bells and pomegranates alternating all around the hem. This robe was to be worn whenever the priest ministered before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 They made tunics for Aaron and his sons from fine linen cloth. 28 The turban and the special head coverings were made of fine linen, and the undergarments were also made of finely woven linen. 29 The sashes were made of finely woven linen and embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
30 Finally, they made the sacred medallion—the badge of holiness—of pure gold. They engraved it like a seal with these words: Holy to the lord. 31 They attached the medallion with a blue cord to Aaron’s turban, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Moses Inspects the Work
32 And so at last the Tabernacle[e] was finished. The Israelites had done everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 And they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses:
the sacred tent with all its furnishings, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases;
34 the tent coverings of tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather;
the inner curtain to shield the Ark;
35 the Ark of the Covenant[f] and its carrying poles;
the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement;
36 the table and all its utensils;
the Bread of the Presence;
37 the pure gold lampstand with its symmetrical lamp cups, all its accessories, and the olive oil for lighting;
38 the gold altar;
the anointing oil and fragrant incense;
the curtain for the entrance of the sacred tent;
39 the bronze altar;
the bronze grating and its carrying poles and utensils;
the washbasin with its stand;
40 the curtains for the walls of the courtyard;
the posts and their bases;
the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;
the ropes and tent pegs;
all the furnishings to be used in worship at the Tabernacle;
41 the beautifully stitched garments for the priests to wear while ministering in the Holy Place—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests.
42 So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. 43 Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.
Exodus 39
International Standard Version
The Priestly Garments
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 commanded Moses.
The Ephod
2 He made the ephod out of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine woven linen. 3 They hammered out gold sheets and cut off threads to work into the blue, purple, and scarlet material and into the fine linen, a work of skillful design. 4 They made connecting shoulder pieces for the ephod[a] and attached them to its two edges. 5 The skillfully woven band that was on it was made like it, of one piece with it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine woven linen, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 6 They prepared the onyx stones, engraved with the names of the sons of Israel like the engraving on a signet,[b] and mounted them in settings of gold filigree. 7 He put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Breast Piece
8 He made a breast piece, skillfully worked, like the work of the ephod: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine woven linen. 9 They made the breast piece square when folded double: one span[c] in length and one span[d] in width when folded double. 10 They mounted on it four rows of stones. The first row was a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald; 11 the second row ruby,[e] sapphire, and crystal; 12 the third row jacinth, agate, and amethyst; 13 and the fourth row beryl, onyx, and jasper. They were set in gold filigree when they were mounted. 14 The stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve stones[f] corresponding to their names, with the engraving of a signet,[g] each with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
15 They made chains of pure gold twisted like cords for the breast piece. 16 They made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and they put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. 17 They put the two gold cords on the two gold rings at the edges of the breast piece, 18 and they attached the other two ends of the two cords to the filigree settings, and then attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod in front. 19 They made two gold rings and attached them to the two edges of the breast piece, on the side of it which is toward the inner side of the ephod. 20 They made two gold rings and attached 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. 21 They tied the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord so it would rest on the skillfully woven band of the ephod and so the breast piece would not come loose from the ephod.
The Robe of the Ephod
22 He made the robe of the ephod of woven work, entirely of blue. 23 The opening of the robe was in the middle, like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around the opening so it would not be torn. 24 On the hem of the robe, they placed pomegranates made of blue, purple, and scarlet material and woven linen. 25 They made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between[h] the pomegranates, on the hem of the robe, all around between[i] the pomegranates. 26 There was a bell and a pomegranate, then[j] a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe for when the High Priest ministered,[k] just as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Other Priestly Garments
27 They made tunics for Aaron and his sons, woven from fine linen, 28 the turban of fine linen, decorated head coverings of fine linen, linen undergarments of fine woven linen, 29 and the sash of fine woven linen, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet material, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 They made the medallion[l] for the holy crown of pure gold, and they wrote on it an inscription like the engraving on a seal: “Holy to the Lord.” 31 They fastened a blue cord to it in order to fasten it on the turban above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Moses Inspects the Completed Work
32 All the work on the Tent of Meeting was completed, and the Israelis had crafted it according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, as they should have.[m] 33 They brought to Moses the tent, all its furnishings, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 34 the covering of ram skins dyed red,[n] the covering of dolphin[o] skins, the curtain,[p] 35 the Ark of the Testimony and its poles, the Mercy Seat, 36 the table and all its utensils, the bread of the presence, 37 the lamp stand of pure gold,[q] its lamps (with the lamps in order), its furnishings, its oil for lighting, 38 the altar of gold, anointing oil, aromatic incense, the screen for the doorway to the tent, 39 the bronze altar and the bronze lattice for it, its poles, all its furnishings, the basin and its base, 40 the hangings for the court, its pillars, its sockets, the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, its pegs, all the furnishings for the service of the tent, for the Tent of Meeting, 41 the woven garments for Aaron the priest for ministering in the Holy Place, and the garments for his sons for serving as priests. 42 The Israelis had done all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses blessed them when he saw all the work and that they had completed it. They had done it just as the Lord had commanded.
Footnotes
- Exodus 39:4 Lit. for it
- Exodus 39:6 I.e. a type of seal used to indicate ownership
- Exodus 39:9 I.e. about nine inches
- Exodus 39:9 I.e. about nine inches
- Exodus 39:11 Or turquoise
- Exodus 39:14 The Heb. lacks stones
- Exodus 39:14 I.e. A type of seal used to indicate ownership
- Exodus 39:25 Lit. among
- Exodus 39:25 Lit. among
- Exodus 39:26 The Heb. lacks then
- Exodus 39:26 Lit. for ministering
- Exodus 39:30 Or plate
- Exodus 39:32 Lit. Moses. So they had done.
- Exodus 39:34 Or of tanned ram skins
- Exodus 39:34 Or dugong; i.e. a marine animal similar to a walrus or manatee
- Exodus 39:34 I.e. the one that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place
- Exodus 39:37 Lit. the pure lamp stand
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