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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

Bezalel[a] made the ephod of finely woven linen and embroidered it with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 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.

The ephod consisted of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders with two shoulder-pieces. 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. 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. 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

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. 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.

Footnotes

  1. 39:2 Hebrew He; also in 39:8, 22.
  2. 39:9 Hebrew 1 span [23 centimeters].
  3. 39:10 The identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.
  4. 39:23 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  5. 39:32 Hebrew the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; also in 39:40.
  6. 39:35 Or Ark of the Testimony.

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”