Exodus 28
English Standard Version
The Priests' Garments
28 “Then bring near to you (A)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron's sons, (B)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 (C)And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the (D)skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a (E)breastpiece, an (F)ephod, (G)a robe, (H)a coat of checker work, (I)a turban, and (J)a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They shall receive (K)gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
6 (L)“And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. 8 And the (M)skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 9 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 other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. 12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And (N)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (O)for remembrance. 13 You shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.
15 (P)“You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it. 16 It shall be square and doubled, a span[a] its length and a span its breadth. 17 (Q)You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius,[b] topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; 18 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree. 21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 22 You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. 23 And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. 25 The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the (R)skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 (S)So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular (T)remembrance before the Lord. 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment (U)you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.
31 (V)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment,[c] so that it may not tear. 33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 35 And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.
36 “You shall make (W)a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, (X)‘Holy to the Lord.’ 37 And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall (Y)bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
39 “You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
40 (Z)“For Aaron's sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them (AA)for glory and beauty. 41 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall (AB)anoint them and ordain them and (AC)consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 42 You shall make for them (AD)linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they (AE)bear guilt and die. (AF)This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:16 A span was about 9 inches or 22 centimeters
- Exodus 28:17 The identity of some of these stones is uncertain
- Exodus 28:32 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly coat of mail
Exodus 28
New International Version
The Priestly Garments
28 “Have Aaron(A) your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu,(B) Eleazar and Ithamar,(C) so they may serve me as priests.(D) 2 Make sacred garments(E) for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.(F) 3 Tell all the skilled workers(G) to whom I have given wisdom(H) in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece,(I) an ephod,(J) a robe,(K) a woven tunic,(L) a turban(M) and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.(N)
The Ephod(O)
6 “Make the ephod(P) of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen—the work of skilled hands. 7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. 8 Its skillfully woven waistband(Q) is to be like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen.
9 “Take two onyx stones and engrave(R) on them the names of the sons of Israel 10 in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings 12 and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders(S) as a memorial(T) before the Lord. 13 Make gold filigree settings 14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.
The Breastpiece(U)
15 “Fashion a breastpiece(V) for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 16 It is to be square—a span[a] long and a span wide—and folded double. 17 Then mount four rows of precious stones(W) on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite(X) and beryl; 18 the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 19 the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; 20 the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper.[b] Mount them in gold filigree settings. 21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel,(Y) each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.(Z)
22 “For the breastpiece make braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 23 Make two gold rings for it and fasten them to two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 26 Make two gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 28 The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod.
29 “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place,(AA) he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. 30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim(AB) in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.
Other Priestly Garments(AC)
31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar[c] around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates(AD) of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.
36 “Make a plate(AE) of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord.(AF) 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt(AG) involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable(AH) to the Lord.
39 “Weave the tunic(AI) of fine linen and make the turban(AJ) of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. 40 Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons(AK) to give them dignity and honor.(AL) 41 After you put these clothes(AM) on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint(AN) and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.(AO)
42 “Make linen undergarments(AP) as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting(AQ) or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place,(AR) so that they will not incur guilt and die.(AS)
“This is to be a lasting ordinance(AT) for Aaron and his descendants.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:16 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
- Exodus 28:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
- Exodus 28:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Exodus 28
Jubilee Bible 2000
28 ¶ And cause Aaron, thy brother, to come unto thee with his sons, from among the sons of Israel, that they may be my priests, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron, thy brother, for honour and for beauty.
3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the Spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him, that he may be my priest.
4 And these are the garments which they shall make: the pectoral, the ephod, the robe, the broidered coat, the mitre, and the girdle. Therefore let them make the holy garments for Aaron, thy brother, and his sons, that they may be my priests.
5 And they shall take gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen,
6 ¶ and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.
7 It shall have its two shoulderpieces joined at the two edges thereof, and so it shall be joined together.
8 And the special girdle of the ephod, which shall be over it, shall be of its same workmanship, of the same materials: of gold, blue, purple, scarlet and fine twined linen.
9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel:
10 Six of their names on one stone and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.
11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a seal, shalt thou engrave those two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; thou shalt make them to be set in settings of gold.
12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.
13 And thou shalt make the settings of gold
14 and two small chains of pure gold; of wreathen work shalt thou make them and fasten the wreathen chains to the settings.
15 ¶ And in the same manner thou shalt make the pectoral of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it, of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and of fine twined linen.
16 It shall be square and double; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
17 And thou shalt fill it with four rows of stones; The order shall be a ruby, an emerald, and a chrysolite; this shall be the first order.
18 And the second order shall be a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond.
19 And the third order, a topaz, a turquoise, and an amethyst.
20 And the fourth row a tarshish (or beryl) and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
21 And those stones shall be in agreement with the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, in agreement with their names; each one in agreement with his name like the engravings of a seal; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.
22 And thou shalt also make upon the pectoral small chains of wreathen work of pure gold.
23 And thou shalt make upon the pectoral two rings of gold and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the pectoral.
24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the pectoral.
25 And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two settings and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod on the front of it.
26 Thou shalt also make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the pectoral in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.
27 Likewise two other rings of gold thou shalt make and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the front part thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the special girdle of the ephod.
28 And they shall bind the pectoral by its rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the special girdle of the ephod and that the pectoral not be loosed from the ephod.
29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the pectoral of judgment upon his heart when he goes in unto the sanctuary for a memorial before the LORD continually.
30 And thou shalt put in the pectoral of judgment Urim and Thummim, that they shall be upon Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall always bear the judgment of the sons of Israel upon his heart before the LORD.
31 ¶ And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
32 And it shall have the collar of his head in the midst thereof, which shall have a binding of woven work round about it, as the collar of a habergeon, that it not be rent.
33 And beneath upon the hem of it, thou shalt make pomegranates of blue and of purple and of scarlet round about the hem thereof and bells of gold between them round about.
34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate upon the hem of the robe round about.
35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister, and his sound shall be heard when he goes in unto the sanctuary before the LORD and when he comes out, that he not die.
36 Thou shalt also make an open flower of pure gold and engrave upon it the engravings of a seal, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.
37 And thou shalt put it on with a blue lace that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
38 And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the sons of Israel shall sanctify in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead that they may find grace before the LORD.
39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.
40 ¶ And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats; thou shalt also make girdles for them, and tiaras shalt thou make for them, for honour and for beauty.
41 And with these thou shalt clothe Aaron, thy brother, and his sons with him and shalt anoint them and fill their hands and sanctify them that they may be my priests.
42 And thou shalt make them linen underwear to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the loins even unto the thighs;
43 And they shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons when they enter into the tabernacle of the testimony or when they come near unto the altar to serve in the sanctuary that they not bear iniquity and die: This shall be a perpetual statute unto him and his seed after him.
Exodus 28
Lexham English Bible
Instructions for Making Garments for Priests
28 “And bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him from the midst of the Israelites[a] to serve as priests for me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. 2 And you will make holy garments[b] for Aaron, your brother, for glory and for splendor.[c] 3 And you will speak to all the skilled of heart, whom I have given a gift of skill,[d] and they will make the garments of Aaron to consecrate him for his serving as my priest. 4 And these are the garments that they will make: A breast piece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of specially woven fabric,[e] a turban and a sash. And they will make holy garments[f] for Aaron your brother, and for his sons to serve as priests for me.
5 “And they will take the gold and the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns and the fine linen, 6 and they will make the ephod of gold, blue and purple, and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman. 7 It will have two joining shoulder pieces at its two edges, so that it can be fastened. 8 And the waistband of his ephod, which is on it, will be of like work to it—gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen.
9 “And you will take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the Israelites,[g] 10 with six of their names on the one stone and the remaining six on the second, according to their genealogies.[h] 11 As the work of a skilled stone craftsman, with seal engravings you will engrave on the two stones the names of the Israelites;[i] you will make them mounted in gold filigree settings. 12 And you will set the two stones on the ephod’s shoulder pieces as stones of remembrance for the Israelites,[j] and Aaron will bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulder pieces for remembrance.
13 “And you will make gold filigree settings. 14 And you will make two braided chains of pure gold ornamental cord work, and you will put the chains of the ornamental cords on the filigree settings. 15 And you will make a breast piece of judgment, a work of a skilled craftsman; you will make it like the work of the ephod; you will make it of gold, blue and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. 16 It will be squared, doubled, a span its length and a span its width. 17 And you will fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone, a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald is the first row; 18 and the second row is a malachite, a sapphire, and a moonstone; 19 and the third row is a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row is a turquoise and an onyx and a jasper. Their settings will be woven with gold. 21 The stones will be according to the names of the Israelites,[k] twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name they will be for the twelve tribes.
22 “And you will make on the breast piece braided chains, a work of pure gold ornamental cord. 23 And you will make on the breast piece two gold rings, and you will put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. 24 And you will put the two gold ornamental cords on the two rings on the edges of the breast piece. 25 And you will put the two ends of the two ornamental cords on the two filigree settings, and you will put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 26 And you will make two gold rings, and you will place them on the two ends of the breast piece, on its edge that is on the other side[l] of the ephod, to the inside.[m] 27 And you will make two rings and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below at its front near its seam above the waistband of the ephod. 28 And they will tie the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord to be on the waistband of the ephod, and the breast piece will not come loose from the ephod. 29 And Aaron will bear the names of the Israelites[n] in the breast piece of judgment on his heart, when he comes to the sanctuary, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually. 30 And you will put the Urim and the Thummim on the breast piece of judgment, and they will be on the heart of Aaron when he comes before Yahweh, and Aaron will bear the judgment of the Israelites[o] on his heart before Yahweh continually.
31 “And you will make the robe of the ephod totally of blue yarn. 32 And the opening for his head will be in the middle of it; its opening will have an edge all around, the work of a weaver; it will be like the opening of a sturdy garment for it, so that it will not be torn. 33 And you will make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and crimson yarns on its hem all around and bells of gold in the midst of them all around, 34 a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around. 35 And it will be on Aaron for serving, and its sound will be heard at his coming into the sanctuary before Yahweh and at his going out, so that he will not die.
36 “And you will make a pure gold rosette,[p] and you will engrave on it with seal engravings: “A holy object for Yahweh.” 37 And you will place it on a blue cord, and it will be on the turban, at the front of the turban it will be. 38 And it will be on the forehead of Aaron, and Aaron will bear the guilt of the holy objects that the Israelites[q] will consecrate for all their holy gifts, and it will be on his forehead continually for acceptance for them before Yahweh.
39 “And you will weave the tunic of fine linen, and you will make a turban of fine linen, and you will make a sash, the work of an embroiderer. 40 And for the sons of Aaron you will make tunics, and you will make for them sashes and headdresses; you will make them for glory and for splendor.[r] 41 And you will clothe them—Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him—and you will anoint them and ordain them[s] and consecrate them, and they will serve as priests for me. 42 And make for them undergarments of linen to cover naked flesh; they will be from loins to thigh. 43 And they will be on Aaron and on his sons when they come to the tent of assembly or when they approach the altar to serve in the sanctuary, so that they will not bear guilt and die. It is a lasting statute for him and for his offspring after him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:2 Or “garments of holiness”
- Exodus 28:2 Or “beauty”
- Exodus 28:3 Literally “a spirit of wisdom”
- Exodus 28:4 Precisely what kind of fabric this was is debated
- Exodus 28:4 Or “garments of holiness”
- Exodus 28:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:10 In other words, “according to their birth order”
- Exodus 28:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:21 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:26 Literally “beyond”
- Exodus 28:26 Literally “houseward,” “to house,” meaning “inward”
- Exodus 28:29 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:30 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:36 Or “medallion”
- Exodus 28:38 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 28:40 Or “beauty”
- Exodus 28:41 Literally “fill their hand”
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