Exodus 28
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Vestments for the Priesthood
28 Then bring near to you your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the Israelites, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 You shall make sacred vestments for the glorious adornment of your brother Aaron. 3 And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom I have endowed with skill, that they make Aaron’s vestments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the vestments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a chequered tunic, a turban, and a sash. When they make these sacred vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests, 5 they shall use gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine linen.
The Ephod
6 They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, skilfully worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. 8 The decorated band on it shall be of the same workmanship and materials, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted 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 one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a gem-cutter engraves signets, so you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall mount them in settings of gold filigree. 12 You shall set the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders 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.
The Breastplate
15 You shall make a breastpiece of judgement, in skilled work; you shall make it in the style of the ephod; of gold, of blue and purple and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen you shall make it. 16 It shall be square and doubled, a span in length and a span in width. 17 You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of carnelian,[a] chrysolite, and emerald shall be the first row; 18 and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire,[b] and a moonstone; 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 names corresponding 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 chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; 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 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, 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 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 joining above the decorated band of the ephod. 28 The breastpiece shall be bound by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it may lie on the decorated band of the ephod, and so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgement on his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a continual remembrance before the Lord. 30 In the breastpiece of judgement 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 judgement of the Israelites on his heart before the Lord continually.
Other Priestly Vestments
31 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 round the opening, like the opening in a coat of mail,[c] so that it may not be torn. 33 On its lower hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all round the lower hem, with bells of gold between them all round— 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate alternating all round the lower hem of the robe. 35 Aaron shall wear it 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 may not die.
36 You shall make a rosette of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’ 37 You shall fasten it on the turban with a blue cord; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take on himself any guilt incurred in the holy offering that the Israelites consecrate as their sacred donations; it shall always be on his forehead, in order that they may find favour before the Lord.
39 You shall make the chequered tunic of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
40 For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics and sashes and head-dresses; you shall make them for their glorious adornment. 41 You shall put them on your brother Aaron, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests. 42 You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh; they shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 Aaron and his sons shall wear them when they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place; or they will bring guilt on themselves and die. This shall be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants after him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:17 The identity of several of these stones is uncertain
- Exodus 28:18 Or lapis lazuli
- Exodus 28:32 Meaning of Heb uncertain
Shemot 28
Orthodox Jewish Bible
28 And bring thou near unto thee Aharon thy brother, and his banim with him, from the midst of the Bnei Yisroel, that he may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office, even Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, Eleazar and Itamar, Bnei Aharon.
2 And thou shalt make Bigdei Kodesh for Aharon thy brother for kavod and tiferet.
3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are of chochmei lev, whom I have filled with the Ruach Chochmah, that they may make Bigdei Aharon to set him apart as kodesh, that he may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.
4 And these are HaBegadim which they shall make: a Choshen, and an Ephod, and a Me’il, and a Kesones of a box-like knitting work, a Mitznefet, and an Avnet; and they shall make Bigdei Kodesh for Aharon thy brother, and his Banim, that he may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.
5 And they shall take zahav, and turquoise, and purple, and scarlet wool, and linen.
6 And they shall make the Ephod of zahav, of turquoise, and of purple, of scarlet wool, and twisted linen, with ma’aseh choshev (artistic embroidery).
7 It shall have the two ketefot (shoulder straps) thereof joined at the two sides thereof; and so it shall be joined together.
8 And the Cheishev of his Ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of zahav, of turquoise, and purple, and scarlet wool, and twisted linen.
9 And thou shalt take two avnei shoham (onyx stones), and engrave on them the Shemot of the Bnei Yisroel:
10 Shisha of their Shemot on one even (stone), and the other Shemot of the shisha remaining on the other even (stone), according to toldot (in the order in which they were born).
11 With the work of a charash even (engraver in gemstones), like the engravings of a chotam (signet ring), shalt thou engrave the two avanim with the Shemot Bnei Yisroel; thou shalt make them to be set in mishbetzot zahav (filigrees of gold).
12 And thou shalt fasten the two avanim upon the Kitfot HaEphod for avnei zikaron (memorial stones) unto the Bnei Yisroel; and Aharon shall bear their Shemot before Hashem upon his two ketefayim for a zikaron.
13 And thou shalt make mishbetzot zahav (filigrees of gold);
14 And two sharsherot zahav tahor (chains of pure gold) at the edges; of braided artistic work shalt thou make them, and fasten the braided sharsherot (chains) to the mishbetzot (filigrees).
15 And thou shalt make the Choshen Mishpat with artistic work; like the work of the Ephod thou shalt make it; of zahav, of turquoise, and of purple, and of scarlet wool, and of twisted linen, shalt thou make it.
16 Ravu’a (foursquare, square) it shall be folded; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the width thereof.
17 And thou shalt set in it settings of even (stone), four rows of gemstones: the first row shall be a odem, a pitdah, and barekes: this shall be the first row.
18 And the second row shall be nofech, sapphire, and yahalom.
19 And the third row a leshem, shevo, and achlamah.
20 And the fourth row tarshish, shoham, and yashfeh; they shall be set in zahav in their settings.
21 And the avanim (gemstones) shall be for the Shemot Bnei Yisroel, Shteym Esreh (Twelve), according to their Shemot, like the engravings of a chotam (signet ring); every one with shmo shall they be according to the Shnei Asar Shevet (Twelve Tribes).
22 And thou shalt make for the Choshen at the edges of braided artistic work of zahav tahor (pure gold).
23 And thou shalt make upon the Choshen two rings of zahav, and shalt fasten the two rings on the two ends of the Choshen.
24 And thou shalt fasten the two ropes of zahav on the two rings which are on the ends of the Choshen.
25 And the other two ends of the two ropes thou shalt fasten in the two mishbetzot (filigrees), and attach them to the Ketefot HaEphod (Shoulder Straps of the Ephod) toward its front.
26 And thou shalt make two rings of zahav, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the Choshen on the lower border thereof, on the inside toward the Ephod.
27 And two other rings of zahav thou shalt make, and shalt put them on at the bottom of the Kitfot HaEphod toward the front thereof, opposite the seam thereof, above the Cheishev HaEphod (Belt of the Ephod).
28 And they shall bind the Choshen by the rings thereof unto the rings of the Ephod with a turquoise woolen cord, that it may be above the Cheishev HaEphod, and that the Choshen be not loosed from the Ephod.
29 And Aharon shall bear the Shemot Bnei Yisroel in the Choshen HaMishpat upon his lev, when he goeth in unto HaKodesh, for a zikaron (memorial) before Hashem tamid.
30 And thou shalt put in the Choshen HaMishpat the Urim and the Tummim; and they shall be upon the lev Aharon, when he goeth in before Hashem; and Aharon shall nasa (bear [see this word Yeshayah 53:12]) the Mishpat Bnei Yisroel upon his lev before Hashem tamid.
31 And thou shalt make the Me’il HaEphod all of turquoise wool.
32 And there shall be a head opening in the top of it, in the middle thereof; it shall have a border of artistic embroidery around the head opening of it, like the head opening of a coat of mail; that it be not torn.
33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of turquoise, and of purple, and of scarlet, around the hem thereof; and bells of zahav between them round about:
34 A bell of zahav and a pomegranate, a bell of zahav and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the Me’il round about.
35 And it shall be upon Aharon lesharet (to minister); and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto HaKodesh before Hashem, and when he cometh out, that he die not.
36 And thou shalt make a Tzitz zahav tahor (head plate of pure gold), and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a chotam (signet ring), KODESH LAHASHEM.
37 And thou shalt put it on a turquoise cord, that it may be upon the Mitznefet; upon the forefront of the Mitznefet it shall be.
38 And it shall be upon metzach Aharon (forehead of Aharon), that Aharon may nasa (bear [see this word Yeshayah 53:12]) the avon of the kodashim (holy things), which the Bnei Yisroel shall set apart as kodesh in all their mattanot kadoshot (holy gifts); and it shall be always upon his metzach (forehead), that they may be leratzon (accepted, acceptable) before Hashem.
39 And thou shalt embroider the Kesones of fine linen, and thou shalt make the Mitznefet of fine linen, and thou shalt make the Avnet of artistic embroidery.
40 And for Bnei Aharon thou shalt make Kuttanot (Tunics), and thou shalt make for them Avnetim, and Migba’ot shalt thou make for them, for kavod and for tiferet.
41 And thou shalt put them upon Aharon thy brother, and his banim with him; and shalt anoint them, and ordain them, and set them apart as kodesh, that they may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.
42 And thou shalt make them mikhnesei bahd (linen undergarments) to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach;
43 And they shall be upon Aharon, and upon his banim, when they come in unto the Ohel Mo’ed, or when they come near unto the Mizbe’ach lesharet (to minister) in HaKodesh; that they incur not avon, and die; it shall be a chukkat olahm unto him and his zera after him.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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