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The Breastpiece of Decision

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. It was square—they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled. 10 They set on it[a] 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[b] 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[c] 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[d] 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[e] two ends of the breastpiece on its edge, which is on the inner side of the ephod.[f] 20 They made two more[g] 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 39:10 tn That is, they set in mountings.
  2. Exodus 39:14 tn The phrase “the number of” has been supplied.
  3. Exodus 39:16 tn Here “upper” has been supplied.
  4. Exodus 39:18 tn Here “other” has been supplied.
  5. Exodus 39:19 tn Here “other” has been supplied.
  6. Exodus 39:19 tn Heb “homeward side.”
  7. Exodus 39:20 tn Here “more” has been supplied.

They made the embroidered chest pendant in the style of the vest, using gold, blue, purple, and deep red yarns, and fine twisted linen. They made the chest pendant square and doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled. 10 They set in it four rows of gemstones. The first row was a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald stones. 11 The second row was a turquoise, a sapphire, and a moonstone. 12 The third row was a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. 13 The fourth row was a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. The settings around them were decorative gold. 14 There were twelve stones with names corresponding to the names of Israel’s sons. They were engraved like official seals, each with its name for the twelve tribes. 15 They made chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, for the chest pendant. 16 They made two gold settings and two gold rings. They attached the two rings to the two edges of the chest pendant. 17 They attached the two gold cords to the two rings at the edges of the chest pendant. 18 Then they fastened the two ends of the two cords to the two gold settings and attached them to the front of the vest’s shoulder pieces. 19 They made two gold rings, and they attached them to the two edges of the chest pendant, on its inside edge facing the vest. 20 They made two gold rings and fastened them on the front of the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the vest, at its seam just above the vest’s belt. 21 The chest pendant was held in place by a blue cord binding its rings to the vest’s rings so that the chest pendant rested on the vest’s belt and didn’t come loose from the vest, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

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