The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

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- Chapter 28 -

“Call your older brother Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the Israelite people in order that they can serve me as priests.

Tell the people to make beautiful clothes for Aaron, clothes that are suitable for one who has this dignified and sacred work.

Talk to all the workmen, those to whom I have given skill to build things. Tell them to make clothes for Aaron to wear when he is set apart to become a priest to serve me.

The clothes that they are to make are a sacred pouch for Aaron to wear over his breast, a sacred apron, a robe, an embroidered tunic, a turban, and a sash. These are the clothes that your older brother Aaron and his sons must wear as they serve me by doing the work that priests do.

The skilled workmen must use fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn to make these clothes.

The Ephod

(Exodus 39:1–7)

The skilled workmen must make the sacred apron from fine linen, and they must skillfully embroider it with blue, purple, and red yarn, and with fine gold wire.

It must have two shoulder straps that will join the front part to the back part.

A carefully woven belt, which must be made from the same materials as the sacred apron, must be sewn onto the apron.

A skilled workman must take two onyx stones and carve on them the names of the twelve sons of Jacob.

He must engrave the names in the order in which Jacob’s sons were born. He must engrave six names on one stone and the other six names on the other stone.

A gem cutter should engrave these names on the two stones. Then he should mount the stones in gold settings.

Then he should fasten the stones onto the shoulder straps of the sacred apron to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. In that way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes on his shoulders in order that I, Yahweh, will never forget my people.

The settings for the stones must be made from gold.

Tell them to make two chains of gold that are braided like cords and to fasten the chains to the settings.”

The Breastpiece

(Exodus 39:8–21)

Tell the skilled workman to make a sacred pouch for Aaron to wear over his chest. He will use this to find out what I want the people to do. They must make it of the same materials as the sacred apron, and they must embroider it in the same way with gold, blue, purple, and red fine linen.

It is to be square, and the material must be folded double so that it is 23 centimeters long and 23 centimeters wide.

The skilled workman must fasten four rows of valuable stones onto the pouch. In the first row, he must put a red ruby, a yellow topaz, and a red garnet.

In the second row, he must put a green emerald, a blue sapphire, and a diamond.

In the third row he must put a red jacinth, a white agate, and a purple amethyst.

In the fourth row, he must put a yellow beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All of these stones must be mounted in gold settings.

A gem cutter should engrave on each of these twelve stones the name of one of the sons of Jacob. These names will represent the twelve tribes of Israel.

The two chains that are made from pure gold and braided like cords are for attaching the sacred pouch to the sacred apron.

The workman must make two gold rings and attach them to the upper corners of the sacred pouch.

He must make two gold cords and fasten one end of each cord to one of the rings.

He must fasten the other end of each cord to the two settings that enclose the stones. In that way, the sacred pouch will be attached to the shoulder straps of the sacred apron.

Then he must make two more gold rings and attach them to the lower corners of the sacred pouch on the inside edges next to the sacred apron.

He must make two more gold rings and attach them to the lower part of the front of the shoulder straps near to where the shoulder straps are joined to the sacred apron just above the sash.

The skilled workman must tie the rings on the sacred pouch to the rings on the sacred apron with a blue cord so that the sacred pouch is above the sash and does not come loose from the sacred apron.

In that way, Aaron will have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel in the sacred pouch close to his chest for making decisions when he enters the holy place.

Put into the sacred pouch the two things, named Urim and Thummim, that the priest will use to determine my answers to the questions he asks. In that way, they will be close to his chest when he enters the holy place to talk to me. He will use them to determine what my will is for the Israelite people.”

Additional Priestly Garments

(Exodus 39:22–31)

“Tell the workmen to weave only purple cloth for the robe that is to be worn underneath the priest’s sacred apron.

It is to have an opening through which the priest can put his head. They must sew a border around this opening to keep the material from tearing.

At the lower edge on the robe, they must fasten decorations that look like pomegranate fruit. They must be woven from blue, purple, and red yarn.

Between each of these decorations, they must fasten a tiny gold bell.

When Aaron enters the holy place in the sacred tent to do his work as a priest and when he leaves the sacred tent, the bells will ring as he walks. As a result, he will not die because of disobeying my instructions.

Tell them to make a tiny ornament of pure gold, and tell a skilled workman to engrave on it the words, ‘Dedicated to Yahweh.’

They should fasten this ornament to the front of the turban by a blue cord.

Aaron must always wear the turban on his forehead. Aaron himself must accept the guilt of the Israelite people because of any failure to offer their holy gifts to Yahweh as he commanded. When Aaron does this, Yahweh may accept their gifts.

Tell them to weave the long-sleeved tunic from fine linen. Also they must make from fine linen a turban and a sash, and they must embroider designs on it.

Tell them to make beautiful longsleeved tunics, sashes, waistbands, and caps for Aaron’s sons. Make ones that will be suitable for those who have this dignified work.

Put these clothes on your older brother Aaron and on his sons. Then set them apart for this work by anointing them with olive oil in order that they may serve me by being priests.

Also tell them to make linen undershorts for them. The undershorts should extend from their waists to their thighs in order that no one can see their private parts.

Aaron and his sons must always wear those undershorts when they enter the sacred tent or when they come near to the altar to offer sacrifices in the holy place. If they do not obey this ritual, I will cause them to die. Aaron and all his male descendants must obey this rule forever.”

“Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office: Aaron, with Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

You shall speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

They shall use the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.

The Ephod

(Exodus 39:1–7)

“They shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skillful workman.

It shall have two shoulder straps joined to the two ends of it, that it may be joined together.

The skillfully woven band, which is on it, shall be like its work and of the same piece; of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.

You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel.

Six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel. You shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.

You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel. Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial.

You shall make settings of gold,

and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them like cords of braided work. You shall put the braided chains on the settings.

The Breastpiece

(Exodus 39:8–21)

“You shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, you shall make it.

It shall be square and folded double; a span (a) shall be its length, and a span its width.

You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row;

and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire,(b) and an emerald;

and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

and the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be enclosed in gold in their settings.

The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.

You shall make on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.

You shall make on the breastplate two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

You shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.

The other two ends of the two braided chains you shall put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in its forepart.

You shall make two rings of gold, and you shall put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which is toward the side of the ephod inward.

You shall make two rings of gold, and shall put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath, in its forepart, close by its coupling, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

They shall bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate may not swing out from the ephod.

Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

You shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before the LORD continually.

Additional Priestly Garments

(Exodus 39:22–31)

“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

It shall have a hole for the head in the middle of it. It shall have a binding of woven work around its hole, as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it not be torn.

On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, all around its hem; with bells of gold between and around them:

a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.

It shall be on Aaron to minister: and its sound shall be heard when he goes in to the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, that he not die.

“You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘HOLY TO THE LORD.’

You shall put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be on the sash. It shall be on the front of the sash.

It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall make holy in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

You shall weave the tunic with fine linen. You shall make a turban of fine linen. You shall make a sash, the work of the embroiderer.

“You shall make tunics for Aaron’s sons. You shall make sashes for them. You shall make headbands for them, for glory and for beauty.

You shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.

You shall make them linen pants to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the waist even to the thighs.

They shall be on Aaron and on his sons, when they go in to the Tent of Meeting, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy place, that they don’t bear iniquity, and die. This shall be a statute forever to him and to his offspring after him.

Footnotes

(a)28:16 A span is the length from the tip of a man’s thumb to the tip of his little finger when his hand is stretched out (about half a cubit, or 9 inches, or 22.8 cm.)

(b)28:18 or, lapis lazuli