ExodusChapter 28

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¹"Next, bring your brother Aaron to you from among the Israelites. Bring his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar too. They will serve me as priests. ²Make holy clothes for your brother Aaron. They will give him glory and beauty. ³Tell all the skilled workers to make clothes for Aaron. I have filled them with a spirit of wisdom. The clothes will set Aaron apart as holy, so that he may serve me as priest. ⁴These are the clothes they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons. Then they may serve me as priests. ⁵They are to use gold, along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. ⁶They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen. It will be embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. ⁷It is to have two shoulder pieces joined at two of its corners, so it can be fastened. ⁸The skillfully woven waistband of the ephod must be one piece with it. It must be made the same way, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. ⁹Take two onyx stones. Carve on them the names of the sons of Israel. ¹⁰Put six of their names on one stone and the other six on the other stone. List them in the order they were born. ¹¹Carve the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones. Do it the way a gem cutter carves a seal. Then set the stones in fancy gold settings. ¹²Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod. They will be stones to remember the sons of Israel. Aaron is to carry their names on his two shoulders. They will be a reminder before the LORD. ¹³Make fancy gold settings ¹⁴and two chains of pure gold, braided like a cord. Attach these chains to the settings. ¹⁵You are also to make a breastpiece for making decisions. Make it the same way as the ephod. Make it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.a ¹⁶When it is folded in half, it must be square. It is to be 9 inches long and 9 inches wide.b ¹⁷Set gems on it in four rows. In the first row put a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald. ¹⁸In the second row put a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond. ¹⁹In the third row put a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. ²⁰In the fourth row put a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Set these stones in fancy gold settings. ²¹The twelve stones are to match the names of the sons of Israel. Each one is to be carved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. ²²For the breastpiece, make braided chains of pure gold, like cords. ²³Also make two gold rings. Fasten them to the two top corners of the breastpiece. ²⁴Then fasten the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece. ²⁵Fasten the other ends of the two chains to the two gold settings. Attach them to the front of the shoulder pieces of the ephod. ²⁶Make two more gold rings. Attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁷Make two more gold rings. Attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod. Put them near the seam, just above its woven waistband. ²⁸Tie the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn. Then the breastpiece will stay above the waistband of the ephod. It will not swing loose from the ephod. ²⁹Aaron will go into the Holy Place. Each time he does, he will carry the names of the sons of Israel over his heart. They will be on the breastpiece for making decisions. It will always be a reminder before the LORD. ³⁰Put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece for making decisions. Then they will also be over Aaron's heart whenever he comes before the LORD. So Aaron will always carry over his heart the means of deciding for the sons of Israel before the LORD.c ³¹You are to make the robe of the ephod all out of blue cloth. ³²It is to have an opening for the head in the center at the top. Around the opening will be a woven collar, like the opening of a garment. Then it will not tear.d ³³Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. Put them all the way around the bottom edge of the robe. Put gold bells between them. ³⁴A gold bell and a pomegranate are to take turns all the way around the bottom edge of the robe. ³⁵Aaron must wear the robe whenever he serves. The sound of the bells will be heard when he goes in or out of the holy place before the LORD. This is so that he will not die. ³⁶You are to make a plate of pure gold. Carve on it, the way a seal is carved: HOLY TO THE LORD. ³⁷Tie a blue cord to it to fasten it to the turban. It is to be on the front of the turban. ³⁸Aaron will wear it on his forehead. In this way he will carry the guilt connected with the holy things. These are the holy gifts that the sons of Israel set apart for God. It must always be on his forehead, so that they may be accepted before the LORD. ³⁹Weave the tunic out of fine linen. Make the turban of fine linen. And make an embroidered sash. ⁴⁰Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron's sons. They will give them glory and beauty. ⁴¹Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons. Then anoint them, ordain them, and set them apart as holy. Then they may serve me as priests. ⁴²Make linen underclothes to cover their bare bodies. They are to reach from the waist to the thigh. ⁴³Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they go into the Tent of Meeting. They must wear them when they come near the altar to serve in the Holy Place. This is so that they will not become guilty and die. This is a law that will last forever for Aaron and his descendants.