Exodus 28

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1. 1"Bring your brother Aaron and his sons — Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar — out from among the Israelites so they can serve me as priests.
2. 2Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron that are glorious and beautiful.
3. 3Talk to all the skilled craftsmen I've filled with the spirit of wisdom, and have them make Aaron's garments. These will set him apart as holy so he can serve me as a priest.
4. 4Here are the garments they are to make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They will make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so they can serve me as priests.
5. 5They are to use gold thread, along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.
6. 6"They are to make the ephod from gold thread, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen — all expertly crafted.
7. 7It will have 2 shoulder straps attached at its 2 edges, joining it together.
8. 8The decorative waistband attached to the ephod must be made the same way, from the same materials: gold thread, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.
9. 9Take 2 onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel's sons.
10. 10Put 6 names on one stone and the remaining 6 on the other, arranged in birth order.
11. 11Have a gem cutter engrave the 2 stones with the names of Israel's sons, the way a seal is engraved. Then mount the stones in gold settings.
12. 12Attach the 2 stones to the shoulder straps of the ephod as reminders of Israel's sons. Aaron will carry their names on his shoulders as a reminder before the LORD.
13. 13Make gold settings,
14. 14and 2 chains of pure gold, braided like cords. Attach the braided chains to the settings.
15. 15"Make a breastplate for decisions, crafted with the same skill as the ephod. Make it from gold thread, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.
16. 16It must be square and folded double, a span long and a span wide.
17. 17Set 4 rows of gemstones into it. The first row will have a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle.
18. 18The second row will have an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
19. 19The third row will have a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
20. 20The fourth row will have a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Each stone must be mounted in a gold setting.
21. 21There will be 12 stones in all, one for each of Israel's sons. Each stone will be engraved like a seal with the name of one of the 12 tribes.
22. 22Make braided chains of pure gold, like cords, for the breastplate.
23. 23Make 2 gold rings and attach them to the 2 upper corners of the breastplate.
24. 24Thread the 2 gold braided chains through the 2 rings at the corners of the breastplate.
25. 25Attach the other ends of the 2 braided chains to the gold settings, and fasten them to the front of the ephod's shoulder straps.
26. 26Make 2 more gold rings and attach them to the 2 lower corners of the breastplate, on the inner edge that faces the ephod.
27. 27Make 2 additional gold rings and attach them to the front of the ephod's shoulder straps, near where they join, just above the decorative waistband.
28. 28The breastplate's lower rings must be tied to the ephod's rings with a blue cord so the breastplate sits above the waistband and doesn't swing loose from the ephod.
29. 29Whenever Aaron enters the holy place, he will carry the names of Israel's sons over his heart on the breastplate of judgment — a constant reminder before the LORD.
30. 30"You shall put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate of judgment. They shall be on Aaron's heart when he goes in before the LORD, and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before the LORD continually."
31. 31"Make the robe that goes under the ephod entirely from blue fabric.
32. 32It will have an opening for the head in the center, with a woven collar around the opening — like the neck of a coat of armor — so it won't tear.
33. 33Along the bottom hem, attach pomegranates made of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all the way around, with gold bells between them:
34. 34a gold bell, then a pomegranate, then a gold bell, then a pomegranate — alternating all the way around the hem.
35. 35Aaron must wear this robe whenever he serves as priest. The bells will ring as he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he won't die.
36. 36"Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it like a seal: HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
37. 37Attach it to the front of the turban with a blue cord.
38. 38It will rest on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron will bear the guilt connected to the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate as holy gifts. It must always be on his forehead so their offerings will be accepted before the LORD.
39. 39Embroider the coat from fine linen, make the mitre from fine linen, and create the girdle with needlework.
40. 40"For Aaron's sons, make tunics, sashes, and headbands that are glorious and beautiful.
41. 41Dress your brother Aaron and his sons in these garments, then anoint them, ordain them, and set them apart as holy so they can serve me as priests.
42. 42Make linen undergarments for them to cover their bare skin, reaching from the waist to the thighs.
43. 43Aaron and his sons must wear these whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to serve in the holy place. Otherwise they will bear guilt and die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and all his descendants after him.