Exodus, 28

1. 'From among the Israelites, summon your brother Aaron and his sons to be priests in my service: Aaron and Aaron's sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

1. "Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests -- Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abi'hu, Elea'zar and Ith'amar.

2. For your brother Aaron you will make sacred vestments to give dignity and magnificence.

2. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

3. You will instruct all the skilled men, whom I have endowed with skill, to make Aaron's vestments for his consecration to my priesthood.

3. And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom I have endowed with an able mind, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.

4. These are the vestments which they must make: a pectoral, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered tunic, a turban and a belt. They must make sacred vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons, for them to be priests in my service.

4. These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a girdle; they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.

5. They will use gold and violet material, red-purple and crimson, and finely woven linen.

5. "They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen.

6. 'They will make the ephod of finely woven linen embroidered with gold, violet-purple, red-purple and crimson.

6. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and of fine twined linen, skilfully worked.

7. It will have two shoulder-straps joined to it; it will be joined to them by its two edges.

7. It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached to its two edges, that it may be joined together.

8. The waistband on the ephod to hold it in position must be of the same workmanship and be of a piece with it: of gold, violet-purple, red-purple and crimson materials and finely woven linen.

8. And the skilfully woven band upon it, to gird it on, shall be of the same workmanship and materials, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen.

9. You will then take two cornelians and engrave them with the names of the sons of Israel,

9. And 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, the remaining six names on the other, in the order of their birth.

10. six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

11. By the stone-carver's art -- seal engraving -- you will engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You will have them mounted in gold settings

11. As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree.

12. and will put the two stones on the shoulder-straps of the ephod, to commemorate the sons of Israel. In this way Aaron will bear their names on his two shoulders, before Yahweh, as a reminder.

12. And you shall set the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for remembrance.

13. You will also make golden rosettes,

13. And you shall make settings of gold filigree,

14. and two chains of pure gold twisted like cord, and will attach the cord-like chains to the rosettes.

14. and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

15. 'You will make the breastplate of judgement of the same embroidered work as the ephod; you will make it of gold, violet-purple, red-purple and crimson materials and finely woven linen.

15. "And you shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen shall you make it.

16. It must be square and doubled over, a span in length and a span in width.

16. It shall be square and double, a span its length and a span its breadth.

17. In it you will set four rows of stones: a sard, topaz and emerald for the first row;

17. And you shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row;

18. for the second row, a garnet, sapphire and diamond;

18. and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;

19. for the third row, a hyacinth, a ruby and an amethyst;

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

20. and for the fourth row, a beryl, a cornelian and a jasper. These must be mounted in gold settings.

20. and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree.

21. The stones will correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve like their names, engraved like seals, each with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

21. There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel; they shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.

22. For the breastplate you will make chains of pure gold twisted like cords,

22. And you shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold;

23. and on the breastplate you will make two gold rings, putting the two rings on the two outside edges of the breastplate

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. and fastening the two gold cords to the two rings on the outside edges of the breastplate.

24. And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece;

25. The other two ends of the cords you will fasten to the two rosettes, putting these on the shoulder-straps of the ephod, on the front.

25. the two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.

26. You will also make two gold rings and put them on the two edges of the breastplate, on the inner side, against the ephod;

26. And 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. and you will make two gold rings and put them low down on the front of the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod, close to the join, above the waistband of the ephod.

27. And 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 skilfully woven band of the ephod.

28. The breastplate will be secured by a violet-purple cord passed through its rings and those of the ephod, so that the breastplate will sit above the waistband and not come apart from the ephod.

28. And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may lie upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.

29. Thus Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgement, on his heart, when he enters the sanctuary, as a reminder, before Yahweh, always.

29. So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment upon his heart, when he goes into the holy place, to bring them to continual remembrance before the LORD.

30. To the breastplate of judgement you will add the urim and the thummim, and these will be on Aaron's heart when he goes into Yahweh's presence, and Aaron will bear the Israelites' judgement on his heart, in Yahweh's presence, always.

30. And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the LORD; thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

31. 'You will make the robe of the ephod entirely of violet-purple.

31. "And you shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

32. In the centre it will have an opening for the head, the opening to have round it a border woven like the neck of a coat of mail, so that it will not get torn.

32. It shall have in it an opening for the head, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, that it may not be torn.

33. On its lower hem, you will make pomegranates of violet-purple, red-purple and crimson, and finely woven linen all round the hem, with golden bells between them all round:

33. On its skirts you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet stuff, around its skirts, with bells of gold between them,

34. a golden bell and then a pomegranate, alternately, all round the lower hem of the robe.

34. a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, round about on the skirts of the robe.

35. Aaron must wear it when he officiates, and the tinkling will be heard when he goes into the sanctuary into Yahweh's presence, or leaves it, and so he will not incur death.

35. And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, lest he die.

36. 'You will make a flower of pure gold and on it, as you would engrave a seal, you will engrave, "Consecrated to Yahweh".

36. "And you shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, `Holy to the LORD.'

37. You will put it on a violet-purple cord; it will go on the turban; the front of the turban is the place where it must go.

37. And you shall fasten it on the turban by a lace of blue; it shall be on the front of the turban.

38. This will go on Aaron's brow, and Aaron will thus take on himself the short-comings in the holy things consecrated by the Israelites, in all their holy offerings. It will be on his brow permanently, to make them acceptable to Yahweh.

38. It shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take upon himself any guilt incurred in the holy offering which the people of Israel hallow as their holy gifts; it shall always be upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

39. The tunic you will weave of fine linen, and make a turban of fine linen, and an embroidered waistband.

39. "And you shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a girdle embroidered with needlework.

40. 'For the sons of Aaron you will make tunics and waistbands. You will also make them head-dresses to give dignity and magnificence.

40. "And for Aaron's sons you shall make coats and girdles and caps; you shall make them for glory and beauty.

41. You will dress your brother Aaron and his sons in these; you will then anoint them, invest them and consecrate them to serve me in the priesthood.

41. And you shall put them upon Aaron your brother, and upon his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.

42. You will also make them linen breeches reaching from waist to thigh, to cover their bare flesh.

42. And you shall make for them linen breeches to cover their naked flesh; from the loins to the thighs they shall reach;

43. Aaron and his sons will wear these when they go into the Tent of Meeting and when they approach the altar to serve in the sanctuary, as a precaution against incurring mortal guilt. This is a perpetual decree for Aaron and for his descendants after him.'

43. and they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place; lest they bring guilt upon themselves and die. This shall be a perpetual statute for him and for his descendants after him.