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Exodus 39
Easy-to-Read Version
Exodus 39
Easy-to-Read Version
The Priests’ Special Clothes
39 The workers used the blue, purple, and red yarn to make special clothes for the priests to wear when they served in the holy place. They also made the special clothes for Aaron as the Lord had commanded Moses.
The Ephod
2 They made the ephod from gold thread, fine linen, and blue, purple, and red yarn. 3 (They hammered the gold into thin strips and cut the gold into long threads. They wove the gold into the blue, purple, and red yarn and fine linen. This was the work of a very skilled person.) 4 They made the shoulder pieces for the ephod. They tied these shoulder pieces to the two corners of the ephod. 5 They wove the cloth belt and fastened it to the ephod. It was made the same way as the ephod—they used gold thread, fine linen, and blue, purple, and red yarn, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
6 The workers put the onyx stones for the ephod in gold settings. They wrote the names of the sons of Israel on these stones. 7 Then they put these jewels on the shoulder pieces of the ephod. These jewels were to help God to remember the Israelites. This was done as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Judgment Pouch
8 Then they made the judgment pouch. It was the work of a skilled person, just like the ephod. It was made from gold threads, fine linen, and blue, purple, and red yarn. 9 The judgment pouch was folded in half to make a square pocket. It was 1 span[a] long and 1 span wide. 10 Then the workers put four rows of beautiful jewels on the judgment pouch. The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl. 11 The second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald. 12 The third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. 13 The fourth row had a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. All these jewels were set in gold. 14 There were twelve jewels on the judgment pouch—one jewel for each of the sons of Israel. Each stone had the name of one of the sons of Israel carved onto it, like a seal.
15 The workers made two chains from pure gold for the judgment pouch. The chains were braided like a rope. 16 The workers made two gold rings and fastened them to two corners of the judgment pouch. Then they made two gold settings for the shoulder pieces. 17 They fastened the gold chains to the rings at the corners of the judgment pouch. 18 They fastened the other ends of the gold chains to the settings on the shoulder pieces. They fastened these to the front of the ephod. 19 Then they made two more gold rings and put them on the other two corners of the judgment pouch. This was on the inside edge of the judgment pouch next to the ephod. 20 They also put two gold rings on the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod. These rings were near the fastener, just above the cloth belt. 21 Then they used a blue ribbon and tied the rings of the judgment pouch to the rings of the ephod. In this way the judgment pouch would rest close to the cloth belt and would be held tight against the ephod. They did everything just as the Lord commanded.
Other Clothes for the Priests
22 Then they made the robe for the ephod from blue cloth. It was woven by a skilled worker. 23 They made a hole in the center of the robe and sewed a piece of cloth around the edge of this hole. This cloth kept the hole from tearing.
24 Then they used fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn to make the cloth pomegranates. They hung these pomegranates around the bottom edge of the robe. 25 Then they made bells from pure gold. They hung these bells around the bottom edge of the robe between the pomegranates. 26 Around the bottom edge of the robe there were bells and pomegranates. There was a bell following each pomegranate. This robe was for the priest to wear when he served the Lord. It was made just as the Lord commanded Moses.
27 Skilled workers wove shirts for Aaron and his sons. These shirts were made from fine linen. 28 And the workers made a turban from fine linen. They also used fine linen to make cloth caps and underclothes. 29 Then they made the cloth belt from fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn. Designs were sewn into the cloth. These things were made as the Lord had commanded Moses.
30 Then they made a strip of pure gold for the holy crown. They carved these words into the gold like the writing on a seal: holy to the lord.[b] 31 They fastened the gold strip to a blue ribbon. Then they tied the blue ribbon around the turban like the Lord had commanded Moses.
Moses Inspects the Holy Tent
32 So all the work on the Holy Tent, that is, the Meeting Tent, was finished. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 Then they showed the Holy Tent and everything in it to Moses. They showed him the rings, the frames, the braces, the posts, and the bases. 34 They showed him the covering of the Tent that was made from ram skins dyed red and the covering that was made from fine leather. And they showed him the curtain that covered the entrance to the Most Holy Place.
35 They showed Moses the Box of the Agreement, the poles used for carrying it, and the mercy-cover. 36 They showed him the table with everything on it and the special bread.[c] 37 They showed him the pure gold lampstand and the lamps on it, the oil, and all the other things that were used with the lamps. 38 They showed Moses the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweet-smelling incense, and the curtain that covered the entrance to the Tent. 39 They showed him the bronze altar, the bronze screen, the poles used for carrying the altar, and everything that was used on the altar. They showed him the bowl and the base under the bowl.
40 They showed Moses the wall of curtains around the courtyard with the posts and bases. They showed him the curtain that covered the entrance to the courtyard. They showed him the ropes and the tent pegs. They showed him everything in the Holy Tent, that is, the Meeting Tent.
41 Then they showed Moses the clothes that were made for the priests serving in the holy area.[d] They showed him the special clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they served as priests.
42 The Israelites did all this work exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses looked closely at all the work and saw that it was done exactly as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Footnotes
- Exodus 39:9 1 span The distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, about 9" (23 cm).
- Exodus 39:30 Holy to the Lord These words were written on everything that was used in the Temple. This showed that these things belonged to the Lord, and that they could be used only for special purposes. Dishes with this label could be used only by the priests in a holy place.
- Exodus 39:36 special bread Also called “bread of the Presence.” Every day this bread was put before God on the special table in the Holy Place.
- Exodus 39:41 holy area A restricted area that was considered sacred (special) because of God’s presence.
Exodus 39
New International Version
Exodus 39
New International Version
The Priestly Garments
39 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn(A) they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary.(B) They also made sacred garments(C) for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Ephod(D)
2 They[a] made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 3 They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. 4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 5 Its skillfully woven waistband was like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses.
6 They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 7 Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial(E) stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Breastpiece(F)
8 They fashioned the breastpiece(G)—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 9 It was square—a span[b] long and a span wide—and folded double. 10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 11 the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 12 the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; 13 the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper.[c] They were mounted in gold filigree settings. 14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.(H)
15 For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. 17 They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 18 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 19 They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 20 Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 21 They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod—as the Lord commanded Moses.
Other Priestly Garments(I)
22 They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth—the work of a weaver— 23 with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar,[d] and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. 24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe. 25 And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. 26 The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses.
27 For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen(J)—the work of a weaver— 28 and the turban(K) of fine linen, the linen caps and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. 29 The sash was made of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn—the work of an embroiderer—as the Lord commanded Moses.
30 They made the plate, the sacred emblem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: holy to the Lord.(L) 31 Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban,(M) as the Lord commanded Moses.
Moses Inspects the Tabernacle(N)
32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.(O) 33 Then they brought the tabernacle(P) to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 34 the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of another durable leather[e] and the shielding curtain; 35 the ark of the covenant law(Q) with its poles and the atonement cover; 36 the table(R) with all its articles and the bread of the Presence;(S) 37 the pure gold lampstand(T) with its row of lamps and all its accessories,(U) and the olive oil(V) for the light; 38 the gold altar,(W) the anointing oil,(X) the fragrant incense,(Y) and the curtain(Z) for the entrance to the tent; 39 the bronze altar(AA) with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the basin(AB) with its stand; 40 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;(AC) the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 41 and the woven garments(AD) worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests.
42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses.(AE) 43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded.(AF) So Moses blessed(AG) them.
Footnotes
- Exodus 39:2 Or He; also in verses 7, 8 and 22
- Exodus 39:9 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
- Exodus 39:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
- Exodus 39:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Exodus 39:34 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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