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Exodus 28
Evangelical Heritage Version

The Priests and Their Vestments

28 Bring Aaron your brother near to you from among the people of Israel, and his sons with him, so that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. Bring Aaron and Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2 You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother to give him honor and splendor. 3 Speak to all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom,[a] so that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, so that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. 4 These are the garments which they shall make: a chest pouch, a special vest, a robe, a specially woven tunic, a turban, and a sash.[b] They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and for his sons, so that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. 5 The craftsmen shall use the gold, and the blue, purple, and scarlet material, and the fine linen.

The Special Vest

6 They shall make the special vest[c] of gold and of blue, purple, and scarlet material and of fine woven linen, the work of a skillful craftsman. 7 It is to have two shoulder straps, one on each side, so that the vest can be fastened together. 8 The decorated band, which is attached to the vest, is to be just like it: made of gold, and of blue, purple, and scarlet material and of fine woven linen. 9 Take two onyx stones and engrave the names of the sons of Israel on them— 10 six of their names on one stone and the names of the other six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 Engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel, in the same way that a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them in settings of gold. 12 Put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the vest to be memorial stones for the people of Israel. Aaron shall bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. 13 Make settings of gold 14 and two chains of pure gold. Make them like braided cords, and attach the braided chains to the settings.

The Chest Pouch

15 You shall make a chest pouch to be used for making decisions, the work of a skillful craftsman. You shall make it with the same workmanship as the vest. Make it from gold and from blue, purple, and scarlet material and from fine woven linen. 16 It is to be square when it is folded, nine inches by nine inches. 17 You shall arrange settings for precious stones on it, four rows of stones: The first row is to be carnelian, diamond, and jacinth; 18 the second row agate, sapphire,[d] and emerald; 19 the third row beryl, jasper, and ruby; 20 and the fourth row topaz, onyx, and turquoise.[e] They are to be mounted in gold settings. 21 There are to be twelve stones corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel. Each one shall be like an engraved seal, each with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

22 You shall make braided chains of pure gold as cords for the pouch. 23 Make two gold rings for the pouch, and attach the two rings to the top corners of the pouch. 24 Put the two braided chains of gold into the two rings at the top corners of the pouch. 25 Attach the other ends of the two braided chains to the two settings, and then attach them to the shoulder straps on the front of the vest. 26 Make two rings of gold, and put them on the two lower corners of the pouch, on its inside edge, which is toward the vest. 27 Make two more gold rings, and attach them to the two shoulder straps of the vest in the front, close to the bottom where it is joined to the band of the vest. 28 Tie the rings on the pouch to the rings on the vest with a blue cord, so that the pouch is right next to the band of the vest, so that the pouch does not swing out from the vest. 29 Whenever he goes into the Holy Place, Aaron shall wear the pouch for making decisions, which bears the names of the sons of Israel, over his heart as a constant memorial before the Lord. 30 You shall put the Urim and the Thummim[f] into the pouch for making decisions, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart whenever he goes before the Lord. Aaron shall bear the means of making decisions for the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord continually.

The Robe

31 You shall make the robe that is to be worn under the vest. It is to be all blue. 32 It is to have an opening in the middle of the top of it for the head. It is to have a woven binding around the opening, like the opening of a collar,[g] to prevent it from tearing. 33 To be placed around its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet material. Alternate them with gold bells 34 (a gold bell, then a pomegranate, a gold bell, then a pomegranate), all around the hem of the robe. 35 The robe shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

The Gold Medallion

36 You shall make a medallion of pure gold and engrave on it (like the engravings on a seal): Holy to the Lord. 37 You shall attach it to a blue cord to fasten it to the turban. It is to be placed on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear any guilt in regard to the holy things, which the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. The medallion shall always be on his forehead, so that the offerings may be accepted in the presence of the Lord.

Tunic, Turban, Sash

39 You shall weave the tunic of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of an embroiderer.

The Tunics and Pants for the Other Priests

40 You shall make tunics for Aaron’s sons, and you shall make sashes for them, and you shall make small pointed turbans for them, to give them honor and splendor. 41 Put them on your brother Aaron and on his sons along with him, anoint them, and ordain them for their work[h] and consecrate them, so that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. 42 Make linen pants for them to cover their naked flesh. The pants shall reach from the waist to the thighs. 43 They are to be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they go into the Tent of Meeting, or whenever they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This shall be a permanent regulation for him and for his descendants after him.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 28:3 Wisdom in this context refers to practical artistic skill.
  2. Exodus 28:4 These terms are difficult to translate. The piece of clothing to be worn on the chest (hoshen) was a folded pouch. The ephod was a vest-like garment. Some sources say that a robe (me’il) is a long outer garment and a tunic (ketonet) is a shorter, knee-length undergarment. But it is clear that in this case the robe, which was worn directly under the vest, was shorter, and the tunic, which was worn against the skin, would hang down below the robe. The term translated specially woven is of uncertain meaning. It may refer to a special pattern. The headdress is called a turban because the Hebrew verb used to describe putting it on means wrap.
  3. Exodus 28:6 The Hebrew is ephod, which we are translating special vest. Some think it was more like an apron.
  4. Exodus 28:18 Perhaps lapis lazuli
  5. Exodus 28:20 The specific identification of these gems is uncertain, and translations vary widely. This translation uses names of recognizable modern gemstones even if they might not have the same mineral makeup as the ancient gemstones. The Jewish commentator Ibn Ezra writes, “We have no way to identify what they are, having no tradition to rely on.”
  6. Exodus 28:30 The meanings of Urim and Thummim are uncertain, perhaps Lights and Perfections. Others suggest Cursed and Blameless. Whatever the objects were, they seem to have been used to obtain “yes” or “no” answers from the Lord.
  7. Exodus 28:32 The meaning of this word is uncertain. Traditionally a coat of mail
  8. Exodus 28:41 Literally fill their hands, that is, entrust their responsibility to them
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Exodus 28
New International Version

The Priestly Garments

28 “Have Aaron(A) your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu,(B) Eleazar and Ithamar,(C) so they may serve me as priests.(D) 2 Make sacred garments(E) for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.(F) 3 Tell all the skilled workers(G) to whom I have given wisdom(H) in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece,(I) an ephod,(J) a robe,(K) a woven tunic,(L) a turban(M) and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.(N)

The Ephod(O)

6 “Make the ephod(P) of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen—the work of skilled hands. 7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. 8 Its skillfully woven waistband(Q) is to be like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen.

9 “Take two onyx stones and engrave(R) on them the names of the sons of Israel 10 in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings 12 and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders(S) as a memorial(T) before the Lord. 13 Make gold filigree settings 14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece(U)

15 “Fashion a breastpiece(V) for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 16 It is to be square—a span[a] long and a span wide—and folded double. 17 Then mount four rows of precious stones(W) on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite(X) and beryl; 18 the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 19 the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; 20 the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper.[b] Mount them in gold filigree settings. 21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel,(Y) each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.(Z)

22 “For the breastpiece make braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 23 Make two gold rings for it and fasten them to two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 26 Make two gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach 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. 28 The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod.

29 “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place,(AA) he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. 30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim(AB) in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

Other Priestly Garments(AC)

31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar[c] around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates(AD) of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

36 “Make a plate(AE) of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord.(AF) 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt(AG) involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable(AH) to the Lord.

39 “Weave the tunic(AI) of fine linen and make the turban(AJ) of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. 40 Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons(AK) to give them dignity and honor.(AL) 41 After you put these clothes(AM) on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint(AN) and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.(AO)

42 “Make linen undergarments(AP) as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting(AQ) or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place,(AR) so that they will not incur guilt and die.(AS)

“This is to be a lasting ordinance(AT) for Aaron and his descendants.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 28:16 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  2. Exodus 28:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
  3. Exodus 28:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
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Exodus 27
Exodus 29
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Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

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