Exodus 28

1And bring thou near unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

1Bring your brother Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to you from among the Israelites so they may serve me as priests.

2And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty.

2Make holy clothes for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and beauty.

3And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

3Speak to all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom. Tell them to make Aaron’s clothes to set him apart, so he can serve me as a priest.

4And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of checker work, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

4These are the clothes they must make: a chestpiece, a vest, a robe, an embroidered tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons so they can serve me as priests.

5And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.

5The craftsmen must use gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

6And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skilful workman.

6Have them make the vest of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman.

7It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined to the two ends thereof, that it may be joined together.

7It is to have two shoulder straps attached to its two corners so it can be fastened.

8And the skilfully woven band, which is upon it, wherewith to gird it on, shall be like the work thereof and of the same piece; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

8The skillfully woven waistband on the vest must be made of the same materials: gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.

9And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

9Take two onyx stones and engrave the names of the sons of Israel on them.

10six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, according to their birth.

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

11With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be inclosed in settings of gold.

11Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a jeweler engraves a seal. Mount the stones in gold settings.

12And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before Jehovah upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

12Fasten the two stones on the shoulder straps of the vest as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the LORD as a reminder.

13And thou shalt make settings of gold,

13Make settings of gold,

14and two chains of pure gold; like cords shalt thou make them, of wreathen work: and thou shalt put the wreathen chains on the settings.

14and two chains of pure gold, braided like cords. Attach these braided chains to the gold settings.

15And thou shalt make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skilful workman; like the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

15Make a chestpiece for making decisions, crafted like the vest. Make it of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.

16Foursquare it shall be and double; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.

16It must be square when folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.

17And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row;

17Mount four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row put a carnelian, a chrysolite, and a beryl.

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

18In the second row put a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald.

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

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

20and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be inclosed in gold in their settings.

20In the fourth row put a topaz, an onyx, and a jasper. Set them in gold filigree.

21And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.

21There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone will be engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

22And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains like cords, of wreathen work of pure gold.

22For the chestpiece, make braided chains of pure gold like cords.

23And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

23Make two gold rings for the chestpiece and fasten them to two of its corners.

24And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.

24Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the chestpiece.

25And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod in the forepart thereof.

25Attach the other ends of the two chains to the two gold settings, fastening them to the shoulder straps on the front of the vest.

26And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which is toward the side of the ephod inward.

26Make two more gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the chestpiece on the inside edge next to the vest.

27And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and shalt put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod.

27Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder straps on the front of the vest, close to the seam just above the waistband.

28And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

28The rings of the chestpiece are to be tied to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the chestpiece does not come loose from the vest.

29And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before Jehovah continually.

29Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will carry the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the chestpiece of decision as a constant reminder before the LORD.

30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before Jehovah: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before Jehovah continually.

30Put the Urim and the Thummim into the chestpiece so they will be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the LORD’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.

31And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

31Make the entire robe that goes under the vest out of blue cloth.

32And it shall have a hole for the head in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it be not rent.

32It must have an opening for the head in the center. Around this opening there should be a woven collar, like the collar of a coat of armor, so it will not tear.

33And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:

33Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn around the lower hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.

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

34The gold bells and pomegranates are to alternate all around the hem of the robe.

35And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and the sound thereof shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before Jehovah, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

35Aaron 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.

36And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO JEHOVAH.

36Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.

37And thou shalt put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

37Fasten it with a blue cord to the turban; it must be on the front of the turban.

38And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before Jehovah.

38It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involving the holy gifts that the Israelites consecrate. It must stay on his forehead at all times so that the gifts will be acceptable to the LORD.

39And thou shalt weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and thou shalt make a mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make a girdle, the work of the embroiderer.

39Weave the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen. The sash should be the work of an embroiderer.

40And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and head-tires shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.

40Make tunics, sashes, and caps for Aaron’s sons to give them dignity and beauty.

41And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and upon his sons with him, and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

41After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.

42And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

42Make linen undergarments as a covering for their bodies, reaching from the waist to the thigh.

43and they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him.

43Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not become guilty and die. This is to be a lasting regulation for Aaron and his descendants.