Exodus 28

Garments for Aaron and His Sons

1“And you, bring near to yourself Aaron your brother and his sons with him from among the children of Israel, to serve as priests to me: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2You will make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3You will speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, so that he may serve as priest to me. 4These are the garments that they will make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They will make holy garments for Aaron your brother and for his sons, so that he may serve as priest to me. 5They will take the gold, the blue, the purple, the scarlet yarn, and the fine linen.

The Ephod

6“They will make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen, the work of a skilled designer. 7It will have two shoulder pieces joined to its two edges, so that it is joined together. 8The skillfully woven band that is on it, with which it is fastened, will be of one piece and like its workmanship: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen. 9You will take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel, 10six of their names on one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth. 11As the work of a stone engraver, like the engraving of a signet, you will engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel. You will set them in settings of gold. 12You will put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the children of Israel. Aaron will bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembrance. 13You will make settings of gold 14and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, and attach the corded chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece of Judgment

15“You will make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled designer. Like the workmanship of the ephod you will make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen. 16It will be square and folded double, a span long and a span wide. 17You will set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones. A row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald will be the first row; 18the second row: turquoise, sapphire, and diamond; 19the third row: jacinth, agate, and amethyst; 20the fourth row: beryl, onyx, and jasper. They will be enclosed in gold settings. 21The stones will be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve according to their names. Like the engravings of a signet, each will be according to its name, for the twelve tribes.

The Breastpiece Fastened to the Ephod

22“You will make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. 23You will make for the breastpiece two rings of gold and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. 24You will put the two cords of gold into the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 25You will put the two ends of the two cords on the two settings and attach them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at its front. 26You will make two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge next to the ephod. 27You will make two more rings of gold and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, low on its front, near its joining, above the woven band of the ephod. 28They will bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that it rests on the woven band of the ephod and the breastpiece does not come loose from the ephod. 29So Aaron will bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy Place, as a continual remembrance before the LORD. 30You will put the Urim and the Thummim into the breastpiece of judgment, and they will be over Aaron’s heart when he enters before the LORD. Aaron will bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.

The Robe of the Ephod

31“You will make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue. 32There will be an opening for his head in its middle. Around its opening will be a woven binding, like the opening of a coat of armor, so that it does not tear. 33On its hem you will make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn around its hem, with bells of gold between them all around: 34a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 35It will be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he does not die.

The Holy Crown and the Tunic

36“You will make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:

‘Holy to the LORD.’ 37You will put it on a cord of blue yarn, and it will be on the turban; it will be on the front of the turban. 38It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear the guilt connected with the holy things that the children of Israel consecrate, all their holy gifts. It will be on his forehead continually, so that they may be accepted before the LORD. 39You will weave the tunic of fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make a sash, the work of an embroiderer.

Garments for Aaron’s Sons

40“For Aaron’s sons you will make tunics, and you will make sashes for them, and you will make head coverings for them, for glory and for beauty. 41You will put these on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You will anoint them, fill their hands, and consecrate them, so that they may serve as priests to me. 42You will make linen undergarments for them to cover naked flesh; they will reach from the waist to the thighs. 43They will be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not bear guilt and die. It will be a perpetual statute for him and for his offspring after him.