Exodus 38:21-39:31

New International Version - UK

The materials used

²¹ These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law, which were recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. ²² (Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; ²³ with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan – an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.) ²⁴ The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary was 29 talents and 730 shekels,^[a] according to the sanctuary shekel.

²⁵ The silver obtained from those of the community who were counted in the census was 100 talents^[b] and 1,775 shekels,^[c] according to the sanctuary shekel – ²⁶ one beka per person, that is, half a shekel,^[d] according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone who had crossed over to those counted, twenty years old or more, a total of 603,550 men. ²⁷ The 100 talents of silver were used to cast the bases for the sanctuary and for the curtain – 100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent for each base. ²⁸ They used the 1,775 shekels to make the hooks for the posts, to overlay the tops of the posts, and to make their bands.

²⁹ The bronze from the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.^{[e] 30} They used it to make the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grating and all its utensils, ³¹ the bases for the surrounding courtyard and those for its entrance and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and those for the surrounding courtyard.

The priestly garments

39 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The ephod

² They^[f] 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 that it could be fastened. ⁵ Its skilfully 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 stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The breastpiece

⁸ They fashioned the breastpiece – 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^[g] 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.^[h] 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.

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

²² They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth – the work of a weaver – ²³ with an opening in the centre of the robe like the opening of a collar,^[i] 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 round 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 round 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 – the work of a weaver – ²⁸ and the turban 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. ³¹ Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban, as the Lord commanded Moses.