Exodus 28
English Standard Version
The Priests' Garments
28 “Then bring near to you (A)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron's sons, (B)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 (C)And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the (D)skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a (E)breastpiece, an (F)ephod, (G)a robe, (H)a coat of checker work, (I)a turban, and (J)a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They shall receive (K)gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
6 (L)“And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. 8 And the (M)skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. 12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And (N)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (O)for remembrance. 13 You shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.
15 (P)“You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it. 16 It shall be square and doubled, a span[a] its length and a span its breadth. 17 (Q)You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius,[b] topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; 18 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree. 21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 22 You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. 23 And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. 25 The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the (R)skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 (S)So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular (T)remembrance before the Lord. 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment (U)you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.
31 (V)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment,[c] so that it may not tear. 33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 35 And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.
36 “You shall make (W)a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, (X)‘Holy to the Lord.’ 37 And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall (Y)bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
39 “You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
40 (Z)“For Aaron's sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them (AA)for glory and beauty. 41 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall (AB)anoint them and ordain them and (AC)consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 42 You shall make for them (AD)linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they (AE)bear guilt and die. (AF)This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:16 A span was about 9 inches or 22 centimeters
- Exodus 28:17 The identity of some of these stones is uncertain
- Exodus 28:32 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly coat of mail
Shemot 28
Orthodox Jewish Bible
28 And bring thou near unto thee Aharon thy brother, and his banim with him, from the midst of the Bnei Yisroel, that he may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office, even Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, Eleazar and Itamar, Bnei Aharon.
2 And thou shalt make Bigdei Kodesh for Aharon thy brother for kavod and tiferet.
3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are of chochmei lev, whom I have filled with the Ruach Chochmah, that they may make Bigdei Aharon to set him apart as kodesh, that he may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.
4 And these are HaBegadim which they shall make: a Choshen, and an Ephod, and a Me’il, and a Kesones of a box-like knitting work, a Mitznefet, and an Avnet; and they shall make Bigdei Kodesh for Aharon thy brother, and his Banim, that he may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.
5 And they shall take zahav, and turquoise, and purple, and scarlet wool, and linen.
6 And they shall make the Ephod of zahav, of turquoise, and of purple, of scarlet wool, and twisted linen, with ma’aseh choshev (artistic embroidery).
7 It shall have the two ketefot (shoulder straps) thereof joined at the two sides thereof; and so it shall be joined together.
8 And the Cheishev of his Ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of zahav, of turquoise, and purple, and scarlet wool, and twisted linen.
9 And thou shalt take two avnei shoham (onyx stones), and engrave on them the Shemot of the Bnei Yisroel:
10 Shisha of their Shemot on one even (stone), and the other Shemot of the shisha remaining on the other even (stone), according to toldot (in the order in which they were born).
11 With the work of a charash even (engraver in gemstones), like the engravings of a chotam (signet ring), shalt thou engrave the two avanim with the Shemot Bnei Yisroel; thou shalt make them to be set in mishbetzot zahav (filigrees of gold).
12 And thou shalt fasten the two avanim upon the Kitfot HaEphod for avnei zikaron (memorial stones) unto the Bnei Yisroel; and Aharon shall bear their Shemot before Hashem upon his two ketefayim for a zikaron.
13 And thou shalt make mishbetzot zahav (filigrees of gold);
14 And two sharsherot zahav tahor (chains of pure gold) at the edges; of braided artistic work shalt thou make them, and fasten the braided sharsherot (chains) to the mishbetzot (filigrees).
15 And thou shalt make the Choshen Mishpat with artistic work; like the work of the Ephod thou shalt make it; of zahav, of turquoise, and of purple, and of scarlet wool, and of twisted linen, shalt thou make it.
16 Ravu’a (foursquare, square) it shall be folded; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the width thereof.
17 And thou shalt set in it settings of even (stone), four rows of gemstones: the first row shall be a odem, a pitdah, and barekes: this shall be the first row.
18 And the second row shall be nofech, sapphire, and yahalom.
19 And the third row a leshem, shevo, and achlamah.
20 And the fourth row tarshish, shoham, and yashfeh; they shall be set in zahav in their settings.
21 And the avanim (gemstones) shall be for the Shemot Bnei Yisroel, Shteym Esreh (Twelve), according to their Shemot, like the engravings of a chotam (signet ring); every one with shmo shall they be according to the Shnei Asar Shevet (Twelve Tribes).
22 And thou shalt make for the Choshen at the edges of braided artistic work of zahav tahor (pure gold).
23 And thou shalt make upon the Choshen two rings of zahav, and shalt fasten the two rings on the two ends of the Choshen.
24 And thou shalt fasten the two ropes of zahav on the two rings which are on the ends of the Choshen.
25 And the other two ends of the two ropes thou shalt fasten in the two mishbetzot (filigrees), and attach them to the Ketefot HaEphod (Shoulder Straps of the Ephod) toward its front.
26 And thou shalt make two rings of zahav, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the Choshen on the lower border thereof, on the inside toward the Ephod.
27 And two other rings of zahav thou shalt make, and shalt put them on at the bottom of the Kitfot HaEphod toward the front thereof, opposite the seam thereof, above the Cheishev HaEphod (Belt of the Ephod).
28 And they shall bind the Choshen by the rings thereof unto the rings of the Ephod with a turquoise woolen cord, that it may be above the Cheishev HaEphod, and that the Choshen be not loosed from the Ephod.
29 And Aharon shall bear the Shemot Bnei Yisroel in the Choshen HaMishpat upon his lev, when he goeth in unto HaKodesh, for a zikaron (memorial) before Hashem tamid.
30 And thou shalt put in the Choshen HaMishpat the Urim and the Tummim; and they shall be upon the lev Aharon, when he goeth in before Hashem; and Aharon shall nasa (bear [see this word Yeshayah 53:12]) the Mishpat Bnei Yisroel upon his lev before Hashem tamid.
31 And thou shalt make the Me’il HaEphod all of turquoise wool.
32 And there shall be a head opening in the top of it, in the middle thereof; it shall have a border of artistic embroidery around the head opening of it, like the head opening of a coat of mail; that it be not torn.
33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of turquoise, and of purple, and of scarlet, around the hem thereof; and bells of zahav between them round about:
34 A bell of zahav and a pomegranate, a bell of zahav and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the Me’il round about.
35 And it shall be upon Aharon lesharet (to minister); and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto HaKodesh before Hashem, and when he cometh out, that he die not.
36 And thou shalt make a Tzitz zahav tahor (head plate of pure gold), and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a chotam (signet ring), KODESH LAHASHEM.
37 And thou shalt put it on a turquoise cord, that it may be upon the Mitznefet; upon the forefront of the Mitznefet it shall be.
38 And it shall be upon metzach Aharon (forehead of Aharon), that Aharon may nasa (bear [see this word Yeshayah 53:12]) the avon of the kodashim (holy things), which the Bnei Yisroel shall set apart as kodesh in all their mattanot kadoshot (holy gifts); and it shall be always upon his metzach (forehead), that they may be leratzon (accepted, acceptable) before Hashem.
39 And thou shalt embroider the Kesones of fine linen, and thou shalt make the Mitznefet of fine linen, and thou shalt make the Avnet of artistic embroidery.
40 And for Bnei Aharon thou shalt make Kuttanot (Tunics), and thou shalt make for them Avnetim, and Migba’ot shalt thou make for them, for kavod and for tiferet.
41 And thou shalt put them upon Aharon thy brother, and his banim with him; and shalt anoint them, and ordain them, and set them apart as kodesh, that they may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.
42 And thou shalt make them mikhnesei bahd (linen undergarments) to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach;
43 And they shall be upon Aharon, and upon his banim, when they come in unto the Ohel Mo’ed, or when they come near unto the Mizbe’ach lesharet (to minister) in HaKodesh; that they incur not avon, and die; it shall be a chukkat olahm unto him and his zera after him.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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