15 (A)“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 (B)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 (C)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 (D)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 (E)remembrance before the Lord. 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment (F)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.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 28:16 A span was about 9 inches or 22 centimeters
  2. Exodus 28:17 The identity of some of these stones is uncertain

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.

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