Exodus 28
New Century Version
Clothes for the Priests
28 “Tell your brother Aaron to come to you, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Separate them from the other Israelites to serve me as priests. 2 Make holy clothes for your brother Aaron to give him honor and beauty. 3 Tell all the skilled craftsmen to whom I have given wisdom to make special clothes for Aaron—clothes to show that he belongs to me so that he may serve me as a priest. 4 These are the clothes they must make: a chest covering, a holy vest, an outer robe, a woven inner robe, a turban, and a cloth belt. The craftsmen must make these holy clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons. Then they may serve me as priests. 5 The craftsmen must use gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.
The Holy Vest
6 “Use gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen to make the holy vest; skilled craftsmen are to make it. 7 At each top corner of this holy vest there will be a pair of shoulder straps tied together over each shoulder.
8 “The craftsmen will very carefully weave a belt on the holy vest that is made with the same materials—gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.
9 “Take two onyx stones and write the names of the twelve sons of Israel on them, 10 six on one stone and six on the other. Write the names in order, from the oldest son to the youngest. 11 Carve the names of the sons of Israel on these stones in the same way a person carves words and designs on a seal. Put gold around the stones to hold them on the holy vest. 12 Then put the two stones on the two straps of the holy vest as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. Aaron is to wear their names on his shoulders in the presence of the Lord as reminders of the sons of Israel. 13 Make two gold pieces to hold the stones 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope. Attach the chains to the two gold pieces that hold the stones.
The Chest Covering
15 “Make a chest covering to help in making decisions. The craftsmen should make it as they made the holy vest, using gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen. 16 The chest covering must be square—nine inches long and nine inches wide—and folded double to make a pocket. 17 Put four rows of beautiful gems on the chest covering: The first row must have a ruby, topaz, and yellow quartz; 18 the second must have turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 19 the third must have a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 the fourth must have a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. Put gold around these jewels to attach them to the chest covering. 21 There must be twelve jewels on the chest covering—one jewel for each of the names of the sons of Israel. Carve the name of one of the twelve tribes on each of the stones as you would carve a seal.
22 “Make chains of pure gold, twisted together like rope, for the chest covering. 23 Make two gold rings and put them on the two upper corners of the chest covering. 24 Attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the upper corners of the chest covering. 25 Attach the other ends of the two chains to the two gold pieces on the shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest.
26 “Make two gold rings and put them at the two lower corners of the chest covering, on the inside edge next to the holy vest. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest. Put them close to the seam above the woven belt of the holy vest. 28 Join the rings of the chest covering to the rings of the holy vest with blue ribbon, connecting it to the woven belt so the chest covering will not swing out from the holy vest.
29 “When Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will wear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart, on the chest covering that helps in making decisions. This will be a continual reminder before the Lord. 30 And put the Urim and Thummim inside the chest covering so that they will be on Aaron’s heart when he goes before the Lord. They will help in making decisions for the Israelites. So Aaron will always carry them with him when he is before the Lord.
31 “Make the outer robe to be worn under the holy vest, using only blue cloth. 32 Make a hole in the center for Aaron’s head, with a woven collar around the hole so it will not tear. 33 Make balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and red thread, and hang them around the bottom of the outer robe with gold bells between them. 34 All around the bottom of the outer robe there should be a gold bell and a pomegranate ball, a gold bell and a pomegranate ball. 35 Aaron must wear this robe when he serves as priest. The ringing of the bells will be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place before the Lord so that Aaron will not die.
36 “Make a strip of pure gold and carve these words on it as you would carve a seal: ‘Holy to the Lord.’ 37 Use blue ribbon to tie it to the turban; put it on the front of the turban. 38 Aaron must wear this on his forehead. In this way, he will be blamed if anything is wrong with the gifts of the Israelites. Aaron must always wear this on his head so the Lord will accept the gifts of the people.
39 “Make the woven inner robe of fine linen, and make the turban of fine linen also. Make the cloth belt with designs sewn on it. 40 Also make woven inner robes, cloth belts, and headbands for Aaron’s sons, to give them honor and beauty. 41 Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, and pour olive oil on their heads to appoint them as priests. Make them belong to me so they may serve me as priests.
42 “Make for them linen underclothes to cover them from the waist to the upper parts of the legs. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear these underclothes when they enter the Meeting Tent and anytime they come near the altar to serve as priests in the Holy Place. If they do not wear these clothes, they will be guilty of wrong, and they will die. This will be a law that will last from now on for Aaron and all his descendants.
Exodus 28
New King James Version
Garments for the Priesthood(A)
28 “Now take (B)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as (C)priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: (D)Nadab, Abihu, (E)Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 And (F)you shall make [a]holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 So (G)you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, (H)whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make: (I)a breastplate, (J)an [b]ephod, (K)a robe, (L)a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and (M)a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.
The Ephod
5 “They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, 6 (N)and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder straps joined at its two edges, and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the [c]intricately woven band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen.
9 “Then you shall take two onyx (O)stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: 10 six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, in order of their (P)birth. 11 With the work of an (Q)engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall set them in settings of gold. 12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So (R)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (S)as a memorial. 13 You shall also make settings of gold, 14 and you shall make two chains of pure gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the settings.
The Breastplate(T)
15 (U)“You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. 16 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. 17 (V)And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a [d]sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; 18 the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 the third row, a [e]jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a [f]beryl, an [g]onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. 21 And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.
22 “You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. 23 And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; 25 and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.
26 “You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. 27 And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the [h]intricately woven band of the ephod. 28 They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.
29 “So Aaron shall (W)bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. 30 And (X)you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the [i]Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.
Other Priestly Garments(Y)
31 (Z)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. 33 And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die.
36 (AA)“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:
HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
37 And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may (AB)bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their [j]holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be (AC)accepted before the Lord.
39 “You shall (AD)skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.
40 (AE)“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make [k]hats for them, for glory and (AF)beauty. 41 So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall (AG)anoint them, (AH)consecrate them, and [l]sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests. 42 And you shall make (AI)for them linen trousers to cover their [m]nakedness; they shall [n]reach from the waist to the thighs. 43 They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near (AJ)the altar to minister in the holy place, that they (AK)do not incur [o]iniquity and die. (AL)It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 28:2 sacred
- Exodus 28:4 Ornamented vest
- Exodus 28:8 ingenious work of
- Exodus 28:17 Or ruby
- Exodus 28:19 Or amber
- Exodus 28:20 Or yellow jasper
- Exodus 28:20 Or carnelian
- Exodus 28:27 ingenious work of
- Exodus 28:30 Lit. Lights and the Perfections
- Exodus 28:38 sacred
- Exodus 28:40 headpieces or turbans
- Exodus 28:41 set them apart
- Exodus 28:42 bare flesh
- Exodus 28:42 Lit. be
- Exodus 28:43 guilt
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
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
