Exodus 39

New International Reader's Version

The Clothes for the Priests

39 The workers made clothes from the blue, purple and bright red yarn. The clothes were worn by the priests who served in the holy tent. The workers also made sacred clothes for Aaron. They made them just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Linen Apron

²The workers made the linen apron. They made it out of thin gold wire, and of blue, purple and bright red yarn, and of finely twisted linen. ³They hammered out thin sheets of gold. They cut it into thin wire. Then they sewed it into the blue, purple and bright red yarn and fine linen. Skilled workers made it. ⁴The workers made shoulder straps for the apron. The straps were joined to two of its corners. ⁵Its skillfully made waistband was made like the apron. The waistband was part of the apron itself. It was made out of thin gold wire, and out of blue, purple and bright red yarn, and out of finely twisted linen. The workers made it just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶They put the onyx stones in fancy gold settings. They carved the names of the sons of Israel on the stones. They did it the way a jewel cutter would carve them. ⁷Then they connected them to the shoulder straps of the linen apron. The stones stood for the sons of Israel and were a constant reminder for them. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Chest Cloth

⁸Skilled workers made the chest cloth. They made it like the linen apron. They used thin gold wire, and blue, purple and bright red yarn, and finely twisted linen. ⁹The chest cloth was nine inches square. It was folded in half. ¹⁰The workers put four rows of valuable jewels on it. Carnelian, chrysolite and beryl were in the first row. ¹¹Turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald were in the second row. ¹²Jacinth, agate and amethyst were in the third row. ¹³And topaz, onyx and jasper were in the fourth row. The workers put them in fancy gold settings. ¹⁴They used a total of 12 stones. There was one stone for each of the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was carved with the name of one of the 12 tribes.

¹⁵The workers made braided chains out of pure gold for the chest cloth. They made them like ropes. ¹⁶They made two fancy gold settings and two gold rings. They connected them to two corners of the chest cloth. ¹⁷They joined the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the chest cloth. ¹⁸They joined the other ends of the chains to the two settings. They joined them to the shoulder straps on the front of the linen apron. ¹⁹The workers made two gold rings. They connected them to the other two corners of the chest cloth. They put them on the inside edge next to the apron. ²⁰Then they made two more gold rings. They connected them to the bottom of the shoulder straps on the front of the apron. They put them close to the seam. They put them right above the waistband of the apron. ²¹They tied the rings of the chest cloth to the rings of the apron with blue cord. That connected it to the waistband. Then the chest cloth would not swing out from the linen apron. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

More Clothes for the Priests

²²The workers made the outer robe of the linen apron completely out of blue cloth. The cloth was made by a skillful person. ²³The workers made an opening in the center of the robe. They made an edge like a collar around the opening. Then it couldn’t tear. ²⁴They made pomegranates out of blue, purple and bright red yarn and finely twisted linen. They sewed them around the hem of the robe. ²⁵They made bells out of pure gold. They sewed them around the hem between the pomegranates. ²⁶They sewed a bell between every two pomegranates all around the hem of the robe. Aaron had to wear the robe when he served as priest. That’s what the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁷The workers made inner robes out of fine linen for Aaron and his sons. The linen cloth was made by a skillful person. ²⁸The workers also made the turban out of fine linen. And they made the caps and the underwear out of finely twisted linen. ²⁹The belt was made out of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and bright red yarn. A person who sewed skillfully made it. The workers did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰They made the plate out of pure gold. It was a sacred crown. On the plate, they carved the words

Set Apart for the Lord.

³¹Then they tied the plate to the turban with a blue cord. They did those things just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Holy Tent Is Completed

³²So all the work on the holy tent, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³³Then they brought the holy tent to Moses along with everything that belonged to it. Here are the things they brought:

hooks, frames, crossbars, posts and bases

³⁴the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of another kind of strong leather and the curtain that hides the ark

³⁵the ark where the tablets of the covenant law are kept, the poles and the cover for the ark

³⁶the table for the holy bread with all its things and the holy bread

³⁷the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and everything used with it, and the olive oil that gives light

³⁸the gold altar for burning incense, the anointing oil and the sweet-smelling incense

the curtain for the entrance to the tent

³⁹the bronze altar for burnt offerings with its bronze grate, its poles and all its tools

the large bowl with its stand

⁴⁰the curtains of the courtyard with their posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard

the ropes and tent stakes for the courtyard

everything that belongs to the holy tent, the tent of meeting

⁴¹and the sacred clothes for Aaron the priest and the clothes for his sons when they serve as priests

⁴²The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³Moses looked over the work carefully. He saw that the workers had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses gave them his blessing.