Exodus 28

1Bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites, to serve me as priests: Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

2Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, to give him glory and beauty.

3Speak to all the skilled workers whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, and have them make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him to serve me as priest.

4These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may serve me as priests.

5They are to use gold, and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

6They are to make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman.

7It is to have two shoulder pieces attached at its two edges, so that it can be fastened together.

8The skillfully woven waistband on it is to be made like it and of one piece with it, of gold, and of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen.

9Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,

10six of their names on one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth.

11Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold settings.

12Fasten the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the Israelites. Aaron is to carry their names on his two shoulders before Yahweh as a reminder.

13Make gold settings

14and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, and fasten the corded chains to the settings.

15Make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen.

16It is to be square and folded double, a span long and a span wide.

17Mount on it four rows of precious stones. The first row is to be carnelian, topaz, and emerald;

18the second row turquoise, sapphire, and diamond;

19the third row jacinth, agate, and amethyst;

20and the fourth row chrysolite, onyx, and jasper. They are to be mounted in gold settings.

21There are to be 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.

22For the breastpiece make chains of pure gold, twisted like cords.

23Make two gold rings for the breastpiece and fasten the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece.

24Fasten the two gold cords to the two rings at the corners of the breastpiece,

25and fasten the other two ends of the two cords to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.

26Make two gold rings and put them on the two other corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.

27Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod.

28The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that the breastpiece rests on the waistband of the ephod and does not come loose from the ephod.

29Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will carry the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder before Yahweh.

30Put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will be over Aaron’s heart whenever he goes in before Yahweh. So Aaron will continually carry the judgment of the Israelites over his heart before Yahweh.

31Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue.

32It is to have an opening for the head in the middle, with a woven collar around the opening, like the opening of a coat of armor, so that it will not tear.

33Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all around its hem, with gold bells between them all around:

34a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe.

35Aaron is to wear it when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before Yahweh and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

36Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, as on a seal, ‘Holy to Yahweh.’

37Fasten it with a blue cord to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban.

38It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear the guilt connected with the holy things that the Israelites consecrate, whatever their holy gifts may be. It is to be on his forehead continually, so that they may be accepted before Yahweh.

39Weave the tunic of fine linen, make the turban of fine linen, and make the sash, the work of an embroiderer.

40For Aaron’s sons make tunics, sashes, and headbands, to give them glory and beauty.

41Put these garments on your brother Aaron and on his sons with him. Anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests.

42Make linen undergarments for them to cover their naked bodies, reaching from the waist to the thighs.

43Aaron and his sons are to wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants after him.