Aaron and His Sons Called Near
28 1 Bring your brother Aaron near to you, with his sons, from the Israelites, to serve me as priests: Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar. 2 Make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 Speak to all who are skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron's garments to dedicate him, to serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they must make: a breastpiece, ephod, robe, woven tunic, turban, and sash. They are to make these holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 They are to use gold, and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.
The Ephod
6 Make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen, worked by a skilled craftsman. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces, joined at its two edges, joined together. 8 The waistband on it must match: gold, blue, purple, scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen, worked in one piece. 9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 Six names on one stone, the other six on the second stone, by their birth order. 11 As a jeweler engraves a seal, engrave the two stones with the names of Israel's sons, then mount them in gold filigree. 12 Put the two stones on the ephod's shoulder pieces as memorial stones for Israel's sons; Aaron will carry their names before me on his two shoulders as a memorial. 13 Make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and attach the twisted chains to the settings.
The Breastpiece
15 Make a breastpiece of judgment: skilled work, made like the ephod's work—gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen. 16 It is to be square and doubled, about nine inches long and nine inches wide. 17 Set in it four rows of stones. The first row is to be carnelian, topaz, and beryl; 18 the second row turquoise, lapis lazuli, and emerald; 19 the third row jacinth, agate, and amethyst; 20 and the fourth row beryl, onyx, and jasper. They are to be set in gold filigree. 21 Twelve stones, one per name of Israel's sons—each engraved like a seal with its own name, for the twelve tribes. 22 For the breastpiece make chains of pure gold, twisted like cords. 23 Make two gold rings for the breastpiece, and fasten the two rings to its two edges. 24 Then fasten the two gold cords to the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece, 25 Fasten the cords' remaining two ends to the two filigree settings, joining them to the ephod's shoulder pieces at the front. 26 Make two gold rings; put them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and fix them to the ephod's two shoulder pieces, low on the front, near its seam, above its woven band. 28 The breastpiece is to be bound by its rings to the ephod's rings with a blue cord, so it rests on the ephod's woven band and does not come loose from it. 29 Aaron will carry the names of Israel's sons over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment when he enters the Holy Place, as a continual reminder before me. 30 Put the Urim and Thummim into the breastpiece of judgment, so they lie over Aaron's heart when he comes before me. Aaron will always carry the judgment of Israel's sons over his heart before me. a a v30 The Urim and Thummim were sacred objects the high priest carried in the breastpiece to discern our Father's decisions for his people.
The Robe and the Golden Plate
31 Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue, 32 An opening for the head in its center, with a woven rim around it like a tunic's collar, so it won't tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn around its hem, with gold bells between them, 34 Gold bell and pomegranate, gold bell and pomegranate, all around the robe's hem. 35 Aaron must wear it while serving. Its sound will be heard entering and leaving the Holy Place before me, so he does not die.
36 Make a pure gold plate; engrave on it like a seal engraving: 'Holy to the Father.' 37 Attach it to the turban with a blue cord, on the turban's front. 38 It will be on Aaron's forehead; he will bear the guilt of the holy things Israel's people dedicate as their holy gifts. It stays on his forehead always, so they will be accepted before me. 39 Weave the fine linen tunic, make the fine linen turban, and make the sash, an embroiderer's work. 40 For Aaron's sons make tunics, sashes, and caps, for glory and for beauty. 41 Dress Aaron your brother and his sons with him, anoint them, ordain them, dedicate them, so they may serve me as priests. 42 Make linen undergarments for them to cover their naked flesh, reaching from the hips to the thighs. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to serve in the Holy Place, so they don't bear guilt and die. This is a lasting statute for him and his descendants after him.
