Exodus - Chapter 28

1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for honour, glory and for beauty.

3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted [in understanding], whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom and perception, that they may make Aaron’s holy garments to consecrate him for the sanctuary, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod [shoulder-piece], and a full-length robe, and a broidered coat [tunic with a fringe], a mitre [tire], and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

6 And they shall make the ephod [shoulder-piece] of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work, the woven work of the embroiderer.

7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

8 And the curious girdle of the ephod [the woven work of the shoulder-pieces], which is upon it, shall be of the same [of one piece], according to the work thereof; even of pure gold, of blue, and purple, and spun scarlet, and fine twined linen.

9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones [the stones of emerald], and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod [shoulder-piece] for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names [the names of the children of Israel] before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial for them.

13 And thou shalt make ouches [circlets] of pure gold;

14 And two chains [fringes] of pure gold at the ends; variegated with flowers of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains [fringes] to the ouches [circlets], fastening them on their shoulder-pieces in front.

15 And thou shalt make the breastplate [oracle] of judgment with cunning work, the work of the embroiderer; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of spun scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even a texture of four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle [emerald]: this shall be the first row.

18 And the second row shall be an emerald [a carbuncle], a sapphire, and a diamond [a jasper].

19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

20 And the fourth row a beryl [a chrysolite], and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings, bound together with gold: let them be according to their row.

21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

22 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate [the oracle] chains at the ends [woven fringes] of wreathen work of pure gold.

23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate [on both sides of the oracle].

25 And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches [circlets], and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.

26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.

27 And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate [oracle] of judgment upon his heart [on his breast], when he goeth in unto the holy place [the sanctuary], for a memorial before the LORD continually.

 30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate [oracle] of judgment the Urim and the Thummim [the Manifestation and the Truth]; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart [breast], when he goeth in into the holy place before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart [breast] before the LORD continually.

31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod [full-length tunic] all of blue.

32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding [fringe] of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

33 And beneath upon the hem [under the fringe] of it thou shalt make pomegranates of a flowering pomegranate tree, of blue, and of purple, and of spun scarlet, and fine linen spun, under the fringe round about the hem thereof; golden pomegranates of the same shape and bells of gold between them round about:

34 A golden bell and a pomegranate [by the side of a golden pomegranate], a golden bell and a pomegranate, and flower-work upon the hem of the robe round about.

35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he ministers when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO [of] THE LORD.

37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace [on the spun blue cloth], that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

38 And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted continually before the LORD.

39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre [tire] of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.

40 And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats [tunics and girdles], and thou shalt make for them girdles [tires], and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty [honour].

41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and fill their hands, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation [of witness], or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place [sanctuary]; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.