Exodus 28–29

Garments for the Priests

(Ex 39:1–7)

28 “Summon your brother Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Separate them from the people of Israel, so that they may serve me as priests. 2Make priestly garments for your brother Aaron, to provide him with dignity and beauty. 3Call all the skilled workers to whom I have given ability, and tell them to make Aaron’s clothes, so that he may be dedicated as a priest in my service. 4Tell them to make a breast-piece, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these priestly garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they can serve me as priests. 5The skilled workers are to use blue, purple, and red wool, gold thread, and fine linen.

6 “They are to make the ephod of blue, purple, and red wool, gold thread, and fine linen, decorated with embroidery. 7Two shoulder straps, by which it can be fastened, are to be attached to the sides. 8A finely woven belt made of the same materials is to be attached to the ephod so as to form one piece with it. 9Take two carnelian stones and engrave on them the names of the twelve sons of Jacob, 10in the order of their birth, with six on one stone and six on the other. 11Get a skilful jeweller to engrave on the two stones the names of the sons of Jacob, and mount the stones in gold settings. 12Put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. In this way Aaron will carry their names on his shoulders, so that I, the Lord, will always remember my people. 13Make two gold settings 14and two chains of pure gold twisted like cords, and attach them to the settings.

The Breast-piece

(Ex 39:8–21)

15 “Make a breast-piece for the High Priest to use in determining God’s will. It is to be made of the same materials as the ephod and with similar embroidery. 16It is to be square and folded double, 22 centimetres long and 22 centimetres wide. 17Mount four rows of precious stones on it; in the first row mount a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet; 18in the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19in the third row, a turquoise, an agate, and an amethyst; 20and in the fourth row, a beryl, a carnelian, and a jasper. These are to be mounted in gold settings. 21Each of these twelve stones is to have engraved on it the name of one of the sons of Jacob, to represent the tribes of Israel. 22For the breast-piece make chains of pure gold, twisted like cords. 23Make two gold rings and attach them to the upper corners of the breast-piece, 24and fasten the two gold cords to the two rings. 25Fasten the other two ends of the cords to the two settings, and in this way attach them in front to the shoulder straps of the ephod. 26Then make two rings of gold and attach them to the lower corners of the breast-piece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27Make two more gold rings and attach them to the lower part of the front of the two shoulder straps of the ephod near the seam and above the finely woven belt. 28Tie the rings of the breast-piece to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that the breast-piece rests above the belt and does not come loose.

29 “When Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will wear this breast-piece engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, so that I, the Lord, will always remember my people. 30*Put the Urim and Thummimc in the breast-piece, so that Aaron will carry them when he comes into my holy presence. At such times he must always wear this breast-piece, so that he can determine my will for the people of Israel.

The Other Priestly Garments

(Ex 39:22–31)

31 “The robe that goes under the ephod is to be made entirely of blue wool. 32It is to have a hole for the head, and this hole is to be reinforced with a woven binding to keep it from tearing. 33–34All round its lower hem put pomegranates of blue, purple, and red wool, alternating with gold bells. 35Aaron is to wear this robe when he serves as priest. When he comes into my presence in the Holy Place or when he leaves it, the sound of the bells will be heard, and he will not be killed.

36 “Make an ornament of pure gold and engrave on it ‘Dedicated to the Lord’. 37Tie it to the front of the turban with a blue cord. 38Aaron is to wear it on his forehead, so that I, the Lord, will accept all the offerings that the Israelites dedicate to me, even if the people commit some error in offering them.

39 “Weave Aaron’s shirt of fine linen and make a turban of fine linen and also a sash decorated with embroidery.

40 “Make shirts, sashes, and caps for Aaron’s sons, to provide them with dignity and beauty. 41Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons. Then ordain them and dedicate them by anointing them with olive oil, so that they may serve me as priests. 42Make linen shorts for them, reaching from the waist to the thighs, so that they will not expose themselves. 43Aaron and his sons must always wear them when they go into the Tent of my presence or approach the altar to serve as priests in the Holy Place, so that they will not be killed for exposing themselves. This is a permanent rule for Aaron and his descendants.

Instructions for Ordaining Aaron and His Sons as Priests

(Lev 8:1–36)

29 “This is what you are to do to Aaron and his sons to dedicate them as priests in my service. Take one young bull and two rams without any defects. 2Use the best wheat flour, but no yeast, and make some bread with olive oil, some without it, and some in the form of biscuits brushed with oil. 3Put them in a basket and offer them to me when you sacrifice the bull and the two rams.

4 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of my presence, and tell them to take a ritual bath. 5Then dress Aaron in the priestly garments—the shirt, the robe that goes under the ephod, the ephod, the breast-piece, and the belt. 6Put the turban on him and tie on it the sacred sign of dedication engraved ‘Dedicated to the Lord’. 7Then take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him.

8 “Bring his sons and put shirts on them; 9put sashes round their waists and tie caps on their heads. That is how you are to ordain Aaron and his sons. They and their descendants are to serve me as priests for ever.

10 “Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of my presence and tell Aaron and his sons to put their hands on its head. 11Kill the bull there in my holy presence at the entrance of the Tent. 12Take some of the bull’s blood and with your finger put it on the projections of the altar. Then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 13Next, take all the fat which covers the internal organs, the best part of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them and burn them on the altar as an offering to me. 14But burn the bull’s flesh, its skin, and its intestines outside the camp. This is an offering to take away the sins of the priests.

15 “Take one of the rams and tell Aaron and his sons to put their hands on its head. 16Kill it, and take its blood and throw it against all four sides of the altar. 17Cut the ram in pieces; wash its internal organs and its hind legs, and put them on top of the head and the other pieces. 18*Burn the whole ram on the altar as a food offering. The odour of this offering pleases me.

19 “Take the other ram—the ram used for dedication—and tell Aaron and his sons to put their hands on its head. 20Kill it, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Throw the rest of the blood against all four sides of the altar. 21Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. He, his sons, and their clothes will then be dedicated to me.

22 “Cut away the ram’s fat, the fat tail, the fat covering the internal organs, the best part of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. 23From the basket of bread which has been offered to me, take one loaf of each kind: one loaf made with olive oil and one made without it and one biscuit. 24Put all this food in the hands of Aaron and his sons and tell them to dedicate it to me as a special gift. 25Then take it from them and burn it on the altar, on top of the burnt offering, as a food offering to me. The odour of this offering pleases me.

26 “Take the breast of this ram and dedicate it to me as a special gift. This part of the animal will be yours.

27 “When a priest is ordained, the breast and the thigh of the ram being used for the ordination are to be dedicated to me as a special gift and set aside for the priests. 28It is my unchanging decision that when my people make their fellowship offerings, the breast and the thigh of the animal belong to the priests. This is the people’s gift to me, the Lord.

29 “Aaron’s priestly garments are to be handed on to his sons after his death, for them to wear when they are ordained. 30The son of Aaron who succeeds him as priest and who goes into the Tent of my presence to serve in the Holy Place is to wear these garments for seven days.

31 “Take the meat of the ram used for the ordination of Aaron and his sons and boil it in a holy place. 32At the entrance of the Tent of my presence they are to eat it along with the bread left in the basket. 33They shall eat what was used in the ritual of forgiveness at their ordination. Only priests may eat this food, because it is sacred. 34If some of the meat or some of the bread is not eaten by morning, it is to be burnt; it is not to be eaten, for it is sacred.

35 “Perform the rites of ordination for Aaron and his sons for seven days exactly as I have commanded you. 36Each day you must offer a bull as a sacrifice, so that sin may be forgiven. This will purify the altar. Then anoint it with olive oil to make it holy. 37Do this every day for seven days. Then the altar will be completely holy, and anyone or anything that touches it will be harmed by…