Exodus 28:4–28

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

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.