Exodus 28–29

28TH CHAPTER

The Holy Clothes—Exodus 39:1

¹⸤The Lord continued,⸥ “Out of all the Israelites, bring your brother Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar to you. They will serve me as priests. ²Make holy clothes for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. 

³“Tell all those who have the skill—those to whom I have given this ability—to make Aaron’s clothes. These clothes will set him apart as holy when he serves me as priest. ⁴These are the clothes they will make: a breastplate, an ephod and the robe that is worn with it, another specially woven linen robe, the chief priest’s turban, and a cloth belt. They will make these holy clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they can serve me as priests. ⁵They must use gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn, and fine linen. 

The Ephod—Exodus 39:2–7

⁶“Make the ephod out of fine linen yarn. Creatively work gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn into the fabric. ⁷It will have two shoulder straps attached at the ⸤top⸥ corners so that it can be fastened. ⁸Make the belt that is attached to the ephod out of the same fabric. ⁹Take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel ¹⁰in birth order—six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. ¹¹Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the same way a jeweler engraves a signet ring. Mount them in gold settings, ¹²and fasten them on the shoulder straps of the ephod as reminders of who the Israelites are. In this way Aaron will carry their names on his shoulders as a reminder in the Lord’s presence. ¹³Make gold settings ¹⁴and two chains of pure gold, twisted like ropes, and fasten these chains to the settings. 

The Breastplate—Exodus 39:8–21

¹⁵“Make the breastplate for decision-making as creatively as you make the ephod. Make it out of gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn and out of fine linen yarn. ¹⁶Fold it in half so that it’s 9 inches square. ¹⁷Fasten four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row put red quartz, topaz, and emerald. ¹⁸In the second row put turquoise, sapphire, and crystal. ¹⁹In the third row put jacinth, agate, and amethyst. ²⁰In the fourth row put beryl, onyx, and gray quartz. Mount them in gold settings. ²¹The stones correspond to the 12 sons of Israel, by name, each stone engraved (like a signet ring) with the name of one of the 12 tribes. 

²²“For the breastplate make chains out of pure gold, twisted like ropes. ²³Make two gold rings for the breastplate. Attach them to the two ⸤top⸥ corners of the breastplate. ²⁴Then fasten the two gold ropes to the rings at the ⸤top⸥ corners of the breastplate. ²⁵Fasten the other ends of the ropes to the two settings on the shoulder straps of the ephod ⸤so that the breastplate hangs⸥ in front of it. ²⁶Make two gold rings, and fasten them to the other two corners of the breastplate on the inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁷Make two ⸤more⸥ gold rings, and fasten them to the bottom of the shoulder straps on the front of the ephod. This will be close to the seam just above the belt of the ephod. ²⁸Then the breastplate should be fastened by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord. This will attach it just above the belt of the ephod and will hold the breastplate in place. 

²⁹“Whenever Aaron goes into the holy place, he will be carrying the names of the sons of Israel over his heart as a constant reminder in the Lord’s presence. He must do this by wearing the breastplate for decision-making. ³⁰Put the Urim and Thummim^ainto the breastplate for decision-making. They, too, will be over Aaron’s heart when he comes into the Lord’s presence. In this way whenever he’s in the Lord’s presence, Aaron will always be carrying over his heart the ⸤means for determining the Lord’s⸥ decisions for the Israelites. 

Other Clothes for Aaron and His Sons—Exodus 39:22–31

³¹“Make the robe that is worn with the ephod entirely of violet material. ³²Make an opening for the head in the center with a reinforced edge (like a leather collar) all around it to keep it from tearing. ³³All around the hem of the robe make pomegranates of violet, purple, and bright red yarn with gold bells in between—³⁴a gold bell alternating with a pomegranate all around the hem of the robe. ³⁵Aaron must wear it when he serves as priest. The sound of the bells must be heard when he comes into and goes out of the Lord’s presence in the holy place so that he won’t die. 

³⁶“Make a flower-shaped medallion out of pure gold, and engrave on it (as on a signet ring): Holy to the Lord. ³⁷Fasten a violet cord to it, and tie it so that it’s on the front of the turban. ³⁸It will be on Aaron’s forehead. He’s the one to be blamed for anything done wrong when the Israelites bring their holy offerings—whatever their gifts may be. The medallion must always be on Aaron’s forehead so that the Lord will accept their offerings. 

³⁹“Make the specially woven inner robe of fine linen. Make the turban of fine linen, but the belt should be embroidered with colored yarn. 

⁴⁰“Also make linen robes, belts, and turbans for Aaron’s sons. These clothes will give them dignity and honor. ⁴¹Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and set them apart to serve me as priests. 

⁴²“Make linen undergarments to cover them down to their thighs. ⁴³Aaron and his sons must wear them when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to serve as priests in the holy place. Then they will be blameless and won’t die. 

“This is a permanent law for him and his descendants.” 

29TH CHAPTER

Make Aaron and His Sons Priests—Leviticus 8:1–36

¹⸤The Lord continued,⸥ “Now, this is what you must do in order to set Aaron and his sons apart to serve me as priests: 

“Take a young bull that has no defects and two rams that have no defects. ²Use the finest wheat flour, but no yeast, and bake some loaves of bread, some rings of bread made with olive oil, and some wafers brushed with olive oil. ³Put the bread in a basket, and bring the basket along with the young bull and the two rams. 

⁴“Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and wash them. ⁵Take the clothes, and put them on Aaron—the linen robe, the ephod and the robe that is worn with it, and the breastplate. Use the belt to tie it on him tightly. ⁶Put his turban on him, and fasten the holy crown to it. ⁷Take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. 

⁸“Have his sons come forward. Dress them in their linen robes, ⁹and put turbans on them. Tie belts around the waists of Aaron and his sons. They alone are to be priests; this is a permanent law. In this way you will ordain Aaron and his sons. 

¹⁰“Then bring the young bull to the front of the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons will place their hands on its head. ¹¹Slaughter the bull in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹²Take some of the bull’s blood, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger. Pour the rest of it out at the bottom of the altar. 

¹³“Then take all the fat that covers the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. ¹⁴But burn the bull’s meat, skin, and excrement outside the camp. It is an offering for sin. 

¹⁵“Take one of the rams. Then Aaron and his sons will place their hands on its head. ¹⁶Slaughter it, take the blood, and throw it against the altar on all sides. ¹⁷Cut the ram into pieces, wash the internal organs and legs, and put them with the other pieces and the head. ¹⁸Then burn the whole ram on the altar. It’s a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. 

¹⁹“Take the other ram. Then Aaron and his sons will place their hands on its head. ²⁰Slaughter it, take some of the blood, and put it on the right ear lobes of Aaron and his sons, on their right thumbs, and on the big toes of their right feet. Throw the ⸤rest of the⸥ blood against the altar on all sides. 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. In this way Aaron, his sons, and their clothes will be holy. 

²²“From this ⸤same⸥ ram take the fat, the fat from the tail, the fat that covers the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This is the ram for the ordination.) ²³From the basket of unleavened bread which is in the Lord’s presence, take a round loaf of bread, a ring of bread made with olive oil, and a wafer. ²⁴Put all of these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, who will offer them to the Lord. ²⁵Then take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. It’s a soothing aroma in the Lord’s presence, an offering by fire to the Lord. 

²⁶“Take the breast from the ram used for Aaron’s ordination, and present it to the Lord. This will be your share. ²⁷Set apart as holy the breast that is offered to the Lord and the thigh that is the contribution. Both will come from the ram used for the ordination. They both belong to Aaron and his sons. ²⁸It is a permanent law that the Israelites give this portion to Aaron and his sons as a contribution. This will also be their contribution to the Lord from the fellowship offerings. 

²⁹“Aaron’s holy clothes will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. ³⁰The son who succeeds him as priest—the one who goes into the tent of meeting to serve in the holy place—will wear them for seven days. 

³¹“Take the ram used for the ordination, and boil its meat in a holy place. ³²At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons will eat the meat of the ram and the bread ⸤left⸥ in the basket. ³³They will eat those offerings through which they made peace with the Lord at their ordination and installation. No one else may eat them because the offerings are holy. ³⁴If any meat…