Exodus 39–40

Making the Priestly Garments

39They made specially woven ⁿgarments for ministry in the sanctuary, and the holy garments for Aaron from the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ^o

Making the Ephod

²Bezalel ^pmade the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. ³They hammered out thin sheets of gold, and he ^qcut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and the fine linen in a skillful design. ⁴They made shoulder pieces for attaching it; it was joined together at its two edges. ⁵The artistically woven waistband that was on the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, according to the same workmanship of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶Then they mounted the onyx stones surrounded with gold filigree settings, engraved with the names of Israel’s sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. ⁷He fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Making the Breastpiece

⁸He ^ralso made the embroidered breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. ⁹They made the breastpiece square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide. ^s10They mounted four rows of gemstones ^ton it. The first row was a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald; ^u11the second row, a turquoise, ^va sapphire, ^wand a diamond; ^x12the third row, a jacinth, ^yan agate, and an amethyst; ¹³and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were surrounded with gold filigree in their settings.

¹⁴The 12 stones corresponded to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone was engraved like a seal with one of the names of the 12 tribes.

¹⁵They made braided chains of pure gold cord for the breastpiece. ¹⁶They also fashioned two gold filigree settings and two gold rings and attached the two rings to its two corners. ¹⁷Then they attached the two gold cords to the two gold rings on the corners of the breastpiece. ¹⁸They attached the other ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings and, in this way, attached them to the ephod’s shoulder pieces in front. ¹⁹They made two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod. ²⁰They made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the ephod’s two shoulder pieces on its front, close to its seam, ^zabove the ephod’s woven waistband. ²¹Then they tied the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the ephod’s waistband and did not come loose from the ephod. They did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Making the Robe

²²They ^amade the woven robe of the ephod entirely of blue yarn. ²³There was an opening in the center of the robe like that of body armor ^bwith a collar around the opening so that it would not tear. ²⁴They made pomegranates of finely spun blue, purple, and scarlet yarn ^con the lower hem of the robe. ²⁵They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates, all around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates, ²⁶a bell and a pomegranate alternating all around the lower hem of the robe ^dto be worn for ministry. They made it just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Other Priestly Garments

²⁷They made the tunics of fine woven linen for Aaron and his sons. ²⁸They also made the turban and the ornate headbands ^eof fine linen, the undergarments, ^f29and the sash of finely spun linen of embroidered blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. They did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Making the Holy Diadem

³⁰They also made a medallion, the holy diadem, out of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription like the engraving on a seal: ^g

HOLY TO THE LORD.

³¹Then they attached a cord of blue yarn to it in order to mount it on the turban, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses’ Inspection of the Tabernacle

³²So all the work for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ^h33Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its planks, its crossbars, and its posts and bases; ³⁴the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of manatee skins; ⁱthe veil for the screen; ³⁵the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat; ³⁶the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; ³⁷the pure gold lampstand, with its lamps arranged and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the light; ³⁸the gold altar; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entrance to the tent; ³⁹the bronze altar with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; ⁴⁰the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and bases, the screen for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; ⁴¹and the specially woven ^jgarments for ministering in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests. ⁴²The Israelites had done all the work according to everything the Lord had commanded Moses. ^k43Moses inspected all the work they had accomplished. They had done just as the Lord commanded. Then Moses blessed them. ^l

Setting up the Tabernacle

40The Lord spoke to Moses: ²“You are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. ^mn3Put the ark ^oof the testimony there and screen off the ark with the veil. ⁴Then bring in the table and lay out its arrangement; also bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. ⁵Place the gold altar for incense in front of the ark of the testimony. Put up the screen for the entrance to the tabernacle. ⁶Position the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ⁷Place the basin ^pbetween the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ⁸Assemble the surrounding courtyard and hang the screen for the gate of the courtyard.

⁹“Take the anointing oil and anoint ^qthe tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings so that it will be holy. ¹⁰Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar so that it will be especially holy. ¹¹Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate it.

¹²“Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ^r13Clothe Aaron with the holy garments, ^sanoint him, and consecrate him, so that he can serve Me as a priest. ¹⁴Have his sons come forward and clothe them in tunics. ¹⁵Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their anointing will serve to inaugurate a permanent priesthood for them throughout their generations.” ^t

¹⁶Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him. ¹⁷The tabernacle was set up in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month. ^uv18Moses set up the tabernacle: he laid its bases, positioned its planks, inserted its crossbars, and set up its posts. ¹⁹Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁰Moses took the testimony ^wand placed it in the ark, and attached the poles to the ark. He set the mercy seat on top of the ark. ²¹He brought the ark into the tabernacle, put up the veil for the screen, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as the Lord had commanded him.

²²Moses placed the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. ²³He arranged the bread on it before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded him. ²⁴He also put the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle ²⁵and set up the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded him.

²⁶Moses also installed the gold altar in the tent of meeting, in front of the veil, ²⁷and burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded him. ²⁸He put up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle. ²⁹Then he placed the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered the burnt offering and the grain offering on it, just as the Lord had commanded him.

³⁰He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing. ³¹Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet from it. ³²They washed whenever they came to the tent of meeting and approached the altar, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³³Next Moses set up the surrounding courtyard for the tabernacle and the altar and hung a screen for the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work. ^x

The Lord’s Glory

³⁴The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ^y35Moses was unable to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud rested on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³⁶The Israelites set out whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle throughout all the stages of their journey. ^z37If the cloud was not taken up, they did not set out until the day it was taken up. ^a38For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the cloud by night, visible to the entire house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey.