Exodus 28:15–43

The Breastplate

^15s“You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. ¹⁶It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. ^17tAnd you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a ⁴sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; ¹⁸the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹⁹the third row, a ⁵jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰and the fourth row, a ⁶beryl, an ⁷onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. ²¹And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.

²²“You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. ²³And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. ²⁴Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; ²⁵and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.

²⁶“You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. ²⁷And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the ⁸intricately woven band of the ephod. ²⁸They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.

²⁹“So Aaron shall ^ubear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. ³⁰And ^vyou shall put in the breastplate of judgment the ⁹Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.

Other Priestly Garments

^31w“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. ³²There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. ³³And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: ³⁴a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. ³⁵And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die.

^36x“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:

HOLINESS TO THE LORD

³⁷And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. ³⁸So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may ^ybear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their ¹holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be ^zaccepted before the Lord.

³⁹“You shall ^askillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.

^40b“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make ²hats for them, for glory and ^cbeauty. ⁴¹So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall ^danoint them, ^econsecrate them, and ³sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests. ⁴²And you shall make ^ffor them linen trousers to cover their ⁴nakedness; they shall ⁵reach from the waist to the thighs. ⁴³They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near ^gthe altar to minister in the holy place, that they ^hdo not incur ⁶iniquity and die. ⁱIt shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.