Exodus 39–40

Making the Vestments for the Priesthood

³⁹Of the blue, purple, and crimson yarns they made finely worked vestments, for ministering in the holy place; they made the sacred vestments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.^*

²He made the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.^{* 3}Gold leaf was hammered out and cut into threads to work into the blue, purple, and crimson yarns and into the fine twisted linen, in skilled design. ⁴They made for the ephod shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges. ⁵The decorated band on it was of the same materials and workmanship, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶The onyx stones were prepared, enclosed in settings of gold filigree and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.^{* 7}He set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.^*

⁸He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, like the work of the ephod, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.^{* 9}It was square; the breastpiece was made double, a span in length and a span in width when doubled. ¹⁰They set in it four rows of stones. A row of carnelian,^z chrysolite, and emerald was the first row; ¹¹and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire,^a and a moonstone;^{* 12}and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ¹³and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; they were enclosed in settings of gold filigree. ¹⁴There were twelve stones with names corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were engraved like signets, each with its name, for the twelve tribes.^{* 15}They made on the breastpiece chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, ¹⁶and they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece,^{* 17}and they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. ¹⁸Two ends of the two cords they had attached to the two settings of filigree; in this way they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. ¹⁹Then they made two rings of gold and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.^{* 20}They made two rings of gold and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its joining above the decorated band of the ephod. ²¹They bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it should lie on the decorated band of the ephod and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²²He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue yarn,^{* 23}and the opening of the robe in the middle of it was like the opening in a garment,^b with a binding around its edge, so that it might not be torn. ²⁴On the lower hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns and of fine twisted linen.^{c 25}They also made bells of pure gold and put the bells between the pomegranates on the lower hem of the robe all around, between the pomegranates, ²⁶a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate all around on the lower hem of the robe for ministering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁷They also made the tunics, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons,^{* 28}and the turban of fine linen, and the headdresses of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twisted linen, ²⁹and the sash of fine twisted linen, and of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰They made the rosette of the holy diadem of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.”^{* 31}They tied to it a blue cord, to fasten it on the turban above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Work Completed

³²Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished; the Israelites had done everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.^{* 33}Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its clasps, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; ³⁴the covering of tanned rams’ skins and the covering of fine leather^d and the curtain for the screen; ³⁵the ark of the covenant with its poles and the cover;^{* 36}the table with all its utensils and the bread of the Presence; ³⁷the pure lampstand with its lamps set on it and all its utensils and the oil for the light; ³⁸the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent; ³⁹the bronze altar and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; ⁴⁰the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; ⁴¹the finely worked vestments for ministering in the holy place, the sacred vestments for the priest Aaron, and the vestments of his sons to serve as priests.^{* 42}The Israelites had done all of the work as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³When Moses saw that they had done all the work as the Lord had commanded, he blessed them.^*

The Tabernacle Erected and Its Equipment Installed

⁴⁰The Lord spoke to Moses, ²“On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.^{* 3}You shall put in it the ark of the covenant, and you shall screen the ark with the curtain.^{* 4}You shall bring in the table and arrange its setting, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. ⁵You shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant and set up the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle. ⁶You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting ⁷and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. ⁸You shall set up the court all around and hang up the screen for the gate of the court. ⁹Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it shall become holy.^{* 10}You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils and consecrate the altar, so that the altar shall be most holy.^{* 11}You shall also anoint the basin with its stand and consecrate it. ¹²Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water^{* 13}and put on Aaron the sacred vestments, and you shall anoint him and consecrate him, so that he may serve me as priest.^{* 14}You shall bring his sons also and put tunics on them ¹⁵and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests; their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout all their generations.”^*

¹⁶Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him. ¹⁷In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up. ¹⁸Moses set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases and set up its frames and put in its poles and raised up its pillars, ¹⁹and he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁰He took the covenant and put it into the ark and put the poles on the ark and set the cover above the ark,^{* 21}and he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the curtain for screening and screened the ark of the covenant as the Lord had commanded Moses.^{* 22}He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain,^{* 23}and set the bread in order on it before the Lord as the Lord had commanded Moses.^{* 24}He 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 as the Lord had commanded Moses.^{* 26}He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the curtain^{* 27}and offered fragrant incense on it as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁸He also put in place the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle.^{* 29}He set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing,^{* 31}with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. ³²When they went into the tent of meeting and when they approached the altar, they washed as the Lord had commanded Moses.^{* 33}He set up the court around the tabernacle and the altar and put up the screen at the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

The Cloud and the Glory

³⁴Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.^{* 35}Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁶Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on each stage of their journey,^{* 37}but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. ³⁸For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud^e by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel at each stage of their journey.^*