New Living Translation

New King James Version

Clothing for the Priests

“Call for your brother, Aaron, and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the people of Israel so they may minister to me and be my priests.

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Garments for the Priesthood

“Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

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Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful.

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And you shall make [a]holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

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Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service.

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So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest.

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These are the garments they are to make: a chestpiece, an ephod, a robe, a patterned tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother, Aaron, and his sons to wear when they serve me as priests.

4

And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an [b]ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.

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So give them fine linen cloth, gold thread, and blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

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The Ephod

“They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen,

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Design of the Ephod

“The craftsmen must make the ephod of finely woven linen and skillfully embroider it with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

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and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked.

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It will consist of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders with two shoulder-pieces.

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It shall have two shoulder straps joined at its two edges, and so it shall be joined together.

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The decorative sash will be made of the same materials: finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

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And the [c]intricately woven band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen.

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“Take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the tribes of Israel.

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“Then you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel:

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Six names will be on each stone, arranged in the order of the births of the original sons of Israel.

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six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, in order of their birth.

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Engrave these names on the two stones in the same way a jeweler engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in settings of gold filigree.

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With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall set them in settings of gold.

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Fasten the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as a reminder that Aaron represents the people of Israel. Aaron will carry these names on his shoulders as a constant reminder whenever he goes before the LORD.

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And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders as a memorial.

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Make the settings of gold filigree,

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You shall also make settings of gold,

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then braid two cords of pure gold and attach them to the filigree settings on the shoulders of the ephod.

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and you shall make two chains of pure gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the settings.

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Design of the Chestpiece

“Then, with great skill and care, make a chestpiece to be worn for seeking a decision from God.a Make it to match the ephod, using finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

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The Breastplate

“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.

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Make the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inchesb square.

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It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width.

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Mount four rows of gemstonesc on it. The first row will contain a red carnelian, a pale-green peridot, and an emerald.

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And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a [d]sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row;

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The second row will contain a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and a white moonstone.

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the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

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The third row will contain an orange jacinth, an agate, and a purple amethyst.

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the third row, a [e]jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

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The fourth row will contain a blue-green beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these stones will be set in gold filigree.

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and the fourth row, a [f]beryl, an [g]onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings.

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Each stone will represent one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of that tribe will be engraved on it like a seal.

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And 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.

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“To attach the chestpiece to the ephod, make braided cords of pure gold thread.

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“You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold.

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Then make two gold rings and attach them to the top corners of the chestpiece.

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And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

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Tie the two gold cords to the two rings on the chestpiece.

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Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate;

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Tie the other ends of the cords to the gold settings on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.

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and 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.

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Then make two more gold rings and attach them to the inside edges of the chestpiece next to the ephod.

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“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.

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And make two more gold rings and attach them to the front of the ephod, below the shoulder-pieces, just above the knot where the decorative sash is fastened to the ephod.

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And 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 [h]intricately woven band of the ephod.

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Then attach the bottom rings of the chestpiece to the rings on the ephod with blue cords. This will hold the chestpiece securely to the ephod above the decorative sash.

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They 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.

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“In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chestpieced over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the LORD.

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“So Aaron shall bear 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.

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Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the LORD’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the LORD’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the LORD.

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And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the [i]Urim 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.

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Additional Clothing for the Priests

“Make the robe that is worn with the ephod from a single piece of blue cloth,

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Other Priestly Garments

“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

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with an opening for Aaron’s head in the middle of it. Reinforce the opening with a woven collare so it will not tear.

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There 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.

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Make pomegranates out of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and attach them to the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.

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And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around:

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The gold bells and pomegranates are to alternate all around the hem.

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a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around.

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Aaron will wear this robe whenever he ministers before the LORD, and the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the LORD’s presence in the Holy Place. If he wears it, he will not die.

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And 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.

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“Next make a medallion of pure gold, and engrave it like a seal with these words: Holy to the Lord.

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“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:
HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

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Attach the medallion with a blue cord to the front of Aaron’s turban, where it must remain.

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And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban.

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Aaron must wear it on his forehead so he may take on himself any guilt of the people of Israel when they consecrate their sacred offerings. He must always wear it on his forehead so the LORD will accept the people.

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So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their [j]holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

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“Weave Aaron’s patterned tunic from fine linen cloth. Fashion the turban from this linen as well. Also make a sash, and decorate it with colorful embroidery.

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

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“For Aaron’s sons, make tunics, sashes, and special head coverings that are glorious and beautiful.

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“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make [k]hats for them, for glory and beauty.

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Clothe your brother, Aaron, and his sons with these garments, and then anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they can serve as my priests.

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So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and [l]sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests.

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Also make linen undergarments for them, to be worn next to their bodies, reaching from their hips to their thighs.

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And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their [m]nakedness; they shall [n]reach from the waist to the thighs.

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These must be worn whenever Aaron and his sons enter the Tabernaclef or approach the altar in the Holy Place to perform their priestly duties. Then they will not incur guilt and die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and all his descendants after him.

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They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place, that they do not incur [o]iniquity and die. It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

Exodus 28

Exodus 28