“Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel to serve me as priests—Aaron, and Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
You are to make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
You are to speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him for him to serve me as priest.
These are the garments that they must make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a tunic of checker work, a turban, and a sash. And they are to make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons for him to serve me as priest.
They are to use the gold, and the blue and the purple and the scarlet, and the fine linen.
“They are to make the ephod of finely twisted linen, of gold, of blue and purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of the skillful workman.
It must have two shoulder straps attached to its two corners so that it can be fastened.
The skillfully woven waistband that is on it must be of similar work and of the same material, of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet, and of finely twisted linen.
You are to take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,
six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth.
You are to engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel as a gem cutter engraves a seal. You are to set them in filigree settings of gold.
You are to put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod to be memorial stones for the children of Israel. And Aaron will carry their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders as a memorial.
You are to make gold filigree settings
and two chains of pure gold; you are to make them like rope of braided work and you are to attach the braided chains to the settings.
“You are to make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skillful workman. You are to make it like the work of the ephod; you are to make it of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen.
It must be square and folded double, a span is to be its length and a span its width.
Then you are to mount on it settings of stones, four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle is to be the first row;
and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
and the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They are to be in gold filigree settings.
The stones are to be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names. Like the engravings of a seal, everyone according to his name, they are to be for the twelve tribes.
“You are to make on the breastplate chains like cords of braided work of pure gold.
You are to make on the breastplate two rings of gold, and are to put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
You are to put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
The other two ends of the two braided chains you are to attach to the two settings, and attach them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in its front.
You are to make two rings of gold, and you are to put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge that is toward the side of the ephod inward.
You are to make two rings of gold, and are to put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath in its front, close by its coupling above the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod.
They are to bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue so that it will be on the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod and so that the breastplate does not swing out from the ephod.
Aaron is to carry the names of the children of Israel on the breastplate of judgment on his heart when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before Yahweh continually.
You are to put the Urim and Thummim in the breastplate of judgment and they are to be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in before Yahweh. And Aaron is to carry the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before Yahweh continually.
“You are to make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
It is to have a hole for the head in its middle, it is to have a binding of woven work around its hole, like the hole of a coat of mail so that it does not tear.
On its hem you are to make pomegranates of blue and of purple and of scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between and around them,
a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the cloak.
It must be on Aaron when he serves, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before Yahweh and when he comes out so that he does not die.
“You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, ‘HOLY TO YAHWEH.’
You are to fasten on it a cord of blue so it can be put on the turban. It is to be on the front of the turban.
It is to be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear the guilt connected with the holy things that the children of Israel consecrate, whatever their holy gifts are. And it is to be always on his forehead so that they are accepted before Yahweh.
You are to weave the tunic of checker work of fine linen, and you are to make a turban of fine linen, and you are to make a sash, the work of the embroiderer.
“You are to make tunics for Aaron’s sons, and you are to make sashes for them and you are to make headbands for them, for glory and for beauty.
You are to put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him, and you are to anoint them and consecrate them and sanctify them in order that they can serve me as priests.
You are to make them linen undergarments to cover the flesh of their nakedness. They must reach from the waist even to the thighs,
and they must be on Aaron and on his sons when they go in to the Tent of Meeting or when they come near to the altar to minister in the Holy Place so that they do not incur guilt and die. It is to be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.