Exodus 39
The vestments of the high priest
1 From the purple stuffs, violet shade and red, the crimson stuffs, and the fine linen he made sumptuous vestments for service in the sanctuary. They made the sacred vestments for Aaron, as Yahweh had directed Moses.
2 They made the ephod of gold, purple stuffs, violet shade and red, crimson stuffs, and fine twined linen.
3 They beat gold into thin plates, and cut these into fine strips to weave into the purple stuffs, violet shade and red, into the crimson stuffs and the fine linen, as does the weaver of damask.
4 For the ephod they made two shoulder-straps, joined to it at its two ends.
5 The woven band on it to hold it formed one piece with it and was of similar workmanship: this was of gold, purple stuffs, violet shade and red, crimson stuffs, and fine twined linen, as Yahweh had directed Moses.
6 They fashioned the onyx stones, mounted in settings of gold mesh and engraved, as a seal is engraved, with the names of the sons of Israel.
7 They fastened the stones to the shoulder-straps of the ephod, stones commemorating the sons of Israel, as Yahweh had directed Moses.
8 They made the pectoral, finely brocaded, of the same workmanship as the ephod, of gold, purple stuffs, violet shade and red, and fine twined linen.
9 It was square and they doubled it over, a span in length and a span in width.
10 In this they set four rows of stones. Sard, topaz, carbuncle, for the first row;
11 emerald, sapphire, diamond, the second row;
12 the third row, hyacinth, ruby, amethyst;
13 the fourth row, beryl, onyx, jasper. These were mounted in settings of gold mesh.
14 They bore the names of the sons of Israel and, like their names, were twelve in number. They were engraved as seals are, each with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
15 For the pectoral they made chains of pure gold twisted like cords.
16 They made two gold rosettes and two gold rings,
17 and they fastened the two gold cords to the two rings fixed on the corners of the pectoral.
18 The other two ends of the cords they fastened to the two rosettes; they were thus attached to the shoulder-straps of the ephod, on the front.
19 They made two gold rings and fixed them to the two lower corners of the pectoral, on the inner hem, next to the ephod.
20 And they made two more gold rings and fixed them low down on the front of the two shoulder-straps of the ephod, close to the join, above the woven band of the ephod.
21 They secured the pectoral by passing a ribbon of violet-purple through its rings and those of the ephod, so that the pectoral would sit above the woven band and not come apart from the ephod, as Yahweh had directed Moses.
22 Then they made the robe of the ephod woven entirely of violet-purple.
23 The opening in the centre of it was like the neck of a coat of mail; round the opening was a border to keep the robe from tearing.
24 The lower hem of the robe they decorated with pomegranates of purple stuffs, violet shade and red, crimson stuffs, and fine twined linen.
25 They also made bells of pure gold and placed them all round the lower hem of the robe between the pomegranates,
26 bells and pomegranates alternately all round the lower hem of the robe of office, as Yahweh had directed Moses.
27 Then they made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons,
28 the turban of fine linen, the head-dresses of fine linen, the breeches of fine twined linen,
29 the girdles of fine twined linen, of purple stuffs, violet shade and red, and of crimson stuffs, finely embroidered, as Yahweh had directed Moses.
30 They also made the plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold, and engraved on it ‘Consecrated to Yahweh’, as a man engraves a seal.
31 They attached to this a ribbon of violet-purple to secure it to the top of the turban, as Yahweh had directed Moses.
32 So all the work of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. In carrying it out the sons of Israel had done exactly as Yahweh had directed Moses.
The finished work presented to Moses
33 They brought to Moses the tabernacle, the Tent and all its furnishings: its hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, sockets;
34 the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, and the screening veil;
35 the ark of the testimony with its shafts and the throne of mercy;
36 the table with all its furnishings, and the loaves of offering;
37 the lamp-stand of pure gold with its lamps – the lamps that were to be set on it – and all its accessories; the oil, too, for the light;
38 the golden altar, the chrism, the fragrant incense, the screen for the entrance to the tent;
39 the bronze altar with its grating of bronze, its shafts and all its furnishings; the basin and its stand;
40 the hangings of the court, its posts, its sockets, and the screen for the gateway to the court, its cords, its pegs, and all the furniture for the service in the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting;
41 the sumptuous vestments for service in the sanctuary – sacred vestments for Aaron the priest, and vestments for his sons – for the priestly functions.
42 The sons of Israel had done all the work exactly as Yahweh had directed Moses.
43 Moses examined the whole work, and he could see they had done it as Yahweh had directed him. And Moses blessed them.
English