1 And thou shalt take thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may serve me as priest — Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. 2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for ornament. 3 And thou shalt speak with all [that are] wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to hallow him, that he may serve me as priest. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a cloak, and a checkered vest, a turban, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may serve me as priest. 5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, 6 and shall make the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, scarlet and twined byssus, of artistic work. 7 It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined at the two ends thereof, where it is joined together. 8 And the girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to its work of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet and twined byssus. 9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. 11 According to the work of an engraver in stone, as the engravings of a seal, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; surrounded by enclosures of gold shalt thou make them. 12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod [as] stones of memorial for the children of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before Jehovah upon his two shoulders for a memorial. 13 And thou shalt make enclosures of gold; 14 and two chains of pure gold; of laced work shalt thou make them, of wreathen work, and fasten the wreathen chains to the enclosures. 15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment of artistic work, like the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus shalt thou make it. 16 Square shall it be, doubled; a span the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof. 17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones — four rows of stones: [one] row, a sardoin, a topaz, and an emerald — the first row; 18 and the second row, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row, an opal, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, and an onyx, and a jasper; enclosed in gold shall they be in their settings. 21 And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, engraved as a seal: every one according to his name shall they be for the twelve tribes. 22 And thou shalt make on the breastplate chains of laced work, of wreathen work, of pure gold. 23 And thou shalt make on the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen [cords] of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate; 25 and the two ends of the two wreathen [cords] thou shalt fasten to the two enclosures, and shalt put [them] on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, on the front thereof. 26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and shalt put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the border thereof, which faceth the ephod inwards. 27 And two rings of gold shalt thou make, and shalt put them upon the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, to the front thereof just by the coupling thereof, above the girdle of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastplate with its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. 29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes in to the sanctuary, for a memorial before Jehovah continually. 30 And thou shalt put into the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, that they may be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before Jehovah; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before Jehovah continually. 31 And thou shalt make the cloak of the ephod all of blue. 32 And its opening for the head shall be in the midst thereof; there shall be a binding of woven work at its opening round about; as the opening of a coat of mail, it shall be in it — it shall not rend. 33 And on the skirts thereof thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, in the skirts of the cloak round about. 35 And it shall be on Aaron for service; that his sound may be heard when he goeth into the sanctuary before Jehovah, and when he cometh out, that he may not die. 36 And thou shalt make a thin plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, as the engravings of a seal, Holiness to Jehovah! 37 And thou shalt put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be upon the turban — upon the front of the turban shall it be. 38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all gifts of their holy things; and it shall be continually on his forehead, that they may be accepted before Jehovah. 39 And thou shalt weave the vest of byssus; and thou shalt make a turban of byssus; and thou shalt make a girdle of embroidery. 40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make vests; and thou shalt make for them girdles; and high caps shalt thou make for them, for glory and for ornament. 41 And thou shalt clothe with them Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and hallow them, that they may serve me as priests. 42 And thou shalt make them linen trousers to cover the flesh of nakedness; from the loins even to the hips shall they reach. 43 And they shall be upon Aaron and his sons when they enter into the tent of meeting, or when they come near to the altar to serve in the sanctuary; that they may not bear iniquity and die — an everlasting statute for him and his seed after him.
Exodus 28 Darby Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Aaron
Moses' brother and spokesman, Israel's first high priest.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 4–40; Leviticus 8–10
Cross references (37)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Numbers 18:7; Hebrews 5:1–5; Numbers 16:9–11; Numbers 17:2–9; Numbers 26:61
- 2 Leviticus 8:30; Exodus 31:10; Revelation 19:8; Job 40:10; Hebrews 7:26
- 3 Ephesians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 12:7–11; James 1:17; Isaiah 11:2; Exodus 31:3–6
- 4 Revelation 9:17; Ephesians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Exodus 28:39–40; Isaiah 59:17
- 5 Exodus 25:3–4; Exodus 39:2–3
- 6 Exodus 39:2–7; Exodus 26:1
- 7 Exodus 39:4
- 8 Leviticus 8:7; Exodus 28:27–28; Exodus 29:5; Revelation 1:13; Exodus 39:20–21
- 9 Ezekiel 28:13; Job 28:16; 2 Chronicles 2:7; Isaiah 49:16; Exodus 39:6
- 10 Exodus 1:1–4; Genesis 43:33
- 11 Exodus 28:21; Ephesians 1:13; Zechariah 3:9; Jeremiah 22:24; Exodus 39:6
- 12 Exodus 28:29; Joshua 4:7; Exodus 39:6–7; Isaiah 9:6; Numbers 16:40
- 14 1 Kings 7:17; 2 Kings 25:17; Exodus 39:17–18; Exodus 39:15; 2 Chronicles 4:12–13
- 15 Exodus 39:8–21; Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Exodus 28:4; Exodus 28:6
- 17 Ezekiel 28:13; Exodus 39:10–21; Revelation 21:19–21; Proverbs 8:11; Proverbs 31:10
- 18 Jeremiah 17:1; Job 28:6; Exodus 39:11; Song of Songs 5:14; Ezekiel 28:13
- 19 Exodus 39:12; Isaiah 54:12
- 20 Ezekiel 1:16; Revelation 21:18–20; Revelation 4:3; Revelation 21:11; Ezekiel 10:9
- 21 Revelation 7:4–8; Revelation 21:12; 1 Kings 18:31; James 1:1; Luke 22:30
- 23 Exodus 25:11–15
- 25 Exodus 28:14; Exodus 39:15; Exodus 39:4
- 28 Numbers 15:38; Exodus 28:31; Exodus 28:37; Exodus 39:30–31
- 29 Exodus 28:12; Exodus 28:30; Jeremiah 30:21; Isaiah 49:15–16; Romans 10:1
- 30 Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65; Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; Leviticus 8:8
- 31 Exodus 28:4; Exodus 39:22–26; Exodus 28:28; Leviticus 8:7
- 32 John 19:23–24; Exodus 39:28; Job 41:26; Nehemiah 4:16; 2 Chronicles 26:14
- 33 Exodus 39:24–26; 2 Kings 25:17; 1 Kings 7:18; Zechariah 14:20
- 34 Song of Songs 8:2; Psalm 89:15; Colossians 1:5–6; Song of Songs 4:13; Song of Songs 6:11
- 35 Hebrews 9:12; Leviticus 16:2
- 36 Leviticus 8:9; Zechariah 14:20; Exodus 39:30; Exodus 28:9; Exodus 28:11
- 37 Exodus 28:31; Exodus 28:28; Numbers 15:38; Exodus 28:4; Zechariah 3:5
- 38 1 Peter 2:24; Numbers 18:1; Leviticus 10:17; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:28
- 39 Psalm 45:14
- 40 Exodus 39:41; Exodus 28:4; Exodus 29:9; Ezekiel 44:17–18; Exodus 28:2
- 41 Exodus 29:7; Exodus 40:15; Leviticus 10:7; Leviticus 8:1–36; Exodus 29:9
- 42 Ezekiel 44:18; Leviticus 16:4; Leviticus 6:10; Revelation 3:18; Exodus 39:28
- 43 Exodus 27:21; Exodus 20:26; Leviticus 5:17; Leviticus 22:9; Numbers 18:22
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Moreover, they maintain that the long robe of the priest falling over his feet, as being adorned with four rows of precious stones, indicates the Tetrad; and if there are any other things in the Scriptures which can possibly be dragged into the number four, they declare that these had their being with a view to the Tetrad.
The altar of burnt-offering also was five cubits in breadth. Five priests were chosen in the wilderness,--namely, Aaron, Nadab, Abiud, Eleazar, Ithamar.
The ephod and the breastplate, and other sacerdotal vestments, were formed out of five materials; for they combined in themselves gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.