1 “Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests. 2 Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, to give him glory and splendor. 3 You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as priest. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may serve Me as priests. 5 They shall use gold, along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. 6 They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached at two of its corners, so it can be fastened. 8 And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod must be of one piece, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: 10 six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings. 12 Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the LORD. 13 Fashion gold filigree settings 14 and two chains of pure gold, made of braided cord work; and attach these chains to the settings. 15 You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 16 It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. 17 And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald; 18 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 in the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings. 21 The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. 22 For the breastpiece, make braided chains like cords of pure gold. 23 You are also to make two gold rings and fasten them to the two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Then fasten the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and fasten the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 26 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two additional gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near its seam just above its woven waistband. 28 The rings of the breastpiece shall be tied to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the waistband of the ephod and does not swing out from the ephod. 29 Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he shall bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder before the LORD. 30 And place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will continually carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD. 31 You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening shall be a woven collar with an opening like that of a garment, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all the way around the lower hem, with gold bells between them, 34 alternating the gold bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear the robe whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters or exits the sanctuary before the LORD, so that he will not die. 36 You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. 37 Fasten to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 And it will be worn on Aaron’s forehead, so that he may bear the iniquity of the holy things that the sons of Israel consecrate with regard to all their holy gifts. It shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be acceptable before the LORD. 39 You are to weave the tunic with fine linen, make the turban of fine linen, and fashion an embroidered sash. 40 Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons, to give them glory and splendor. 41 After you put these garments on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them so that they may serve Me as priests. 42 Make linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh, extending from waist to thigh. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants.
Exodus · Majority Standard Bible
Exodus 28 Majority Standard Bible
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.