Exodus 27-28
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Altar(A)
27 ⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Make an altar out of acacia wood. It should be 7½ feet square, and 4½ feet high. 2 Make a horn at each of its four corners. The four horns and the altar must be made out of one piece ⌞of wood⌟ covered with bronze.
3 “Make all the utensils for it out of bronze: pots for taking away the altar’s ashes, also shovels, bowls, forks, and incense burners.
4 “Make a grate for it out of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring for ⌞each of⌟ the four corners of the grate. 5 Put the grate under the ledge of the altar so that it comes halfway up the altar.
6 “Make poles out of acacia wood for the altar, and cover them with bronze. 7 The poles should be put through the rings on both sides of the altar to carry it.
8 “Make the altar out of boards so that it’s hollow inside. It must be made just as you were shown on the mountain.
The Courtyard(B)
9 “Make a courtyard for the tent. The south side of the courtyard should be 150 feet long and have curtains made out of fine linen yarn, 10 ⌞hung⌟ on 20 posts ⌞set in⌟ 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts should be made of silver. 11 The north side should be the same: 150 feet long, with curtains on 20 posts set in 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts should be made of silver.
12 “The courtyard on the west end should be 75 feet wide and have curtains ⌞hung⌟ on ten posts ⌞set in⌟ ten bases. 13 On the east end, facing the rising sun, the courtyard should also be 75 feet wide.
14-15 Each side ⌞of the entrance⌟ will be 22½ feet wide with curtains ⌞hung on⌟ three posts ⌞set in⌟ three bases.
16 “The entrance to the courtyard must have a 30-foot screen made from fine linen yarn, embroidered with violet, purple, and bright red yarn, ⌞hung⌟ on four posts ⌞set in⌟ four bases. 17 All the posts around the courtyard should have silver bands, silver hooks, and bronze bases. 18 The courtyard should be 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 7½ feet high, with ⌞curtains⌟ made of fine linen yarn and with bronze bases.
19 “All the things for the tent, no matter how they’re used, including all the pegs for the tent and the courtyard, must be made of bronze.
Lamps in the Tent(C)
20 “For the lighting, you must command the Israelites to bring you pure, virgin olive oil so that the lamps won’t go out. 21 In the tent of meeting outside the canopy where the words of my promise are, Aaron and his descendants must keep the lamps lit in the Lord’s presence from evening until morning. This is a permanent law among the Israelites for generations to come.”
The Holy Clothes(D)
28 ⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Out of all the Israelites, bring your brother Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar to you. They will serve me as priests. 2 Make holy clothes for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.
3 “Tell all those who have the skill—those to whom I have given this ability—to make Aaron’s clothes. These clothes will set him apart as holy when he serves me as priest. 4 These are the clothes they will make: a breastplate, an ephod and the robe that is worn with it, another specially woven linen robe, the chief priest’s turban, and a cloth belt. They will make these holy clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they can serve me as priests. 5 They must use gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn, and fine linen.
The Ephod(E)
6 “Make the ephod out of fine linen yarn. Creatively work gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn into the fabric. 7 It will have two shoulder straps attached at the ⌞top⌟ corners so that it can be fastened. 8 Make the belt that is attached to the ephod out of the same fabric. 9 Take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel 10 in birth order—six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the same way a jeweler engraves a signet ring. Mount them in gold settings, 12 and fasten them on the shoulder straps of the ephod as reminders of who the Israelites are. In this way Aaron will carry their names on his shoulders as a reminder in the Lord’s presence. 13 Make gold settings 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like ropes, and fasten these chains to the settings.
The Breastplate(F)
15 “Make the breastplate for decision-making as creatively as you make the ephod. Make it out of gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn and out of fine linen yarn. 16 Fold it in half so that it’s 9 inches square. 17 Fasten four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row put red quartz, topaz, and emerald. 18 In the second row put turquoise, sapphire, and crystal. 19 In the third row put jacinth, agate, and amethyst. 20 In the fourth row put beryl, onyx, and gray quartz. Mount them in gold settings. 21 The stones correspond to the 12 sons of Israel, by name, each stone engraved (like a signet ring) with the name of one of the 12 tribes.
22 “For the breastplate make chains out of pure gold, twisted like ropes. 23 Make two gold rings for the breastplate. Attach them to the two ⌞top⌟ corners of the breastplate. 24 Then fasten the two gold ropes to the rings at the ⌞top⌟ corners of the breastplate. 25 Fasten the other ends of the ropes to the two settings on the shoulder straps of the ephod ⌞so that the breastplate hangs⌟ in front of it. 26 Make two gold rings, and fasten them to the other two corners of the breastplate on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two ⌞more⌟ gold rings, and fasten them to the bottom of the shoulder straps on the front of the ephod. This will be close to the seam just above the belt of the ephod. 28 Then the breastplate should be fastened by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord. This will attach it just above the belt of the ephod and will hold the breastplate in place.
29 “Whenever Aaron goes into the holy place, he will be carrying the names of the sons of Israel over his heart as a constant reminder in the Lord’s presence. He must do this by wearing the breastplate for decision-making. 30 Put the Urim and Thummim [a] into the breastplate for decision-making. They, too, will be over Aaron’s heart when he comes into the Lord’s presence. In this way whenever he’s in the Lord’s presence, Aaron will always be carrying over his heart the ⌞means for determining the Lord’s⌟ decisions for the Israelites.
Other Clothes for Aaron and His Sons(G)
31 “Make the robe that is worn with the ephod entirely of violet material. 32 Make an opening for the head in the center with a reinforced edge (like a leather collar) all around it to keep it from tearing. 33 All around the hem of the robe make pomegranates of violet, purple, and bright red yarn with gold bells in between— 34 a gold bell alternating with a pomegranate all around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he serves as priest. The sound of the bells must be heard when he comes into and goes out of the Lord’s presence in the holy place so that he won’t die.
36 “Make a flower-shaped medallion out of pure gold, and engrave on it (as on a signet ring): Holy to the Lord. 37 Fasten a violet cord to it, and tie it so that it’s on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead. He’s the one to be blamed for anything done wrong when the Israelites bring their holy offerings—whatever their gifts may be. The medallion must always be on Aaron’s forehead so that the Lord will accept their offerings.
39 “Make the specially woven inner robe of fine linen. Make the turban of fine linen, but the belt should be embroidered with colored yarn.
40 “Also make linen robes, belts, and turbans for Aaron’s sons. These clothes will give them dignity and honor. 41 Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and set them apart to serve me as priests.
42 “Make linen undergarments to cover them down to their thighs. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to serve as priests in the holy place. Then they will be blameless and won’t die.
“This is a permanent law for him and his descendants.”
Footnotes
- 28:30 The Urim and Thummim were used by the chief priest to determine God’s answer to questions.
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