Exodus 39-40

New English Translation

The Making of the Priestly Garments

39 From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary; they made holy garments that were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.^[a]

The Ephod

² He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen. ³ They hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave^[b] them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, the work of an artistic designer. ⁴ They made shoulder pieces for it, attached to two of its corners, so it could be joined together. ⁵ The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it,^[c] of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶ They set the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved as with the engravings of a seal^[d] with the names of the sons of Israel.^{[e] 7} He put^[f] them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece of Decision

⁸ He made the breastpiece, the work of an artistic designer, in the same fashion as the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen. ⁹ It was square—they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled. ¹⁰ They set on it^[g] four rows of stones: a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl—the first row; ¹¹ and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; ¹² and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ¹³ and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold filigree settings. ¹⁴ The stones were for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, corresponding to the number of^[h] their names. Each name corresponding to one of the twelve tribes was like the engravings of a seal.

¹⁵ They made for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, ¹⁶ and they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they attached the two rings to the upper^[i] two ends of the breastpiece. ¹⁷ They attached the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; ¹⁸ the other^[j] two ends of the two chains they attached to the two settings, and they attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. ¹⁹ They made two rings of gold and put them on the other^[k] two ends of the breastpiece on its edge, which is on the inner side of the ephod.^{[l] 20} They made two more^[m] gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. ²¹ They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it was above the waistband of the ephod, so that the breastpiece would not be loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Other Garments

²² He made the robe of the ephod completely blue, the work of a weaver. ²³ There was an opening in the center of the robe, like the opening of a collar,^[n] with an edge all around the opening so that it could not be torn. ²⁴ They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and twisted linen^[o] around the hem of the robe. ²⁵ They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates. ²⁶ There was^[p] a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe, to be used in ministering,^[q] just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁷ They made tunics of fine linen—the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons— ²⁸ and the turban of fine linen, the headbands of fine linen, and the undergarments of fine twisted linen. ²⁹ The sash was of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of an embroiderer, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰ They made a plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription, as on the engravings of a seal, “Holiness to the Lord.” ³¹ They attached to it a blue cord to attach it to the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses Inspects the Tabernacle

^32 [r] So all the work of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed, and the Israelites did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses—they did it exactly so. ³³ They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; ³⁴ and the coverings of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather,^[s] and the protecting^[t] curtain; ³⁵ the ark of the testimony and its poles, and the atonement lid; ³⁶ the table, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; ³⁷ the pure^[u] lampstand, its lamps, with the lamps set in order, and all its accessories, and oil for the light; ³⁸ and the gold altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; ³⁹ the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin with its pedestal; ⁴⁰ the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway of the courtyard, its ropes and its tent pegs, and all the furnishings^[v] for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; ⁴¹ the woven garments for serving^[w] in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.

⁴² The Israelites did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³ Moses inspected^[x] all the work, and^[y] they had done it just as the Lord had commanded—they had done it exactly—and Moses blessed them.^[z]

Setting Up the Sanctuary

40 ^[aa] Then the Lord spoke to Moses:^{[ab] 2} “On the first day of the first month you are to set up^[ac] the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ³ You are to place the ark of the testimony in it and shield the ark with the special curtain. ⁴ You are to bring in the table and set out the things that belong on it;^[ad] then you are to bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. ⁵ You are to put^[ae] the gold altar for incense in front of the ark of the testimony and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. ⁶ You are to put the altar for the burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ⁷ You are to put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it.^{[af] 8} You are to set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the gate of the courtyard. ⁹ And take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and sanctify it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. ¹⁰ Then you are to anoint the altar for the burnt offering with^[ag] all its utensils; you are to sanctify the altar, and it will be the most holy altar. ¹¹ You must also anoint the large basin and its pedestal, and you are to sanctify it.^[ah]

¹² “You are to bring^[ai] Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ¹³ Then you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him and sanctify him so that he may minister as my priest. ¹⁴ You are to bring^[aj] his sons and clothe them with tunics ¹⁵ and anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may minister as my priests; their anointing will make them a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.” ¹⁶ This is what Moses did, according to all the Lord had commanded him—so he did.

¹⁷ So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month, in the second year. ¹⁸ When Moses set up the tabernacle and put its bases in place, he set up its frames, attached its bars, and set up its posts. ¹⁹ Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded him.^{[ak] 20} He took the testimony and put it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark, and then put the atonement lid on the ark. ²¹ And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung^[al] the protecting curtain,^[am] and shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the Lord had commanded him.^[an]

²² And Moses^[ao] put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain. ²³ And he set the bread in order on it^[ap] before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded him.^[aq]

²⁴ And he put the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. ²⁵ Then he set up the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded him.^[ar]

²⁶ And he put the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain, ²⁷ and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded him.^[as]

²⁸ Then Moses^[at] put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. ²⁹ He also put the altar for the burnt offering by the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as the Lord had commanded him.^[au]

³⁰ Then he put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it^[av] for washing. ³¹ Moses and Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and their feet from it. ³² Whenever they entered^[aw] the tent of meeting, and whenever they approached^[ax] the altar, they would wash,^[ay] just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³³ And he set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and put the curtain at the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁶ But when the cloud was lifted up^[az] from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out^[ba] on all their journeys; ³⁷ but if the cloud was not lifted up, then they would not journey farther until the day it was lifted up.^{[bb] 38} For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, but fire would be^[bc] on it at night, in plain view^[bd] of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.