Exodus 27-28

Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Altar of Burnt Offering

27 “You^(A) are to construct the altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, 7½ feet long, and 7½ feet wide;^[a] it must be 4½ feet high.^{[b] 2} Make horns for it on its four corners; the horns are to be of one piece.^[c] Overlay it with bronze.^{(B) 3} Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; make all its utensils of bronze. ⁴ Construct a grate for it of bronze mesh, and make four bronze rings on the mesh at its four corners. ⁵ Set it below, under the altar’s ledge,^[d] so that the mesh comes halfway up^[e] the altar. ⁶ Then make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried. ⁸ Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. They are to make it just as it was shown to you on the mountain.^(C)

The Courtyard

⁹ “You^(D) are to make the courtyard for the tabernacle. Make the hangings on the south of the courtyard out of finely spun linen, 150 feet^[f] long on that side. ¹⁰ There are to be 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands^[g] of the posts must be silver. ¹¹ Then make the hangings on the north side 150 feet^[h] long. There are to be 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands^[i] of the posts must be silver. ¹² Make the hangings of the courtyard on the west side 75 feet^[j] long, including their 10 posts and 10 bases. ¹³ Make the hangings of the courtyard on the east side toward the sunrise 75 feet.^{[k] 14} Make the hangings on one side of the gate 22½ feet,^[l] including their three posts and their three bases. ¹⁵ And make the hangings on the other side 22½ feet,^[m] including their three posts and their three bases. ¹⁶ The gate of the courtyard is to have a thirty-foot^[n] screen^(E) embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It is to have four posts including their four bases.

¹⁷ “All the posts around the courtyard are to be banded with silver and have silver hooks and bronze bases. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet, the width 75 feet at each end, and the height 7½ feet,^[o] all of it made of finely spun linen. The bases of the posts must be bronze. ¹⁹ All the tools of the tabernacle for every use and all its tent pegs as well as all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze.

The Lampstand Oil

²⁰ “You are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning continually. ²¹ In the tent of meeting outside the veil that is in front of the testimony,^(F) Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamp^(G) from evening until morning before the Lord. This is to be a permanent statute^(H) for the Israelites throughout their generations.

The Priestly Garments

28 “Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve Me as priest—Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^{(I) 2} Make holy garments^(J) for your brother Aaron, for glory and beauty. ³ You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen,^[p](K) whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve Me as priest. ⁴ These are the garments that they must make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a specially woven tunic,^[q] a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve Me as priests. ⁵ They should use^[r] gold; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

The Ephod

⁶ “They^(L) are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. ⁷ It must have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges so that it can be joined together. ⁸ The artistically woven waistband that is on the ephod^[s] must be of one piece,^[t] according to the same workmanship of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen.

⁹ “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel’s sons: ¹⁰ six of their names on the first stone and the remaining six names on the second stone, in the order of their birth. ¹¹ Engrave the two stones with the names of Israel’s sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them, surrounded with gold filigree settings. ¹² Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the Lord as a reminder.^{(M) 13} Fashion gold filigree settings ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold; you will make them of braided cord work, and attach the cord chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece

¹⁵ “You^(N) are to make an embroidered breastpiece for making decisions.^[u] Make it with the same workmanship as the ephod; make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. ¹⁶ It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.^{[v] 17} Place a setting of gemstones^[w] on it, four rows of stones:

They should be adorned with gold filigree in their settings. ²¹ The 12 stones are to correspond to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the 12 tribes.

²² “You are to make braided chains^[ac] of pure gold cord work for the breastpiece. ²³ Fashion two gold rings for the breastpiece and attach them to its two corners. ²⁴ Then attach the two gold cords to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece. ²⁵ Attach the other ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings, and in this way attach them to the ephod’s shoulder pieces in the front. ²⁶ Make two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod. ²⁷ Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the ephod’s two shoulder pieces on its front, close to its seam,^[ad] and above the ephod’s woven waistband. ²⁸ The craftsmen are to tie the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the ephod’s waistband and does not come loose from the ephod.

²⁹ “Whenever he enters the sanctuary, Aaron is to carry the names of Israel’s sons over his heart on the breastpiece for decisions, as a continual reminder before the Lord. ³⁰ Place the Urim and Thummim^(O) in the breastpiece for decisions, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the Lord. Aaron will continually carry the means of decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

The Robe

³¹ “You^(P) are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue yarn. ³² There should be an opening at its top in the center of it. Around the opening, there should be a woven collar with an opening like that of body armor^[ae] so that it does not tear. ³³ Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn^[af] on its lower hem and all around it. Put gold bells between them all the way around, ³⁴ so that gold bells and pomegranates alternate around the lower hem of the robe. ³⁵ The robe must be worn by Aaron whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the sanctuary before the Lord and when he exits, so that he does not die.

The Turban

³⁶ “You are to make a pure gold medallion and engrave it, like the engraving of a seal:^(Q)

³⁷ Fasten it to a cord of blue yarn so it can be placed on the turban; the medallion is to be on the front of the turban. ³⁸ It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt^(R) connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the Lord.

Other Priestly Garments

³⁹ “You are to weave the tunic from fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make an embroidered sash. ⁴⁰ Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons to give them glory and beauty.^{(S) 41} Put these on your brother Aaron and his sons; then anoint,^(T) ordain,^[ag] and consecrate^(U) them, so that they may serve Me as priests. ⁴² Make them linen undergarments^(V) to cover their naked bodies; they must extend from the waist^[ah] to the thighs. ⁴³ These must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary area, so that they do not incur guilt^(W) and die. This is to be a permanent statute^(X) for Aaron and for his future descendants.