Exodus 39

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 1446 BC – 1445 BC · Egypt & the Exodus · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

43 verses · 945 words · ~5 min read · ~6 min listen

The Ephod

Exodus 28:6–14

¹From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made specially woven garments for ministry in the sanctuary, as well as the holy garments for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²Bezalel made the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. ³They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen—the work of a skilled craftsman. ⁴They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached at two of its corners, so it could be fastened. ⁵And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁶They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece

Exodus 28:15–30

⁸He made the breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. ⁹It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

¹⁰And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones:

The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;

¹¹the second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

¹²the third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

¹³and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.

These stones were mounted in gold filigree settings.

¹⁴The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

¹⁵For the breastpiece they made braided chains like cords of pure gold. ¹⁶They also made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece. ¹⁷Then they fastened the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, ¹⁸and they fastened the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.

¹⁹They made two more gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.

²⁰They made two additional gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near the seam just above its woven waistband. ²¹Then they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the waistband of the ephod and would not swing out from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Additional Priestly Garments

Exodus 28:31–43

²²They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, the work of a weaver, ²³with an opening in the center of the robe like that of a garment, with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear.

²⁴They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of the robe. ²⁵They also made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates, ²⁶alternating the bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe to be worn for ministry, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁷For Aaron and his sons they made tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, ²⁸as well as the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun linen, ²⁹and the sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and they engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal:

HOLY TO THE Lord.

³¹Then they fastened to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses Approves the Work

³²So all the work for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³³Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses:

the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, and its posts and bases;

³⁴the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, and the veil of the covering;

³⁵the ark of the Testimony with its poles and the mercy seat;

³⁶the table with all its utensils and the Bread of the Presence;

³⁷the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the light;

³⁸the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent;

³⁹the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils;

the basin with its stand;

⁴⁰the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases;

the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting;

⁴¹and the woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.

⁴²The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³And Moses inspected all the work and saw that they had accomplished it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

Footnotes (7)

a v2 Literally He made
b v9 The breastpiece, when folded over, was approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters in both length and width.
c v10 The precise identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.
d v23 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly a coat of mail.
e v30 That is, the LORD
f v34 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
g v35 That is, the ark of the covenant

Exodus 39

The Ephodⓘ

The Breastpieceⓘ

Additional Priestly Garmentsⓘ

Moses Approves the Workⓘ

The Ephod

The Breastpiece

Additional Priestly Garments

Moses Approves the Work