The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 "You are to summon your brother Aharon and his sons to come from among the people of Isra'el to you, so that they can serve me as cohanim -Aharon and his sons Nadav, Avihu, El'azar and Itamar.
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Now let Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, come near from among the children of Israel, so that they may be my priests, even Aaron, and Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, his sons.
2 You are to make for your brother Aharon garments set apart for serving God, expressing dignity and splendor.
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And make holy robes for Aaron your brother, so that he may be clothed with glory and honour.
3 Speak to all the craftsmen to whom I have given the spirit of wisdom, and have them make Aharon's garments to set him apart for me, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen.
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Give orders to all the wise-hearted workmen, whom I have made full of the spirit of wisdom, to make robes for Aaron, so that he may be made holy as my priest.
4 "The garments they are to make are these: a breastplate, a ritual vest, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aharon and his sons, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen.
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This is what they are to make: a priest's bag, an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of coloured needlework, a head-dress, and a linen band; they are to make holy robes for Aaron your brother and for his sons, so that they may do the work of priests for me.
5 They are to use gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.
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They are to take the gold and blue and purple and red and the best linen,
6 "They are to make the ritual vest of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely woven linen, crafted by a skilled artisan.
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And make the ephod of gold and blue and purple and red and the best linen, the work of a designer.
7 Attached to its front and back edges are to be two shoulder-pieces that can be fastened together.
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It is to have two bands stitched to it at the top of the arms, joining it together.
8 Its decorated belt is to be of the same workmanship and materials - gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen.
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And the beautifully worked band, which goes on it, is to be of the same work and the same material, of gold and blue and purple and red and twisted linen-work.
9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Isra'el -
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You are to take two beryl stones, on which the names of the children of Israel are to be cut:
10 six of their names on one stone and the six remaining names on the other, in the order of their birth.
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Six names on the one stone and six on the other, in the order of their birth.
11 An engraver should engrave the names of the sons of Isra'el on the two stones as he would engrave a seal. Mount the stones in gold settings,
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With the work of a jeweller, like the cutting of a stamp, the names of the children of Israel are to be cut on them, and they are to be fixed in twisted frames of gold.
12 and put the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the vest as stones calling to mind the sons of Isra'el. Aharon is to carry their names before ADONAI on his two shoulders as a reminder.
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And the two stones are to be placed on the ephod, over the arm-holes, to be stones of memory for the children of Israel: Aaron will have their names on his arms when he goes in before the Lord, to keep the Lord in mind of them.
13 "Make gold squares
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And you are to make twisted frames of gold;
14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; attach the cord-like chains to the squares.
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And two chains of the best gold, twisted like cords; and have the chains fixed on to the frames.
15 "Make a breastplate for judging. Have it crafted by a skilled artisan; make it like the work of the ritual vest - make it of gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen.
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And make a priest's bag for giving decisions, designed like the ephod, made of gold and blue and purple and red and the best linen.
16 When folded double it is to be square - a hand-span by a hand-span.
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It is to be square, folded in two, a hand-stretch long and a hand-stretch wide.
17 Put on it settings of stones, four rows of stones: the first row is to be a carnelian, a topaz and an emerald;
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And on it you are to put four lines of jewels; the first line is to be a cornelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald;
18 the second row a green feldspar, a sapphire and a diamond;
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The second, a ruby, a sapphire, and an onyx;
19 the third row an orange zircon, an agate and an amethyst;
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The third, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They are to be mounted in their gold settings.
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The fourth, a topaz, a beryl, and a jasper; they are to be fixed in twisted frames of gold.
21 The stones will correspond to the names of the twelve sons of Isra'el; they are to be engraved with their names as a seal would be engraved, to represent the twelve tribes.
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The jewels are to be twelve in number, for the names of the children of Israel; every jewel having the name of one of the twelve tribes cut on it as on a stamp.
22 "On the breastplate, make two pure gold chains twisted like cords.
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And you are to make two chains of gold, twisted like cords, to be fixed to the priest's bag.
23 Also for the breastplate, make two gold rings; and put the gold rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
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And put two gold rings on the two ends of the bag.
24 Put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate;
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Put the two gold chains on the two rings at the ends of the bag;
25 attach the other two ends of the twisted chains to the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ritual vest.
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Joining the other ends of the chains to the gold frames and putting them on the front of the ephod, at the top of the arms.
26 Make two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, at its edge, on the side facing in toward the vest.
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Then make two gold rings and put them on the lower ends of the bag, at the edge of it on the inner side nearest to the ephod.
27 Also make two gold rings and attach them low on the front part of the vest's shoulder-pieces, near the join, above the vest's decorated belt.
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And make two more gold rings and put them on the front of the ephod at the top of the arms, at the join, over the worked band:
28 Then bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that it can be on the vest's decorated belt, and so that the breastplate won't swing loose from the vest.
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So that the rings on the bag may be fixed to the rings of the ephod by a blue cord and on to the band of the ephod, so that the bag may not come loose from the ephod.
29 Aharon will carry the names of the sons of Isra'el on the breastplate for judging, over his heart, when he enters the Holy Place, as a continual reminder before ADONAI.
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And so Aaron will have the names of the children of Israel on the priest's bag over his heart whenever he goes into the holy place, to keep the memory of them before the Lord.
30 You are to put the urim and the tumim in the breastplate for judging; they will be over Aharon's heart when he goes into the presence of ADONAI. Thus Aharon will always have the means for making decisions for the people of Isra'el over his heart when he is in the presence of ADONAI.
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And in the bag you are to put the Urim and Thummim, so that they may be on Aaron's heart whenever he goes in before the Lord; and Aaron may have the power of making decisions for the children of Israel before the Lord at all times.
31 "You are to make the robe for the ritual vest entirely of blue.
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The robe which goes with the ephod is to be made all of blue;
32 It is to have an opening for the head in the middle. Around the opening is to be a border woven like the neck of a coat of mail, so that it won't tear.
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With a hole at the top, in the middle of it; the hole is to be edged with a band to make it strong like the hole in the coat of a fighting-man, so that it may not be broken open.
33 On its bottom hem make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet; and put them all the way around, with gold bells between them all the way around -
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And round the skirts of it put fruits in blue and purple and red, with bells of gold between;
34 gold bell, pomegranate, gold bell, pomegranate, all the way around the hem of the robe.
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A gold bell and a fruit in turn all round the skirts of the robe.
35 Aharon is to wear it when he ministers, and its sound will be heard whenever he enters the Holy Place before ADONAI and when he leaves, so that he won't die.
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Aaron is to put it on for his holy work; and the sound of it will be clear, when he goes into the holy place before the Lord, and when he comes out, keeping him safe from death.
36 "You are to make an ornament of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal, 'Set apart for ADONAI.'
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You are to make a plate of the best gold, cutting on it, as on a stamp, these words: HOLY TO THE LORD.
37 Fasten it to the turban with a blue cord, on the front of the turban,
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Put a blue cord on it and put it on the front of the twisted head-dress:
38 over Aharon's forehead. Because Aharon bears the guilt for any errors committed by the people of Isra'el in consecrating their holy gifts, this ornament is always to be on his forehead, so that the gifts for ADONAI will be accepted by him.
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And it will be over Aaron's brow, so that Aaron will be responsible for any error in all the holy offerings made by the children of Israel; it will be on his brow at all times, so that their offerings may be pleasing to the Lord.
39 "You are to weave the checkered tunic of fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make a belt, the work of a weaver in colors.
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The coat is to be made of the best linen, worked in squares; and you are to make a head-dress of linen, and a linen band worked in needlework.
40 Likewise for Aharon's sons make tunics, sashes and headgear expressing dignity and splendor.
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And for Aaron's sons you are to make coats, and bands, and head-dresses, so that they may be clothed with glory and honour.
41 With them clothe your brother Aharon and his sons. Then anoint them, inaugurate them, and consecrate them, so that they will be able to serve me in the office of cohen.
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These you are to put on Aaron, your brother, and on his sons, putting oil on them, separating them and making them holy, to do the work of priests to me.
42 Also make for them linen shorts reaching from waist to thigh, to cover their bare flesh.
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And you are to make them linen trousers, covering their bodies from the middle to the knee;
43 Aharon and his sons are to wear them when they go into the tent of meeting and when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they won't incur guilt and die. This is to be a perpetual regulation, both for him and for his descendants.
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Aaron and his sons are to put these on whenever they go into the Tent of meeting or come near the altar, when they are doing the work of the holy place, so that they may be free from any sin causing death: this is to be an order for him and his seed after him for ever.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.