New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Then bring near to you your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the Israelites, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
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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 shall make sacred vestments for the glorious adornment of your brother Aaron.
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And make holy robes for Aaron your brother, so that he may be clothed with glory and honour.
3 And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom I have endowed with skill, that they make Aaron's vestments to consecrate him for my priesthood.
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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 These are the vestments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, and a sash. When they make these sacred vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests,
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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 shall use gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, 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 shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, skillfully worked.
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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 It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together.
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It is to have two bands stitched to it at the top of the arms, joining it together.
8 The decorated band on it shall be of the same workmanship and materials, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted 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 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,
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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 the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, 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 As a gem-cutter engraves signets, so you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall mount them in settings of gold filigree.
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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 You shall set the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance.
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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 You shall make settings of gold filigree,
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And you are to make twisted frames of gold;
14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.
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And two chains of the best gold, twisted like cords; and have the chains fixed on to the frames.
15 You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work; you shall make it in the style of the ephod; of gold, of blue and purple and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen you shall make it.
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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 It shall be square and doubled, a span in length and a span in width.
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It is to be square, folded in two, a hand-stretch long and a hand-stretch wide.
17 You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald shall be the first row;
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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 and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a moonstone;
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The second, a ruby, a sapphire, and an onyx;
19 and the third row a jacinth, 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 shall be set in gold filigree.
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The fourth, a topaz, a beryl, and a jasper; they are to be fixed in twisted frames of gold.
21 There shall be twelve stones with names corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for 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 You shall make for the breastpiece chains of pure gold, 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 and you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.
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And put two gold rings on the two ends of the bag.
24 You shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece;
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Put the two gold chains on the two rings at the ends of the bag;
25 the two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings, and so attach it in front to the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.
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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 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.
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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 You shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod, at its joining above the decorated band of the ephod.
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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 The breastpiece shall be bound by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it may lie on the decorated band of the ephod, and so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.
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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 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a continual remembrance before the Lord.
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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 In the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart when he goes in before the Lord; thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the Israelites on his heart before the Lord continually.
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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 shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
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The robe which goes with the ephod is to be made all of blue;
32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it may not be torn.
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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 lower hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the lower hem, with bells of gold between them all 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 a golden bell and a pomegranate alternating all around the lower hem of the robe.
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A gold bell and a fruit in turn all round the skirts of the robe.
35 Aaron shall wear it when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he may not 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 shall make a rosette of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, "Holy to the Lord."
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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 You shall fasten it on the turban with a blue cord; it shall be 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 It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take on himself any guilt incurred in the holy offering that the Israelites consecrate as their sacred donations; it shall always be on his forehead, in order that they may find favor before the Lord.
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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 shall make the checkered tunic of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
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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 For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics and sashes and headdresses; you shall make them for their glorious adornment.
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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 You shall put them on your brother Aaron, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests.
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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 You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh; they shall reach from the hips to the thighs;
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And you are to make them linen trousers, covering their bodies from the middle to the knee;
43 Aaron and his sons shall wear them when they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place; or they will bring guilt on themselves and die. This shall be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants after him.
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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.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.