Exodus 28; Exodus 29

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Exodus 28

1 "Summon your brother Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Separate them from the people of Israel, so that they may serve me as priests.
2 Make priestly garments for your brother Aaron, to provide him with dignity and beauty.
3 Call all the skilled workers to whom I have given ability, and tell them to make Aaron's clothes, so that he may be dedicated as a priest in my service.
4 Tell them to make a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these priestly garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they can serve me as priests.
5 The skilled workers are to use blue, purple, and red wool, gold thread, and fine linen.
6 "They are to make the ephod of blue, purple, and red wool, gold thread, and fine linen, decorated with embroidery.
7 Two shoulder straps, by which it can be fastened, are to be attached to the sides.
8 A finely woven belt made of the same materials is to be attached to the ephod so as to form one piece with it.
9 Take two carnelian stones and engrave on them the names of the twelve sons of Jacob,
10 in the order of their birth, with six on one stone and six on the other.
11 Have a skillful jeweler engrave on the two stones the names of the sons of Jacob, and mount the stones in gold settings.
12 Put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. In this way Aaron will carry their names on his shoulders, so that I, the Lord, will always remember my people.
13 Make two gold settings
14 and two chains of pure gold twisted like cords, and attach them to the settings.
15 "Make a breastpiece for the High Priest to use in determining God's will. It is to be made of the same materials as the ephod and with similar embroidery.
16 It is to be square and folded double, 9 inches long and 9 inches wide.
17 Mount four rows of precious stones on it; in the first row mount a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet;
18 in the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;
19 in the third row, a turquoise, an agate, and an amethyst;
20 and in the fourth row, a beryl, a carnelian, and a jasper. These are to be mounted in gold settings.
21 Each of these twelve stones is to have engraved on it the name of one of the sons of Jacob, to represent the tribes of Israel.
22 For the breastpiece make chains of pure gold, twisted like cords.
23 Make two gold rings and attach them to the upper corners of the breastpiece,
24 and fasten the two gold cords to the two rings.
25 Fasten the other two ends of the cords to the two settings, and in this way attach them in front to the shoulder straps of the ephod.
26 Then make two rings of gold and attach them to the lower corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod.
27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the lower part of the front of the two shoulder straps of the ephod, near the seam and above the finely woven belt.
28 Tie the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that the breastpiece rests above the belt and does not come loose.
29 "When Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will wear this breastpiece engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, so that I, the Lord, will always remember my people.
30 Put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece, so that Aaron will carry them when he comes into my holy presence. At such times he must always wear this breastpiece, so that he can determine my will for the people of Israel.
31 "The robe that goes under the ephod is to be made entirely of blue wool.
32 It is to have a hole for the head, and this hole is to be reinforced with a woven binding to keep it from tearing.
33 All around its lower hem put pomegranates of blue, purple, and red wool, alternating with gold bells.
35 Aaron is to wear this robe when he serves as priest. When he comes into my presence in the Holy Place or when he leaves it, the sound of the bells will be heard, and he will not be killed.
36 "Make an ornament of pure gold and engrave on it "Dedicated to the Lord.'
37 Tie it to the front of the turban with a blue cord.
38 Aaron is to wear it on his forehead, so that I, the Lord, will accept all the offerings that the Israelites dedicate to me, even if the people commit some error in offering them.
39 "Weave Aaron's shirt of fine linen and make a turban of fine linen and also a sash decorated with embroidery.
40 "Make shirts, sashes, and caps for Aaron's sons, to provide them with dignity and beauty.
41 Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons. Then ordain them and dedicate them by anointing them with olive oil, so that they may serve me as priests.
42 Make linen shorts for them, reaching from the waist to the thighs, so that they will not expose themselves.
43 Aaron and his sons must always wear them when they go into the Tent of my presence or approach the altar to serve as priests in the Holy Place, so that they will not be killed for exposing themselves. This is a permanent rule for Aaron and his descendants.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Exodus 29

1 "This is what you are to do to Aaron and his sons to dedicate them as priests in my service. Take one young bull and two rams without any defects.
2 Use the best wheat flour, but no yeast, and make some bread with olive oil, some without it, and some in the form of thin cakes brushed with oil.
3 Put them in a basket and offer them to me when you sacrifice the bull and the two rams.
4 "Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of my presence, and have them take a ritual bath.
5 Then dress Aaron in the priestly garments - the shirt, the robe that goes under the ephod, the ephod, the breastpiece, and the belt.
6 Put the turban on him and tie on it the sacred sign of dedication engraved "Dedicated to the Lord.'
7 Then take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him.
8 "Bring his sons and put shirts on them;
9 put sashes around their waists and tie caps on their heads. That is how you are to ordain Aaron and his sons. They and their descendants are to serve me as priests forever.
10 "Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of my presence and tell Aaron and his sons to put their hands on its head.
11 Kill the bull there in my holy presence at the entrance of the Tent.
12 Take some of the bull's blood and with your finger put it on the projections of the altar. Then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
13 Next, take all the fat which covers the internal organs, the best part of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar as an offering to me.
14 But burn the bull's flesh, its skin, and its intestines outside the camp. This is an offering to take away the sins of the priests.
15 "Take one of the rams and tell Aaron and his sons to put their hands on its head.
16 Kill it, and take its blood and throw it against all four sides of the altar.
17 Cut the ram in pieces; wash its internal organs and its hind legs, and put them on top of the head and the other pieces.
18 Burn the whole ram on the altar as a food offering. The odor of this offering pleases me.
19 "Take the other ram - the ram used for dedication - and tell Aaron and his sons to put their hands on its head.
20 Kill it, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Throw the rest of the blood against all four sides of the altar.
21 Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. He, his sons, and their clothes will then be dedicated to me.
22 "Cut away the ram's fat, the fat tail, the fat covering the internal organs, the best part of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh.
23 From the basket of bread which has been offered to me, take one loaf of each kind: one loaf made with olive oil and one made without it and one thin cake.
24 Put all this food in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them dedicate it to me as a special gift.
25 Then take it from them and burn it on the altar, on top of the burnt offering, as a food offering to me. The odor of this offering pleases me.
26 "Take the breast of this ram and dedicate it to me as a special gift. This part of the animal will be yours.
27 "When a priest is ordained, the breast and the thigh of the ram being used for the ordination are to be dedicated to me as a special gift and set aside for the priests.
28 It is my unchanging decision that when my people make their fellowship offerings, the breast and the thigh of the animal belong to the priests. This is the people's gift to me, the Lord.
29 "Aaron's priestly garments are to be handed on to his sons after his death, for them to wear when they are ordained.
30 The son of Aaron who succeeds him as priest and who goes into the Tent of my presence to serve in the Holy Place is to wear these garments for seven days.
31 "Take the meat of the ram used for the ordination of Aaron and his sons and boil it in a holy place.
32 At the entrance of the Tent of my presence they are to eat it along with the bread left in the basket.
33 They shall eat what was used in the ritual of forgiveness at their ordination. Only priests may eat this food, because it is sacred.
34 If some of the meat or some of the bread is not eaten by morning, it is to be burned; it is not to be eaten, for it is sacred.
35 "Perform the rites of ordination for Aaron and his sons for seven days exactly as I have commanded you.
36 Each day you must offer a bull as a sacrifice, so that sin may be forgiven. This will purify the altar. Then anoint it with olive oil to make it holy.
37 Do this every day for seven days. Then the altar will be completely holy, and anyone or anything that touches it will be harmed by the power of its holiness.
38 "Every day for all time to come, sacrifice on the altar two one-year-old lambs.
39 Sacrifice one of the lambs in the morning and the other in the evening.
40 With the first lamb offer two pounds of fine wheat flour mixed with one quart of pure olive oil. Pour out one quart of wine as an offering.
41 Sacrifice the second lamb in the evening, and offer with it the same amounts of flour, olive oil, and wine as in the morning. This is a food offering to me, the Lord, and its odor pleases me.
42 For all time to come, this burnt offering is to be offered in my presence at the entrance of the Tent of my presence. That is where I will meet my people and speak to you.
43 There I will meet the people of Israel, and the dazzling light of my presence will make the place holy.
44 I will make the Tent and the altar holy, and I will set Aaron and his sons apart to serve me as priests.
45 I will live among the people of Israel, and I will be their God.
46 They will know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.