The Tanakh · JPS 1917 Translation

Exodus 28

Jewish Publication Society 1917 · Torah

Exodus chapter 28 — part of the Torah in the Jewish Bible. In the classic JPS 1917 translation it opens: “And bring thou near unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that they may minister unto Me…” — the complete text of all 43 verses is below, free to read online.

1And bring thou near unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

2And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for splendour and for beauty.

3And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office.

4And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a tunic of chequer work, a mitre, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office.

5And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.

6And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skilful workman.

7It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined to the two ends thereof, that it may be joined together.

8And the skilfully woven band, which is upon it, wherewith to gird it on, shall be like the work thereof and of the same piece: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

9And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

10six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, according to their birth.

11With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel; thou shalt make them to be inclosed in settings of gold.

12And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before HaShem upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

13And thou shalt make settings of gold;

14and two chains of pure gold; of plaited thread shalt thou make them, of wreathen work; and thou shalt put the wreathen chains on the settings.

15And thou shalt make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skilful workman; like the work of the ephod thou shalt make it: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

16Four-square it shall be and double: a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.

17And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of carnelian, topaz, and smaragd shall be the first row;

18and the second row a carbuncle, a sapphire, and an emerald;

19and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

20and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be inclosed in gold in their settings.

21And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.

22And thou shalt make upon the breastplate plaited chains of wreathen work of pure gold.

23And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

24And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.

25And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, in the forepart thereof.

26And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which is toward the side of the ephod inward.

27And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and shalt put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod.

28And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a thread of blue, that it may be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

29And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before HaShem continually.

30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before HaShem; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before HaShem continually.

31And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

32And it shall have a hole for the head in the midst thereof; it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a coat of mail that it be not rent.

33And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:

34a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about.

35And it shall be upon Aaron to minister; and the sound thereof shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before HaShem, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

36And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a signet: HOLY TO THE HaShem.

37And thou shalt put it on a thread of blue, and it shall be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

38And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity committed in the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow, even in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before HaShem.

39And thou shalt weave the tunic in chequer work of fine linen, and thou shalt make a mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make a girdle, the work of the weaver in colours.

40And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make tunics, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and head-tires shalt thou make for them, for splendour and for beauty.

41And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and upon his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office.

42And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach.

43And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die; it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him.

43 verses · JPS 1917 (public domain)

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