The Breastpiece

15 “You(A) are to make an embroidered breastpiece for making decisions.[a] Make it with the same workmanship as the ephod; make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. 16 It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.[b] 17 Place a setting of gemstones[c] on it, four rows of stones:

The first row should be
a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald;[d]
18 the second row,
a turquoise,[e] a sapphire,[f] and a diamond;[g]
19 the third row,
a jacinth,[h] an agate, and an amethyst;
20 and the fourth row,
a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.

They should be adorned with gold filigree in their settings. 21 The 12 stones are to correspond to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the 12 tribes.

22 “You are to make braided chains[i] of pure gold cord work for the breastpiece. 23 Fashion two gold rings for the breastpiece and attach them to its two corners. 24 Then attach the two gold cords to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece. 25 Attach the other ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings, and in this way attach them to the ephod’s shoulder pieces in the front. 26 Make two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the ephod’s two shoulder pieces on its front, close to its seam,[j] and above the ephod’s woven waistband. 28 The craftsmen are to tie the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the ephod’s waistband and does not come loose from the ephod.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 28:15 Used for determining God’s will; Nm 27:21
  2. Exodus 28:16 Lit a span its length and a span its width
  3. Exodus 28:17 Many of these stones cannot be identified with certainty.
  4. Exodus 28:17 Or beryl
  5. Exodus 28:18 Or malachite, or garnet
  6. Exodus 28:18 Or lapis lazuli
  7. Exodus 28:18 Hb obscure; LXX, Vg read jasper
  8. Exodus 28:19 Hb obscure
  9. Exodus 28:22 The same chains mentioned in v. 14
  10. Exodus 28:27 The place where the shoulder pieces join the front of the ephod

Bible Gateway Recommends