HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 458
EX O D U S 3 9
registered in the census. (The tax is one beka,
which is half a shekel,* based on the sanctuary shekel.) The tax was collected from 603,550
men who had reached their twentieth birthday.
27 The hundred bases for the frames of the sanctuary walls and for the posts supporting the
inner curtain required 7,500 pounds of silver,
about 75 pounds for each base.* 28 The remaining 45 pounds* of silver was used to make the
hooks and rings and to overlay the tops of
the posts.
29 The people also brought as special offerings
5,310 pounds* of bronze, 30 which was used for
casting the bases for the posts at the entrance
to the Tabernacle, and for the bronze altar with
its bronze grating and all the altar utensils.
31 Bronze was also used to make the bases for
the posts that supported the curtains around
the courtyard, the bases for the curtain at the
entrance of the courtyard, and all the tent pegs
for the Tabernacle and the courtyard.
Clothing for the Priests
The craftsmen made beautiful sacred
garments of blue, purple, and scarlet
cloth—clothing for Aaron to wear while ministering in the Holy Place, just as the Lord had
commanded Moses.
39
Making the Ephod
2 Bezalel* made the ephod of finely woven linen
and embroidered it with gold and with blue,
purple, and scarlet thread. 3 He made gold
thread by hammering out thin sheets of gold
and cutting it into fine strands. With great skill
and care, he worked it into the fine linen with
the blue, purple, and scarlet thread.
4 The ephod consisted of two pieces, front
and back, joined at the shoulders with two
shoulder-pieces. 5 The decorative sash was
made of the same materials: finely woven linen
embroidered with gold and with blue, purple,
and scarlet thread, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 6 They mounted the two onyx
stones in settings of gold filigree. The stones
were engraved with the names of the tribes of
Israel, just as a seal is engraved. 7 He fastened
these stones on the shoulder-pieces of the
ephod as a reminder that the priest represents
the people of Israel. All this was done just as the
Lord had commanded Moses.
Making the Chestpiece
8 Bezalel made the chestpiece with great skill
and care. He made it to match the ephod, using
finely woven linen embroidered with gold
and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 9 He
made the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth
folded to form a pouch nine inches* square.
10 They mounted four rows of gemstones* on it.
The first row contained a red carnelian, a palegreen peridot, and an emerald. 11 The second row
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contained a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and
a white moonstone. 12 The third row contained
an orange jacinth, an agate, and a purple amethyst. 13 The fourth row contained a blue-green
beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these
stones were set in gold filigree. 14 Each stone represented one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the
name of that tribe was engraved on it like a seal.
15 To attach the chestpiece to the ephod, they
made braided cords of pure gold thread. 16 They
also made two settings of gold filigree and two
gold rings and attached them to the top corners
of the chestpiece. 17 They tied the two gold cords
to the rings on the chestpiece. 18 They tied the
other ends of the cords to the gold settings on the
shoulder-pieces of the ephod. 19 Then they made
two more gold rings and attached them to the
inside edges of the chestpiece next to the ephod.
20 Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the front of the ephod, below
the shoulder-pieces, just above the knot where
the decorative sash was fastened to the ephod.
21 They attached the bottom rings of the chestpiece to the rings on the ephod with blue cords.
In this way, the chestpiece was held securely to
the ephod above the decorative sash. All this was
done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Additional Clothing for the Priests
22 Bezalel made the robe that is worn with the
ephod from a single piece of blue woven cloth,
23 with an opening for Aaron’s head in the middle
of it. The opening was reinforced with a woven
collar* so it would not tear. 24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and
attached them to the hem of the robe. 25 They
also made bells of pure gold and placed them
between the pomegranates along the hem of the
robe, 26 with bells and pomegranates alternating
all around the hem. This robe was to be worn
whenever the priest ministered before the Lord,
just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 They made tunics for Aaron and his sons
from fine linen cloth. 28 The turban and the special head coverings were made of fine linen,
and the undergarments were also made of
finely woven linen. 29 The sashes were made of
finely woven linen and embroidered with blue,
purple, and scarlet thread, just as the Lord had
commanded Moses.
30 Finally, they made the sacred medallion—
the badge of holiness—of pure gold. They engraved it like a seal with these words: Holy to
the Lord. 31 They attached the medallion with a
blue cord to Aaron’s turban, just as the Lord had
commanded Moses.
38:26 Or 0.2 ounces [6 grams]. 38:27 Hebrew 100 talents
[3,400 kilograms] of silver, 1 talent [34 kilograms] for each base.
38:28 Hebrew 1,775 [shekels] [20.2 kilograms]. 38:29 Hebrew
70 talents and 2,400 shekels [2,407 kilograms]. 39:2 Hebrew
He; also in 39:8, 22. 39:9 Hebrew 1 span [23 centimeters].
39:10 The identification of some of these gemstones is
uncertain. 39:23 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.