1 And now, that I may have priests to serve me among the sons of Israel, summon thy brother Aaron, with his sons, Nadab, Abiu, Eleazar and Ithamar, to thy presence. 2 Thou shalt have sacred vestments made for thy brother Aaron, to his honour and adornment, 3 bidding all those cunning workmen, whose art is the gift of my spirit, so clothe him as to set him apart for my service. 4 And these are the vestments they shall make; a burse, a mantle, a tunic, a pleated robe, a mitre, and a girdle. Such sacred vestments must be made for thy brother Aaron and his sons, before they can minister as my priests.
1 Applica quoque ad te Aaron fratrem tuum cum filiis suis de medio filiorum Israël, ut sacerdotio fungantur mihi: Aaron, Nadab, et Abiu, Eleazar, et Ithamar. 2 Faciesque vestem sanctam Aaron fratri tuo in gloriam et decorem. 3 Et loqueris cunctis sapientibus corde quos replevi spiritu prudentiæ, ut faciant vestes Aaron, in quibus sanctificatus ministret mihi. 4 Hæc autem erunt vestimenta quæ faciet: rationale et superhumerale, tunicam et lineam strictam, cidarim et balteum. Facient vestimenta sancta fratri tuo Aaron et filiis ejus, ut sacerdotio fungantur mihi.
5 The workmen must provide themselves with gold, with threads of blue and purple and scarlet twice-dyed, and with linen thread. 6 Of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet twice-dyed, and of twisted linen thread, the mantle is to be made, all embroidered work. 7 At the top, on either side, it shall have the two shoulder-pieces joined together so as to make one garment. 8 The whole of its embroidered texture shall be of gold, blue, purple, scarlet twice-dyed, and twisted linen thread.[1] 9 Then thou shalt take two onyx-stones, and inscribe them with the names of Israel’s twelve sons, 10 six on one stone and six on the other, in the order of their birth; 11 and these stones, graven with all the skill of the gem-carver, and set in clasps of gold, 12 thou shalt let into the mantle, one on either side, to perpetuate the memory of Israel’s sons. Aaron shall carry those names on his two shoulders, when he goes into the Lord’s presence, and so remind him of them.
5 Accipientque aurum, et hyacinthum, et purpuram, coccumque bis tinctum, et byssum. 6 Facient autem superhumerale de auro et hyacintho et purpura, coccoque bis tincto, et bysso retorta, opere polymito. 7 Duas oras junctas habebit in utroque latere summitatum, ut in unum redeant. 8 Ipsa quoque textura et cuncta operis varietas erit ex auro et hyacintho, et purpura, coccoque bis tincto, et bysso retorta. 9 Sumesque duos lapides onychinos, et sculpes in eis nomina filiorum Israël: 10 sex nomina in lapide uno, et sex reliqua in altero, juxta ordinem nativitatis eorum. 11 Opere sculptoris et cælatura gemmarii, sculpes eos nominibus filiorum Israël, inclusos auro atque circumdatos: 12 et pones in utroque latere superhumeralis, memoriale filiis Israël. Portabitque Aaron nomina eorum coram Domino super utrumque humerum, ob recordationem.
13 Then make two golden hooks, 14 and two chains of pure gold, with closely fitted links, which thou wilt fasten to the hooks. 15 And make a burse,[2] from which thou wilt take counsel; it is to be of the same texture as the mantle itself, embroidered work of gold, and threads of blue and purple and scarlet twice-dyed, and twisted linen threads. 16 It is to be made double, and either part of it square, a palm’s length by a palm’s breadth. 17 And thou shalt set in it four rows of stones; in the first row will be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; 18 in the second, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a jasper-stone; 19 in the third, a jacynth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 in the fourth, a chrysolite, an onyx-stone, and a beryl; each row is to be set in gold. 21 And they will contain the names of the sons of Israel, each stone being engraved with the name of one of the twelve tribes, in their order.
13 Facies et uncinos ex auro, 14 et duas catenulas ex auro purissimo sibi invicem cohærentes, quas inseres uncinis. 15 Rationale quoque judicii facies opere polymito juxta texturam superhumeralis, ex auro, hyacintho, et purpura, coccoque bis tincto, et bysso retorta. 16 Quadrangulum erit et duplex: mensuram palmi habebit tam in longitudine quam in latitudine. 17 Ponesque in eo quatuor ordines lapidum: in primo versu erit lapis sardius, et topazius, et smaragdus: 18 in secundo carbunculus, sapphirus, et jaspis: 19 in tertio ligurius, achates, et amethystus: 20 in quarto chrysolithus, onychinus, et beryllus. Inclusi auro erunt per ordines suos. 21 Habebuntque nomina filiorum Israël: duodecim nominibus cælabuntur, singuli lapides nominibus singulorum per duodecim tribus.
22 The burse, then, must have two chains of pure gold, their links closely fitted, 23 and two rings of gold, attached to its two edges; 24 with these two rings at the edges thou wilt couple the two chains, 25 making fast the other ends of the chains to the two hooks, which will be fixed on either side of the mantle, where it faces towards the burse. 26 Then make two gold rings, which must be attached to the edges of the burse, to that part of its lining which looks towards the mantle, that is, inwards; 27 and two other gold rings, which must be attached to either side of the mantle underneath, facing the lower point where burse meets mantle, so that the two can be tied together. 28 Thou shalt use blue cords to make the rings of the burse fast to the rings of the mantle; thus the two will be joined in a workmanlike fashion, and will never come apart. 29 And whenever Aaron goes into the sanctuary, he will carry on his breast, on the burse that gives counsel, the names of Israel’s sons, putting the Lord in mind of them eternally.[3]
22 Facies in rationali catenas sibi invicem cohærentes ex auro purissimo, 23 et duos annulos aureos, quos pones in utraque rationalis summitate: 24 catenasque aureas junges annulis, qui sunt in marginibus ejus, 25 et ipsarum catenarum extrema duobus copulabis uncinis in utroque latere superhumeralis quod rationale respicit. 26 Facies et duos annulos aureos, quos pones in summitatibus rationalis, in oris, quæ e regione sunt superhumeralis, et posteriora ejus aspiciunt. 27 Necnon et alios duos annulos aureos, qui ponendi sunt in utroque latere superhumeralis deorsum, quod respicit contra faciem juncturæ inferioris, ut aptari possit cum superhumerali, 28 et stringatur rationale annulis suis cum annulis superhumeralis vitta hyacinthina, ut maneat junctura fabrefacta, et a se invicem rationale et superhumerale nequeant separari. 29 Portabitque Aaron nomina filiorum Israël in rationali judicii super pectus suum, quando ingredietur Sanctuarium, memoriale coram Domino in æternum.
30 And within the burse that gives counsel thou wilt put the touchstones of wisdom and of truth.[4] These shall be on Aaron’s breast, when he enters the Lord’s presence; as long as he is there, he will be carrying on his breast the arbitrament of the sons of Israel.
30 Pones autem in rationali judicii Doctrinam et Veritatem, quæ erunt in pectore Aaron, quando ingredietur coram Domino: et gestabit judicium filiorum Israël in pectore suo, in conspectu Domini semper.
31 The tunic that goes with the mantle is to be made all of blue, 32 and in the middle of it there is to be an opening for the head, with a woven border round it, such as is commonly put round the edges of garments, to prevent tearing. 33 Underneath, round the skirt of this tunic, thou shalt hang ornaments of blue thread and purple, and of scarlet twice-dyed, pomegranate-shaped, with bells between them; 34 a golden bell, then a pomegranate, then another golden bell, then another pomegranate. 35 In this Aaron shall ever be clothed when he performs his priestly office; with the ringing of bells he must announce his comings and goings in the sanctuary, there in the Lord’s presence, on pain of death.
31 Facies et tunicam superhumeralis totam hyacinthinam, 32 in cujus medio supra erit capitium, et ora per gyrum ejus textilis, sicut fieri solet in extremis vestium partibus, ne facile rumpatur. 33 Deorsum vero, ad pedes ejusdem tunicæ, per circuitum, quasi mala punica facies, ex hyacintho, et purpura, et cocco bis tincto, mistis in medio tintinnabulis, 34 ita ut tintinnabulum sit aureum et malum punicum: rursumque tintinnabulum aliud aureum et malum punicum. 35 Et vestietur ea Aaron in officio ministerii, ut audiatur sonitus quando ingreditur et egreditur sanctuarium in conspectu Domini, et non moriatur.
36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, inscribed with all the engraver’s skill, with the words, Set apart for the Lord. 37 This is to be bound with a blue cord on to the mitre, 38 and will hang over the priest’s forehead. Whatever fault is found in offering and gift, by Israel’s sons dedicated and hallowed, Aaron must charge himself with it; and the Lord will overlook it, so long as the plate hangs ever on Aaron’s forehead.
36 Facies et laminam de auro purissimo, in qua sculpes opere cælatoris, Sanctum Domino. 37 Ligabisque eam vitta hyacinthina, et erit super tiaram, 38 imminens fronti pontificis. Portabitque Aaron iniquitates eorum, quæ obtulerunt et sanctificaverunt filii Israël, in cunctis muneribus et donariis suis. Erit autem lamina semper in fronte ejus, ut placatus sit eis Dominus.
39 The robe must be of pleated linen, the mitre also of linen, and the girdle of embroidered work. 40 For Aaron’s sons, too, thou shalt make linen robes and girdles and mitres; to their honour and adornment; 41 in all these vestments Aaron thy brother shall be clad, and his sons with him. And thou shalt consecrate their hands, and set them apart to serve me in the priestly office. 42 Breeches of linen, too, shall be made for them, to cover all that must not be seen naked, from loin to thigh; 43 these Aaron and his sons shall wear whenever they enter the tabernacle that bears record of me, or draw near the altar to do me service in the sanctuary, on pain of death. Such observance Aaron, and his sons after him, shall maintain perpetually.
39 Stringesque tunicam bysso, et tiaram byssinam facies, et balteum opere plumarii. 40 Porro filiis Aaron tunicas lineas parabis et balteos ac tiaras in gloriam et decorem: 41 vestiesque his omnibus Aaron fratrem tuum et filios ejus cum eo. Et cunctorum consecrabis manus, sanctificabisque illos, ut sacerdotio fungantur mihi. 42 Facies et feminalia linea, ut operiant carnem turpitudinis suæ, a renibus usque ad femora: 43 et utentur eis Aaron et filii ejus quando ingredientur tabernaculum testimonii, vel quando appropinquant ad altare ut ministrent in sanctuario, ne iniquitatis rei moriantur. Legitimum sempiternum erit Aaron, et semini ejus post eum.
[1] According to the Hebrew text, this refers, not to the mantle itself but to the band which was a part of it.
[2] The significance of the Hebrew word used here is quite uncertain, but the context suggests a kind of pouch or wallet. ‘From which thou wilt take counsel’; it is clear from various references that in some way the burse was used for the taking of omens, by a system providentially prearranged, when difficult decisions were to be made; hence it is called ‘the burse of judgement’. Cf. note on verse 30. The precious stones named in the verses which follow cannot be identified with certainty.
[3] The Latin version differs at several points from the Hebrew text, but the general picture they give is the same; the burse was secured by four rings, two of which were attached by gold chains to a couple of hooks high up on the mantle, and two by blue cords to a couple of rings let into the mantle lower down.
[4] Literally, ‘the Doctrine and the Truth’. In the Hebrew text, the words used are of doubtful significance; the former probably means ‘lights’. Some think the precious stones enumerated above afforded omens, e.g., by their brightness or dullness; others, that the pouch contained sacred objects, not further specified, which were used for the same purpose. Cf. Num. 27.21; I Kg. 14.41 and note.
