The Breastpiece

(Exodus 28:15–30)

8 He made the breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and with finely spun linen. 9 [It] was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide

• 10 And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones:[fn] The first row [had] a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
• 11 the second row [had] a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
• 12 the third row [had] a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

13 and the fourth row [had] a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. These [stones] were mounted in gold filigree settings.

14 The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

15 For the breastpiece they made braided chains like cords of pure gold. 16 They also made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece. 17 Then they fastened the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 18 and they fastened the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front

19 They made two [more] gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.

20 They made two [additional] gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front near the seam just above its woven waistband 21 Then they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the waistband of the ephod and would not swing out from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.