With the blue, purple and red wool, they made garments for the priests to wear when they served in the Holy Place and priestly garments for Aaron, as the Lord had said to Moses. They made the ephod of fine linen, blue, purple and red wool and gold thread. They also hammered it and cut it into thin sheets of gold into strips with the fine woven linen and blue, purple and red wool. They made the ephod’s two shoulder straps and carefully attached the sides with it so that it can be fastened. The belt was attached to the ephod with one piece. They made the carnelians and designed them in settings of gold; they were engraved, as signets are engraved with the names of the sons of Jacob. They put their names on the ephod’s shoulder straps to represent Israel’s twelve names of the tribe.
They designed the breastpiece of the same materials as the ephod and with embroidery. The breastpiece was square and folded double, 9 inches long and wide. They mounted four rows of stones on it: the first row had a ruby, topaz, and garnet; the second row, an emerald, a sapphire and diamond; the third row, a turquoise, an agate and amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, carnelian and jasper. They were mounted in settings of gold. Each of the twelve stones had engraved the name of one of Jacob’s sons in order to represent Israel’s twelve tribes.