Exodus 39 (Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent)

Of the blue, purple, and scarlet, they made finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen. They beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in with the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen, the work of the skillful workman. They made shoulder straps for it, joined together. It was joined together at the two ends. The skillfully woven band that was on it, with which to fasten it on, was of the same piece, like its work: of gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

They worked the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold, engraved with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel. He put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

He made the breastplate, the work of a skillful workman, like the work of the ephod: of gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen. It was square. They made the breastplate double. Its length was a span, and its width a span, being double. They set in it four rows of stones. A row of ruby, topaz, and beryl was the first row; and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold settings. The stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, for the twelve tribes. They made on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold. They made two settings of gold, and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. They put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. The other two ends of the two braided chains they put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, in its front. They made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which was toward the side of the ephod inward. They made two more rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath, in its front, close by its coupling, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. They bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not come loose from the ephod, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

He made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. The opening of the robe in the middle of it was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around its opening, that it should not be torn. They made on the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, scarlet, and twined linen. They made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates around the skirts of the robe, between the pomegranates; a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, around the skirts of the robe, to minister in, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

They made the tunics of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and for his sons, the turban of fine linen, the linen headbands of fine linen, the linen trousers of fine twined linen, the sash of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engravings of a signet: “HOLY TO YAHWEH”. They tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it on the turban above, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished. The children of Israel did according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses; so they did. They brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent, with all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, the covering of sea cow hides, the veil of the screen, the ark of the covenant with its poles, the mercy seat, the table, all its vessels, the show bread, the pure lamp stand, its lamps, even the lamps to be set in order, all its vessels, the oil for the light, the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door of the Tent, the bronze altar, its grating of bronze, its poles, all of its vessels, the basin and its base, the hangings of the court, its pillars, its sockets, the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, its pins, and all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the Tent of Meeting, the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it as Yahweh had commanded. They had done so; and Moses blessed them.

Commentary

Reweaving this bodily nature, we should be close to what rises upwards and is light and airy, in order that when we hear the last trumpet we may be found weightless and light in responding to the voice of the One who calls us. Then we shall be borne on high through the air to be together with the Lord, not drawn down to earth by anything heavy. He who, in keeping with the counsel of the Psalmist, has like a moth eaten away his soul, has put on that airy tunic which extends from his head to his feet, for the Law does not want virtue to be cut short. (Gregory of Nyssa)

Musical Selection

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