High Priest Breastplate Bible Craft

Aaron was the first high priest of the Jews. The Lord gave instructions for special garments to be made that only the high priest would wear. One of the items was a breastplate which contained 12 precious stones, representing each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Here is a neat replica to make…

For this craft, you will need:

• A 6-inch square of sturdy cardboard
• Gold acrylic paint
• 12 fake jewels or gem stones
• Gold fabric paint
• Ribbon (optional)

Cut a piece of sturdy cardboard 6 inches high by 6 inches wide. Paint it front and back with gold acrylic paint. Let it dry.

Draw lines to divide the square into four horizontal rows, 1 1/2 inches apart and three vertical rows, 2 inches apart. (Lines will be covered with paint later on.) You should have 12 squares on your breastplate.

Glue your 12 gem stones, one per square, using a hot glue gun or craft glue. Let dry completely. You may want to match your stones as closely as possible to the stones listed in the Bible in Exodus 28. 1st row –  sardius, topaz, and emerald. 2nd row – turquoise, sapphire, diamond. 3rd row – jacinth, agate, amethyst. 4th row – beryl, onyx, jasper.

Use the gold fabric glue to outline each stone and to outline each drawn line. Fabric glue gives the puffy look. This glue looks white when you first use it, but it will dry sparkly gold.

After the fabric glue is completely dry, you will need to punch two holes, one in each top corner. A small screwdriver works well for this step. These holes will enable you to use ribbon or pins to attach the breastplate to clothing.

Finally, run a long length or dark-colored ribbon through each hole from front to back and knot each end. You will now have a means of wearing the breastplate by hanging it around your neck. Another option is to run safety pins through each hole and secure it to the front of a blue shirt or costume.