Translation
the fifth with sardonyx,
the sixth sardius,
the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz,
the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and amethyst
Go to footnote numberwas the twelfth.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
of harmony in the midst of diversity, of the need for God’s light to bring out personal beauty, and of the reality that purity creates beauty.
Together these are examples of complete and perfect principles which are capable of protecting your soul in a complete and perfect way.
Footnotes
1
The list of precious stones is a team of symbols: What we have here is not separate word pictures conveying different meanings, rather it is a team of them working together to convey a set of meanings which I have tried to describe in my paraphrase. So it is not about what each one communicates by itself, but what they communicate when presented in harmony with all the others.
2
The fact that there were twelve precious stones would not go unnoticed since the number twelve in Revelation is never used flippantly or casually. I have changed the word order for the “twelfth” gem to make it easier to tie the symbolism of the paraphrase with the symbolic word in the translation.