And every man with whom was found is quite literal. It is better to say, as Good News Translation renders it, “Everyone who had.” The verb found carries the implied meaning of “finding by chance,” so New American Bible has “Everyone who happened to have,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “all those who happened to own.” Blue or purple or scarlet stuff is the same phrase first used in 25.4. (See the comment there.) Fine linen is just one word, which is mistranslated as “fine twined linen” in 25.4. Good News Translation again places this first in the list, as in verse 6. Goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins are all discussed at 25.4-5. Note that goatskins is no longer considered an accurate translation of the Hebrew techashim, which Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New Revised Standard Version render as “fine leather.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .