1 T hen the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses,

2 “ Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in the front of the lampstand.’”

“Say to Aaron, ‘When you put the seven lamps on the lamp-stand, they should give light in front of the lamp-stand.’”

3 A aron therefore did so; he mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

And Aaron did so. He put the lamps so they would give light in front of the lamp-stand, as the Lord had told Moses.

4 N ow this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. Cleansing the Levites

Now this is the way the lamp-stand was made. It was made of beaten gold from the base to its flowers. He made the lamp-stand the way the Lord had shown Moses. The Levites Are Set Apart

5 A gain the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses,

6 “ Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

“Take the Levites from among the people of Israel, and make them clean.

7 T hus you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle purifying water on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean.

To make them clean, put holy water on them that takes away sin. Let them cut all the hair from their body, and wash their clothes, and they shall be clean.

8 T hen let them take a bull with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and a second bull you shall take for a sin offering.

Then let them take a young bull and its grain gift of fine flour mixed with oil. Take another young bull for a sin gift.

9 S o you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel,

Bring the Levites in front of the meeting tent and gather together all the people of Israel also.

10 a nd present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.

Bring the Levites before the Lord and the people of Israel will lay their hands on the Levites.

11 A aron then shall present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may qualify to perform the service of the Lord.

Aaron will give the Levites to the Lord as a wave gift from the people of Israel so they will be able to do the work of the Lord.

12 N ow the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.

The Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. They will give one for a sin gift and the other for a burnt gift to the Lord, to pay for the sins of the Levites.

13 Y ou shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, to give them as a wave gift to the Lord.

14 “ Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.

“So you will divide the Levites from the people of Israel. And the Levites will be Mine.

15 T hen after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering;

After that the Levites may go in to work in the meeting tent. But you must make them clean and give them as a wave gift.

16 f or they are wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel.

For they are all given to Me from among the people of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first child to be born, the first-born of all the people of Israel.

17 F or every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself.

For every first-born among the people of Israel is Mine, both of man and animal. I set them apart for Myself on the day that I killed all the first-born in the land of Egypt.

18 B ut I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel.

But I have taken the Levites instead of every first-born among the people of Israel.

19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary.”

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel. They will do the work of the people of Israel at the meeting tent. By this they take away the sins of the people of Israel. So no trouble will come upon the people of Israel if they come near the meeting tent.”

20 T hus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them.

Moses and Aaron and all the people of Israel did this to the Levites. The people of Israel did to them all the things the Lord had told Moses about the Levites.

21 T he Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.

The Levites made themselves pure, putting away their sin. And they washed their clothes. Aaron gave them as a wave gift before the Lord. He did what had to be done to pay for their sin so they would be clean.

22 T hen after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. Retirement

After that the Levites went in to do their work in the meeting tent in front of Aaron and his sons. So they did to the Levites just what the Lord had told Moses to do.

23 N ow the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses,

24 “ This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting.

“This is the rule for the Levites. Those who are twenty-five years old and older will go in to do the work of the meeting tent.

25 B ut at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work any more.

But when they are fifty years old they will stop these duties and not work any more.

26 T hey may, however, assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, to keep an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations.”

They may help their brothers in the meeting tent to do what needs to be done but they themselves must not do the work. These are the rules for the Levites when giving them their duties.”