1 T he Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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

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

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

And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses.

4 N ow 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

Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. Cleansing and Dedication of the Levites

5 T hen the Lord said to Moses,

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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

“Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially.

7 T o 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.

Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.

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

Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering.

9 B ring the Levites in front of the meeting tent and gather together all the people of Israel also.

And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

10 B ring the Levites before the Lord and the people of Israel will lay their hands on the Levites.

So you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites;

11 A aron 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.

and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the Lord.

12 T he 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.

Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.

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

“And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the Lord.

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

Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.

15 A fter 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.

After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering.

16 F or 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.

For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel.

17 F or 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.

For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself.

18 B ut I have taken the Levites instead of every first-born among the people of Israel.

I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.

19 A nd 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.”

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

20 M oses 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.

Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them.

21 T he 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.

And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.

22 A fter 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.

After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

23 T he Lord said to Moses,

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

24 “ 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.

“This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting;

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

and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more.

26 T hey 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.”

They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.”