1 T he Lord said to Moses,

Yahweh 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 tell him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.’”

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.

Aaron did so. He lit its lamps to light the area in front of the lamp stand, as Yahweh 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

This was the workmanship of the lamp stand, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work: according to the pattern which Yahweh had shown Moses, so he made the lamp stand.

5 T hen the Lord said to Moses,

Yahweh 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.

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.

You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves.

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, and its meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and another young bull you shall take for a sin offering.

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

You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble 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.

You shall present the Levites before Yahweh. 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 Yahweh for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Yahweh.

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.

“The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering to Yahweh, 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.

You shall set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Yahweh.

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 do the service of the Tent of Meeting: and you shall cleanse them, and offer them as 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; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all the children of Israel, I have taken them to me.

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 animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for 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 among 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.”

I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent 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 to 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.

Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel did so to the Levites. According to all that Yahweh 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.

The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh; 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 service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron, and before his sons: as Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

23 T he Lord said to Moses,

Yahweh 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 that which belongs to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting;

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

and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve 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.”

but shall minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, and shall do no service. You shall do thus to the Levites concerning their duties.”