Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and say to
him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in
front of the lampstand.” And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in
front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. And 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
that the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the Levites from among
the people of Israel and cleanse them. Thus you shall do to them to
cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let
them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes
and cleanse themselves. Then let them take a bull from the herd and
its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take
another bull from the herd for a sin offering. And you shall bring
the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole
congregation of the people of Israel. When you bring the Levites
before the LORD, the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the
Levites, and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a
wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the
service of the LORD. Then 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 the LORD to make atonement
for the Levites. And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his
sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the LORD.
“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of
Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. And after that the Levites
shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed
them and offered them as a wave offering. For they are wholly given
to me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the
womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them
for myself. For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are
mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself,
and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the
people of Israel. And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron
and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for
the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement
for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the
people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the
sanctuary.”
Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people
of Israel to the Levites. According to all that the LORD commanded
Moses concerning the Levites, the people of Israel did to them. And
the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes,
and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the LORD, and
Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. And after that the
Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before
Aaron and his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the
Levites, so they did to them.
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “This applies to the
Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to
do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. And from the age of
fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and
serve no more. They minister to their brothers in the tent of
meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall
you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.”
