1And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying:
2“Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.”
3And Aaron did so; in front of the lampstand he set up its lamps, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
4And this was the workmanship of the lampstand: hammered work of gold; from its base to its blossom it was hammered work. According to the pattern that Yahweh had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
5And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying:
6“Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.”
7And thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle upon them the water of purification, and let them pass a razor over all their flesh, and let them wash their garments and cleanse themselves.
8Then let them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and a second young bull you shall take for a sin offering.
9And you shall bring the Levites near before the tent of meeting, and you shall assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel.
10And you shall bring the Levites near before Yahweh, and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites.
11And Aaron shall wave the Levites as a wave offering before Yahweh from the sons of Israel, that they may perform the service of Yahweh.
12And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the head of the bulls; then offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites.
13And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and wave them as a wave offering to Yahweh.
14And you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
15And after you have cleansed them and waved them as a wave offering, the Levites shall come to serve the tent of meeting.
16For they are wholly given to me from among the sons of Israel; in place of the opening of every womb, the firstborn of all from the sons of Israel, I have taken them for myself.
17For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is mine, both of man and of beast; on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself.
18And I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel.
19And I have given the Levites as those wholly given to Aaron and his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the sons of Israel, so that there be no plague among the sons of Israel when the sons of Israel come near to the sanctuary.
20And Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel did to the Levites according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites; so the sons of Israel did to them.
21And the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their garments, and Aaron waved them as a wave offering before Yahweh, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22And after this the Levites came to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
23And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying:
24“This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward he shall come to serve in the labor force in the service of the tent of meeting.
25But from fifty years old he shall return from the labor force of the service and shall serve no more.
26He may assist his brothers in the tent of meeting to keep the charge, but he shall not perform the service. Thus you shall do for the Levites in their charges.”
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