Numbers 8

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Speak to Aaron, and tell him, When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.

3 Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps of it [so as to give light] in front of the lampstand, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

4 This was the work of the lampstand, beaten work of gold; to the base of it, [and] to the flowers of it, it was beaten work: according to the pattern which Yahweh had showed Moses, so he made the lampstand.

5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

7 Thus shall you do to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of expiation on them, and let them cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves.

8 Then let them take a young bull, and its meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil; and another young bull shall you take for a sin- offering.

9 You shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting: and you shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel:

10 and you shall present the Levites before Yahweh. The children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites:

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

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

14 Thus shall you separate the Levites from among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine.

15 After that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tent of meeting: and you shall cleanse them, and offer them for a wave-offering.

16 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, have I taken them to me.

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

19 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 Thus did Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the Levites: according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses touching the Levites, so did the children of Israel to them.

21 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 After that went the Levites 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 did they to them.

23 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

24 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 and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more,

26 but shall minister with their brothers in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites touching their charges.