Numbers 8

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

² "Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand."

³ Aaron did so; he set up its lamps so they gave light in front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁴ This is how the lampstand was made: it was hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms it was hammered work. It was made exactly according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.

⁵ The LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

⁶ "Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.

⁷ This is how you are to cleanse them: Sprinkle the water of purification on them; then have them shave their whole body and wash their clothes, and so cleanse themselves.

⁸ Then have them take a young bull, along with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with oil; and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.

⁹ Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community.

¹⁰ You are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them.

¹¹ Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the LORD.

¹² Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you are to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.

¹³ Have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and present them as a wave offering to the LORD.

¹⁴ In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be Mine.

¹⁵ After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting.

¹⁶ They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to Me. I have taken them as My own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring of every Israelite woman.

¹⁷ Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is Mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for Myself.

¹⁸ And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites.

¹⁹ From among all the Israelites I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons, to do the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for them, so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they come near the sanctuary."

²⁰ Moses, Aaron, and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning them.

²¹ The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD and made atonement for them to cleanse them.

²² After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²³ The LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

²⁴ "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting,

²⁵ but at the age of fifty they must retire from their regular service and work no longer.

²⁶ They may assist their fellow Levites in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves are not to do the work. This is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites."