Aaron Lights the Lamps

1And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

2Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.

3And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses.

4And this work of the lampstand was of hammered gold, its shaft and its flowers were hammered work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing of the Levites

5And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

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

7And thus shall you do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.

8Then let them take a young bullock with its grain offering, even fine flour mixed with oil, and another young bullock shall you take for a sin offering.

9And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting: and you shall gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:

10And you shall bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:

11And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.

12And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and you shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.

13And you shall set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.

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

15And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of meeting: and you shall cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.

16For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of all that open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.

17For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and animal: on the day that I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.

18And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.

19And 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 tabernacle of meeting, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come near unto the sanctuary.

20And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel to them.

21And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.

22And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.

Ages of the Levites

23And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

24This is what pertains to the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of meeting:

25And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:

26But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall you do unto the Levites regarding their duties.