| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 1The LORD said to Moses, |
| 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.” | 2"Speak to Aaron and say to him, 'When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.'" |
| 3And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. | 3Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the LORD commanded Moses. |
| 4And 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. | 4This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold--from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the LORD had shown Moses. |
| 5And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 5The LORD said to Moses: |
| 6“Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. | 6"Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. |
| 7Thus 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. | 7To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. |
| 8Then 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. | 8Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. |
| 9And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel. | 9Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. |
| 10When you bring the Levites before the LORD, the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, | 10You are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. |
| 11and 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. | 11Aaron 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. |
| 12Then 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. | 12"Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the LORD and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. |
| 13And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the LORD. | 13Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the LORD. |
| 14“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. | 14In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. |
| 15And 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. | 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. |
| 16For 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. | 16They 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 from every Israelite woman. |
| 17For 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, | 17Every 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. |
| 18and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. | 18And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. |
| 19And 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.” | 19From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary." |
| 20Thus 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. | 20Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the LORD commanded Moses. |
| 21And 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. | 21The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD and made atonement for them to purify them. |
| 22And 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. | 22After 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 commanded Moses. |
| 23And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 23The LORD said to Moses, |
| 24“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. | 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, |
| 25And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. | 25but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. |
| 26They 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.” | 26They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites." |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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