| New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: | 1The LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 2“Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.’ ” | 2"Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand." |
| 3And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. | 3So Aaron did this; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand just as the LORD had commanded Moses. |
| 4Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. | 4This is the way the lampstand was made: it was a hammered work of gold, hammered from its base to its flower petals. The lampstand was made according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses. |
| 5Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: | 5The LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 6“Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. | 6"Take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them. |
| 7Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. | 7Do this to them for their purification: Sprinkle them with the purification water. Have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. |
| 8Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. | 8"They are to take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. |
| 9And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. | 9Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community. |
| 10So you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; | 10Then present the Levites before the LORD, and have the Israelites lay their hands on them. |
| 11and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the LORD. | 11Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the LORD's work. |
| 12Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. | 12Next the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. |
| 13“And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the LORD. | 13"You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you are to present them before the LORD as a presentation offering. |
| 14Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. | 14In this way you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites so that the Levites will belong to me. |
| 15After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering. | 15After that the Levites may come to serve at the tent of meeting, once you have ceremonially cleansed them and presented them as a presentation offering. |
| 16For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel. | 16For they have been exclusively assigned to me from the Israelites. I have taken them for myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn. |
| 17For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself. | 17For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to myself on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt. |
| 18I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel. | 18But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites. |
| 19And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle 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 the sanctuary.” | 19From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary." |
| 20Thus 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 the children of Israel did to them. | 20Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community did this to the Levites. The Israelites did everything to them the LORD commanded Moses regarding the Levites. |
| 21And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them like 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 before the LORD as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them ceremonially. |
| 22After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. | 22After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. So they did to them as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites. |
| 23Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 23The LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 24“This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting; | 24"In regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting. |
| 25and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. | 25But at fifty years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve. |
| 26They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.” | 26He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties." |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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