NUMBERS 8

So Yehowah spoke to Moses, and said, 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. 3 And Aaron did so; he set up its lamps facing forwards on the lampstand, as Yehowah commanded Moses. 4 And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; down to its shaft and up to its flowers it was hammered work; Moses made the lampstand according to the pattern which Yehowah had shown him.

5 Then Yehowah spoke to Moses, and said, 6 Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And you shall cleanse them like this: sprinkle upon them some water of expiation,* and let them shave all their flesh with a razor, and let them wash their clothes and clean themselves. 8 Then let them take a young bull from the herd, with its grain-offering of fine flour mixed with oil; and you shall take another young bull from the herd for a sin-offering. 9 And you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting, and shall call together the whole congregation of the sons of Israel. 10 When you present the Levites before Yehowah, the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; 11 and Aaron shall set the Levites aside as an offering before Yehowah from among the sons of Israel, so that they may be used in the service of Yehowah. 12 And the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; and you must present the one for a sin-offering to Yehowah, and the other for a burnt-offering, to make a reconciliation for the Levites. 13 And you shall cause the Levites to attend on Aaron and his sons, and shall set them aside as an offering to Yehowah. * lit sin

14 So you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and set them aside as an offering. 16 For they are given to me completely from among the sons of Israel; I have taken them for myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17 For all the firstborn of the sons of Israel are mine, both man and beast; I sanctified them for myself on the day when I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt; 18 and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the sons of Israel, to do work for the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting, and to act as a shield for the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel should the sons of Israel come near the sanctuary.

20 Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel did this to the Levites; the sons of Israel did to the Levites just as Yehowah had commanded Moses concerning them. 21 And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and washed their clothes; and Aaron set them aside as an offering before Yehowah; and Aaron made a reconciliation for them, to cleanse them. 22 And after that the Levites went in to do their work at the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; they did to the Levites just as Yehowah had commanded Moses concerning them.

23 Then Yehowah spoke to Moses, and said, 24 This is what concerns the Levites: from twenty-five years of age and over they shall go in to perform service, to do the work of the tent of meeting; 25 and after the age of fifty they shall retire from active service and shall serve no more. 26 Yet they shall minister with their brothers at the tent of meeting, performing their duties, but they shall not do any service. You shall do this to the Levites in respect of their duties.