1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the face of the lampstand. 3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the face of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 And this work of the lampstand was of beaten gold, from the shaft thereof unto the flowers thereof; it was beaten work; according unto the pattern which the LORD had showed Moses, so he made the lampstand.
5 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 6 Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of atonement for sin upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and be clean. 8 Then let them take a young bullock with his present, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou offer as sin. 9 And thou shalt offer the Levites before the tabernacle of the testimony, and thou shalt gather the whole congregation of the sons of Israel together; 10 and thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD, and the sons of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites; 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for a wave offering of the sons of Israel, and they shall serve in the ministry of the LORD. 12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks; and thou shalt offer the one as the sin, and the other as a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to reconcile the Levites. 13 And thou shalt cause the Levites to present themselves before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.
14 And thou shalt separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine. 15 Thus shall the Levites go in to minister in the tabernacle of the testimony; and thou shalt cleanse them and wave them for an offering. 16 For they are completely given unto me from among the sons of Israel, instead of each one that opens the womb; instead of the firstborn of all the sons of Israel, I have taken them for myself. 17 For all the firstborn of the sons of Israel are mine, both of man and of animals; from the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the sons of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, that they may serve the ministry of the sons of Israel in the tabernacle of the testimony and reconcile the sons of Israel, that there be no plague in the sons of Israel when the sons of Israel come near unto the sanctuary.
20 And Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the sons of Israel unto them. 21 And the sin was removed from the Levites, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before the LORD; and Aaron reconciled them to cleanse them. 22 And thus went the Levites in to serve in their ministry in the tabernacle of the testimony before Aaron and before his sons; in the manner that the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.
23 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 24 This regarding the Levites from twenty-five years old and upward, they shall go in to serve in the host of the tabernacle of the testimony. 25 And from the age of fifty years they shall return from their ministry unto the host and shall never serve again, 26 but shall serve with their brethren in the tabernacle of the testimony, to stand guard, even though they do not serve in the ministry. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.