1.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2.
Speak to Aaron and say to him: "When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast their light toward the face of the menorah."
3.
Aaron did so; he lit the lamps toward the face of the menorah, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
4.
This was the form of the menorah: hammered work of gold, from its base to its flower it was hammered work; according to the form that the Lord had shown Moses, so did he construct the menorah.
5.
The Lord spoke to Moses saying:
6.
Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them.
7.
This is what you shall do to them so as to cleanse them: sprinkle them with cleansing water and pass a razor over all their flesh; then they shall wash their garments and cleanse themselves.
8.
Then they shall take a young bull with its meal offering of fine flour mingled with oil. And you shall take a second young bull as a sin offering.
9.
You shall bring the Levites in front of the Tent of Meeting, and you shall gather the entire congregation of the children of Israel.
10.
You shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites.
11.
Then Aaron shall lift up the Levites as a waving before the Lord on behalf of the children of Israel, that they may serve in the Lord's service.
12.
The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and make one as a sin offering and one as a burnt offering to the Lord, to atone for the Levites.
13.
You shall present the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and lift them as a waving before the Lord.
14.
Thus shall you set apart the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, and the Levites shall become Mine.
15.
Following this, the Levites shall come to serve in the Tent of Meeting. You shall cleanse them and lift them as a waving.
16.
For they are wholly given over to Me from among the children of Israel; instead of those that open the womb all the firstborn of Israel I have taken them for Myself.
17.
For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine whether man or beast since the day I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt; I have sanctified them for Myself.
18.
And I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
19.
I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to perform the service for the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting and to atone on behalf of the children of Israel, so that the children of Israel will not be inflicted with plague when they approach the Sanctuary.
20.
So Moses, Aaron, and the entire congregation of Israel did [this] to the Levites; the children of Israel did [in accordance with] all that the Lord had instructed Moses regarding the Levites.
21.
The Levites cleansed themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron lifted them as a waving before the Lord, and Aaron atoned for them to cleanse them.
22.
After that, the Levites came to perform the service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and before his sons; they did to them just as the Lord had commanded Moses regarding the Levites.
23.
The Lord spoke to Moses saying:
24.
This is [the rule] concerning the Levites: From the age of twenty five years and upwards, he shall enter the service to work in the Tent of Meeting.
25.
From the age of fifty he shall retire from the work legion, and do no more work.
26.
He shall minister with his brethren in the Tent of Meeting to keep the charge, but he shall not perform the service; thus shall you do for the Levites regarding their charge.
