1    2   The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Speak to Aaron in these words: “When you mount the seven lamps, see that they shed their light forwards in front of the lamp-stand.”’ 3   Aaron did this: he mounted the lamps, so as to shed light forwards in front of the lamp-stand, as the Lord had instructed Moses. 4   The lamp-stand was made of beaten-work in gold, as well as the stem and the petals. Moses made it to match the pattern which the Lord had shown him.

5    6   The Lord spoke to Moses and said: Take the Levites apart from the rest of the Israelites and cleanse them ritually. 7   This is what you shall do to cleanse them. Sprinkle lustral water over them; they shall then shave their whole bodies, wash their clothes, and so be cleansed. 8   Next, they shall take a young bull as a whole-offering ^note with its prescribed grain-offering, flour mixed with oil; and you shall take a second young bull as a sin-offering. 9   Bring the Levites before the Tent of the Presence and call the whole community of Israelites together. 10   Bring the Levites before the Lord, and let the Israelites lay their hands on their heads. 11   Aaron shall present the Levites before the Lord as a special gift from the Israelites, and they shall be dedicated to the service of the Lord. 12   The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; one bull shall be offered as a sin-offering and the other as a whole-offering to the Lord, to make expiation for the Levites. 13   Then you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, presenting them to the Lord as a special gift. 14   You shall thus separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and they shall be mine.

15   After this, the Levites shall enter the Tent of the Presence to serve in it, ritually cleansed and presented as a special gift; 16   for they are given and dedicated to me, out of all the Israelites. I have accepted them as mine in place of all that comes first from the womb, every first child among the Israelites; 17   for every first-born male creature, man or beast, among the Israelites is mine. On the day when I struck down every first-born creature in Egypt, I hallowed all the first-born of the Israelites to myself, 18   and I have accepted the Levites in their place. 19   I have given the Levites to Aaron and his sons, dedicated among the Israelites to perform the service of the Israelites in the Tent of the Presence and to make expiation for them, and then no calamity will befall them when they come close to the sanctuary.

Israel in the wilderness of Sinai

20   Moses and Aaron and the whole community of Israelites carried out all the commands the Lord had given to Moses for the dedication of the Levites. 21   The Levites purified themselves of sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a special gift before the Lord and made expiation for them, to cleanse them. 22   Then at last they went in to perform their service in the Tent of the Presence, before Aaron and his sons. Thus the commands the Lord had given to Moses concerning the Levites were all carried out.

23    24   The Lord spoke to Moses and said: Touching the Levites: they shall begin their active work in the service of the Tent of the Presence at the age of twenty-five. 25   At the age of fifty a Levite shall retire from regular service and shall serve no longer. 26   He may continue to assist his colleagues in attendance in the Tent of the Presence but shall perform no regular service. This is how you shall arrange the attendance of the Levites.

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