8:1 The LORD said to Moses,
8:2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.’”
8:3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the LORD commanded Moses.
8:4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold–from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.
8:5 The LORD said to Moses:
8:6 “Take the Levites from among the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.
8:7 To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
8:8 Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.
8:9 Bring the Levites to the front of the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community.
8:10 You are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them.
8:11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the LORD.
8:12 “After the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, use the one for a sin offering to the LORD and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.
8:13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the LORD.
8:14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.
8:15 “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the Tent of Meeting.
8:16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman.
8:17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself.
8:18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel.
8:19 Of all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”
8:20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the LORD commanded Moses.
8:21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD and made atonement for them to purify them.
8:22 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the LORD commanded Moses.
8:23 The LORD said to Moses,
8:24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting,
8:25 but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer.
8:26 They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”
8:1 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
8:2 Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in front of the lampstand.
8:3 And Aaron did so; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
8:4 Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, beaten work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was beaten work. According to the pattern which Jehovah had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
8:5 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
8:6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them.
8:7 And thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them pass a razor over all their flesh and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.
8:8 Then let them take a bull of the herd and its meal offering, fine flour mingled with oil; and a second bull of the herd you shall take for a sin offering.
8:9 And you shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel.
8:10 And you shall present the Levites before Jehovah, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites.
8:11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before Jehovah as a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may do the service of Jehovah.
8:12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to Jehovah to make expiation for the Levites.
8:13 And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Jehovah.
8:14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
8:15 Then after this the Levites may go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them as a wave offering.
8:16 For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of everyone who opens the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel.
8:17 For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both human and animal. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself.
8:18 And I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
8:19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make expiation for the children of Israel, that there may be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary.
8:20 Thus did Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly of the children of Israel do to the Levites; according to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel do to them.
8:21 And the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes. Then Aaron offered them as a wave offering before Jehovah, and Aaron made expiation for them to cleanse them.
8:22 And after this the Levites went in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and before his sons; as Jehovah had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
8:23 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
8:24 This is what applies to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting.
8:25 And from the age of fifty years they shall retire from the service in the work and shall serve no more.
8:26 But they may minister to their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to keep the charge, but they themselves shall do no service. Thus you shall do with the Levites concerning their charges.