The Seven Lamps
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps should provide light in front of the lampstand.’ ”
3 Aaron did so. He lit its lamps to light the area in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This was the workmanship of the lampstand: From its base to its flowers, it was the work of hammered gold with which he made the lampstand, according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses.
Cleansing the Levites
5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites, and ceremonially cleanse them. 7 You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle the cleansing water on them, have them shave their whole bodies with a razor, and have them wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then have them take a young bull and its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, and another young bull you shall take for a sin offering. 9 You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the Israelites. 10 You shall present the Levites before the Lord. The Israelites shall lay their hands on the Levites, 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for a wave offering on behalf of the Israelites, that it may be theirs to do the service of the Lord.
12 The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 You shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to the Lord. 14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites shall be mine.
15 After that, the Levites shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. You shall ceremonially cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering. 16 For they are wholly given to me from among the Israelites; instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the Israelites, I have taken them for myself. 17 For all the firstborn among the Israelites are mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for myself.
18 I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the Israelites. 19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the Israelites, to be of service to the Israelites in the Tent of Meeting and to make atonement for the Israelites, so that there will be no plague among them when the Israelites come near to the sanctuary.”
20 Moses, and Aaron, and the entire congregation of the Israelites did so to the Levites. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the Israelites did to them. 21 The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
Retirement for Levites
23 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what is assigned to the Levites: From 25 years old and up they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting, 25 and from the age of 50 years they shall retire from doing the work and shall serve no more. 26 They may assist their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall not do the work. This is how you shall have the Levites do their duties.”