Numbers 8

1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you light the lamps toward the front of the lampstand, the seven lamps shall shine.

3Aaron did so; he lit its lamps facing the front of the menorah, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

4This was the workmanship of the menorah, beaten gold from its shaft to its blossoms; it was beaten work, according to the pattern that Yahweh had shown Moses, so he made the menorah.

5Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

6Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and purify them.

7Thus you shall treat them to purify them: sprinkle purification waters on them, and let them shave all their flesh with a razor, wash their garments, and cleanse themselves.

8They shall take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull for a sin offering.

9Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting, and assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

10You shall bring the Levites before Yahweh, and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.

11Aaron shall wave the Levites before Yahweh as a wave offering from the children of Israel, and they shall be to perform the service of Yahweh.

12The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to Yahweh to make atonement for the Levites.

13You shall station the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and wave them as a wave offering to Yahweh.

14Set the Levites apart from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites will be mine.

15After that, the Levites shall enter to serve at the tent of meeting, and you shall purify them and wave them as a wave offering.

16For they are wholly given to me from among the sons of Israel, in place of everyone who opens the womb, every firstborn among the sons of Israel; I have taken them for myself.

17For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is mine, both human and beast; on the day I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated them to myself.

18I took the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.

19I have given the Levites given to Aaron and his sons from among the sons of Israel to perform the service of the sons of Israel in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the sons of Israel, that no plague be among the sons of Israel when the sons of Israel come near the sanctuary.

20Moses, Aaron, and the entire assembly of Israel's children acted toward the Levites according to everything Yahweh commanded Moses about the Levites; Israel's children did likewise for them.

21The Levites purified themselves and washed their garments; Aaron waved them as a wave offering before Yahweh, and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.

22After that, the Levites entered to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons, as Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites; so they did to them.

23Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

24This is for the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting.

25From the age of fifty years they shall return from the host of the service and shall serve no more.

26But they shall minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting to keep the watch, and shall do no work; thus you shall do for the Levites in their duties.