Numbers 8

The Seven Lamps

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you 1mount the lamps, the seven lamps will 2give light in the front of the lampstand.’” 3Aaron therefore did so; he 3mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 44Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; 5according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing the Levites

5Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6“Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and 6cleanse them. 7Thus you shall do to them, for their 7cleansing: sprinkle 8purifying 9water on them, and let them 1011use a razor over their whole 12body and 13wash their clothes, and they will be clean. 8Then let them take a 14bull with 15its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and a second 16bull you shall take for a sin offering. 9So 17you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. 18You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, 10and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel 19shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11Aaron then shall 20present the Levites before the Lord as a 21wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may 22qualify to perform the service of the Lord. 12Now 23the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

14“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and 24the Levites shall be Mine. 15Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and 25present them as a wave offering; 16for they are 26wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself 27instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17For 28every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself. 18But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel. 1929I have given the Levites as 30a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no 31plague among the sons of Israel by 32their coming near to the sanctuary.”

20Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. 2133The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement

23Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24“This is what applies to the Levites: from 34twenty-five years old and upward 35they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. 25But at the age of fifty years they shall 36retire from service in the work and not work any more. 26They may, however, 37assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, 38to keep an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations.”