The Lampstand
Aaron sets up the seven lamps, and the Levites are washed, shaved, and waved before our Father as Israel's living offering — given in place of the firstborn so the people can come near without plague. Their service runs from twenty-five to fifty.
8 1Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
2"Say to Aaron: When you mount the lamps, the seven must shine before the lampstand."
3Aaron did so, lighting its lamps to shine toward the lampstand's front, as our Father commanded Moses. 4The lampstand's work: hammered gold, hammered from base to blossoms—made exactly as our Father showed Moses.
Set Apart for Our Father
5Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
6"Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. 7To cleanse them, do this: sprinkle purification water on them, run a razor over their whole body, wash their clothes, and be clean. a a v7 The water of purification was a special cleansing water used in the Levites' setting-apart, marking them as made clean to serve in our Father's presence. 8Let them take a young bull from the herd, its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull from the herd for a sin offering. 9Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting, and gather the whole community of Israel's people. 10When you present the Levites before me, Israelites are to lay hands on the Levites, 11Aaron is to wave the Levites before me, an offering from the Israelites, to do my service. 12The Levites will lay their hands on the bulls' heads; offer one as a sin offering, one as a burnt offering to me, to atone for the Levites. 13Set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and present them to me as a wave offering. 14Separate the Levites from among Israel's people; the Levites are mine. 15Then the Levites will enter to serve the tent of meeting, once you've cleansed and waved them as a wave offering. 16For they are fully given to me from among Israel's sons, in place of every womb-opener—firstborn of all Israel's sons—I took them for myself. 17All Israel's firstborn, human or animal, are mine; the day I struck all Egypt's firstborn, I set them apart for myself. 18And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. 19I have given the Levites to Aaron and his sons, a gift from Israel's people, to serve Israel's people at the tent of meeting, atone for Israel's people, so no plague strikes Israel's people nearing the sanctuary."
20Moses, Aaron, and Israel's whole assembly did to the Levites all our Father commanded Moses about the Levites; Israel's people did to them. 21The Levites purified themselves from sin, washed their clothes; Aaron offered them as a wave offering before our Father, atoned for them to cleanse them. 22After that, the Levites came to serve in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; they did to the Levites as our Father commanded Moses.
23Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
24"This applies to the Levites: from age twenty-five, they are to come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting. 25From age fifty they must retire from service work and serve no longer. 26They may assist their brothers at the tent of meeting by standing guard, but do no work. This is how you are to assign the Levites' duties."
