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v1
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
v2
“Speak to Aaron, and say to him: ‘When you are setting up the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in front of the face of the lampstand.‘“
v3
And Aaron did so; he set up the lampstand in front of the face of its lamps, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
v4
And this is how the lampstand was made, ^[Literally “the work of the lampstand”] a hammered-work of gold; from its base up to its blossom, ^[Or “flower”] it was hammered-work according to the pattern that Yahweh showed Moses; so he made the lampstand.
v5
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
v6
“Take the Levites from the midst of the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] and purify them.
v7
So you will do to them, to purify them: sprinkle on them waters of purification, and they will shave their whole body ^[Literally “they will send a razor on all their body”] and wash their garments.
v8
And they will take a young bull ^[Literally “a bull, a son of cattle”] and its grain offering of finely milled flour mixed with oil, and you will take a second young bull ^[Literally “a bull, a son of cattle”] as a sin offering.
v9
You will bring the Levites before ^[Literally “in the presence of”] the tent of assembly, and you will summon the entire community of the Israelites. ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”]
v10
And you will bring the Levites before Yahweh, ^[Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”] and the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] will lay their hands on the Levites,
v11
and Aaron will offer ^[Literally “Aaron will wave”] the Levites as a wave offering before Yahweh ^[Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”] from the Israelites, ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] and they will do the work of Yahweh.
v12
And the Levites will lay their hands on the head of the one bull and offer it as a sin offering and the other one as a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites.
v13
And you will present the Levites before ^[Literally “in the presence of”] Aaron and before ^[Literally “in the presence of”] his sons, and he will offer ^[Literally “Aaron will wave”] them as a wave offering to Yahweh.
v14
“And you will separate the Levites from the midst of the Israelites, ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] and the Levites will be for me.
v15
And after this the Levites will come to serve at the tent of assembly, and you will purify them, and you will offer ^[Literally “Aaron will wave”] them as a wave offering.
v16
For they are given to me exclusively from the midst of the Israelites. ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] I have taken them for myself in place of the firstborn of every womb, every firstborn from the Israelites. ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”]
v17
For every firstborn among the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] is mine, both humankind and animal. On the day I destroyed every firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them to me,
v18
and I have taken the Levites in the place of every firstborn among the Israelites. ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”]
v19
And I have given the Levites; they are given to Aaron and his sons from the midst of the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] to do the work of the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] in the tent of the assembly and to make atonement for the Israelites, ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] so a plague will not be among the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] when the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] come near the sanctuary.”
v20
And Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] did to the Levites; everything that Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] did to them.
v21
And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their garments, and Aaron offered them ^[Literally “Aaron waved them”] as a wave offering before Yahweh; ^[Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”] and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.
v22
After this the Levites came to do their work in the tent of assembly before Aaron and his sons. Just as Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levities, so they did to them.
v23
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
v24
“This is what is for the Levites: those twenty-five years old ^[Literally “from a son of twenty-five years”] and above will ^[Hebrew “and he will”] come to help with the service in the work of the tent of assembly;
v25
and those fifty years old ^[Literally “from a son of fifty years”] will ^[Hebrew “he will”] return from the service of the work and will serve no longer.
v26
They ^[Hebrew “he”] can attend ^[Or “assist”] their brothers in the tent of assembly to keep their responsibilities, but they ^[Hebrew “he”] will not do work. This is what you will do concerning the Levities and their responsibilities.”