The Seven Lamps

(Exodus 25:31-40)

1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 2‘Speak unto Aaron, and thou hast said unto him, In thy causing the lights to go up, over-against the face of the candlestick do the seven lights give light.’ 3And Aaron doth so; over-against the face of the candlestick he hath caused its lights to go up, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 4And this [is] the work of the candlestick: beaten work of gold; unto its thigh, unto its flower it [is] beaten work; as the appearance which Jehovah shewed Moses, so he hath made the candlestick.

Cleansing the Levites

5And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 6‘Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and thou hast cleansed them. 7‘And thus thou dost to them to cleanse them: sprinkle upon them waters of atonement, and they have caused a razor to pass over all their flesh, and have washed their garments, and cleansed themselves, 8and have taken a bullock, a son of the herd, and its present, flour mixed with oil, — and a second bullock a son of the herd thou dost take for a sin-offering, 9and thou hast brought near the Levites before the tent of meeting, and thou hast assembled the whole company of the sons of Israel, 10and thou hast brought near the Levites before Jehovah, and the sons of Israel have laid their hands on the Levites, 11and Aaron hath waved the Levites — a wave-offering before Jehovah, from the sons of Israel, and they have been — for doing the service of Jehovah. 12‘And the Levites lay their hands on the head of the bullocks, and make thou the one a sin-offering, and the one a burnt-offering to Jehovah, to atone for the Levites, 13and thou hast caused the Levites to stand before Aaron, and before his sons, and hast waved them — a wave-offering to Jehovah;

14and thou hast separated the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and the Levites have become Mine; 15and afterwards do the Levites come in to serve the tent of meeting, and thou hast cleansed them, and hast waved them — a wave-offering. 16‘For they are certainly given to Me out of the midst of the sons of Israel, instead of him who openeth any womb — the first-born of all — from the sons of Israel I have taken them to Myself; 17for Mine [is] every first-born among the sons of Israel, among man and among beast; in the day of my smiting every first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself; 18and I take the Levites instead of every first-born among the sons of Israel: 19‘And I give the Levites gifts to Aaron and to his sons, from the midst of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the sons of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the sons of Israel, and there is no plague among the sons of Israel in the sons of Israel’s drawing nigh unto the sanctuary.’

20And Moses doth — Aaron also, and all the company of the sons of Israel — to the Levites according to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses concerning the Levites; so have the sons of Israel done to them. 21And the Levites cleanse themselves, and wash their garments, and Aaron waveth them a wave-offering before Jehovah, and Aaron maketh atonement for them to cleanse them, 22and afterwards have the Levites gone in to do their service in the tent of meeting, before Aaron and before his sons; as Jehovah hath commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they have done to them.

Retirement for Levites

23And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 24‘This [is] that which [is] the Levites’: from a son of five and twenty years and upward he doth go in to serve the host in the service of the tent of meeting, 25and from a son of fifty years he doth return from the host of the service, and doth not serve any more, 26and he hath ministered with his brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and doth not do service; thus thou dost to the Levites concerning their charge.’