1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Tell Aaron: When you put the lamps in place, the seven lamps are to cast their light toward the front of the lampstand."
3 Aaron did so; he put its lamps in place toward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
4 The lampstand was made like this: it was hammered gold, hammered work from its base to its blossoms. He made the lampstand after the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.
5 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
6 "Take the Levites out from among the children of Israel and purify them.
7 This is what you are to do to purify them: sprinkle the water of cleansing from sin on them; have them pass a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
8 Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull as a sin offering.
9 Bring the Levites forward in front of the tent of meeting and gather the whole congregation of the children of Israel.
10 When you have brought the Levites before the LORD, the children of Israel are to lay their hands on the Levites,
11 and Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the children of Israel, so that they may perform the work of the LORD.
12 The Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.
13 Have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and present them as a wave offering to the LORD.
14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the rest of the children of Israel, and the Levites will be mine.
15 After that the Levites may go in to serve at the tent of meeting, once you have purified them and presented them as a wave offering.
16 For they are given, given outright, to me from among the children of Israel. I have taken them for myself in place of all that open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel.
17 Every firstborn among the children of Israel is mine, whether man or beast; I set them apart for myself on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt.
18 But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the children of Israel,
19 and from among the children of Israel I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons, to do the work for the children of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the children of Israel, so that no plague may strike the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary."
20 Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of the children of Israel did this with the Levites. The children of Israel did with them everything the LORD had commanded Moses about the Levites.
21 The Levites cleansed themselves from sin and washed their clothes; Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD and made atonement for them to purify them.
22 After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. What the LORD had commanded Moses about the Levites, that is what they did with them.
23 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
24 "This is the rule for the Levites: from twenty-five years old and above a man is to enter the ranks of those serving in the work of the tent of meeting.
25 At fifty years old he is to retire from the ranks of the service and work no longer.
26 He may help his brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping watch, but he is not to do the work. This is how you are to arrange the duties of the Levites."