Numbers 8Book 4 of 66 · 26 verses · MBT primary, NKJV fallback where MBT pending

  1. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
  2. Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.
  3. And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to give light toward the front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses.
  4. Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work, and according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
  5. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
  6. Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and make them ceremonially clean.
  7. Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave their entire body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
  8. Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take a second young bull as a sin offering.
  9. And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall assemble together the whole congregation of the children of Israel.
  10. So you shall present the Levites before the LORD, and the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.
  11. And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may be dedicated to perform the work of the LORD.
  12. Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.
  13. And you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and then present them as a wave offering to the LORD.
  14. Thus you shall set apart the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
  15. After that the Levites shall go in to serve the tabernacle of meeting, once you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering.
  16. For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself in place of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel.
  17. For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for Myself.
  18. I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
  19. And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to perform the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the children of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.
  20. Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites, carefully following all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them.
  21. The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
  22. After that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
  23. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
  24. This is what applies to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform duty in the service of the tabernacle of meeting.
  25. And at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing this work and shall serve no more.
  26. They may assist their brothers in the tabernacle of meeting to keep guard and attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no service. Thus you shall deal with the Levites regarding their duties.