{Num 8:1-9:14; Lev 1:1-3:17 ^**}

    ^8:1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ^8:2Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you light the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in front of the lamp-stand. ^8:3 And Aaron did so. He lit the lamps of it in front of the lamp-stand, as Jehovah commanded Moses. ^8:4 And this was the work of the lamp-stand, beaten work of gold. To the base of it, and it was beaten work to the flowers of it. According to the pattern which Jehovah had shown Moses, so he made the lamp-stand.

    ^8:5 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ^8:6 Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them. ^8:7 And you will do thus to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of sin offering upon them and let them cause a razor to pass over all their flesh and let them wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. ^8:8 Then let them take a young bull and its food-offering– fine flour mingled with oil. And you will take another young bull for a sin-offering. ^8:9 And you will present the Levites before the tent of meeting. And you will assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, ^8:10 and you will present the Levites before Jehovah. And the sons of Israel will lay their hands upon the Levites.

    ^8:11 And Aaron will offer the Levites before Jehovah for a wave-offering from the sons of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Jehovah. ^8:12 And the Levites will lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks and offer you the one for a sin-offering and the other for a burnt-offering, to Jehovah, to make atonement for the Levites. ^8:13And you will set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons and offer them for a wave-offering to Jehovah. ^8:14 And you will separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel and the Levites will be mine. ^8:15 And after that the Levites will go in to do the service of the tent of meeting. And you will cleanse them and offer them for a wave-offering.

    ^8:16 Because they are entirely given to me from among the sons of Israel; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all the sons of Israel, I have taken them to me. ^8:17 Because all the firstborn among the sons of Israel are mine, both man and beast. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made them holy for myself. ^8:18 And I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel. ^8:19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among 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, that no plague is among the sons of Israel, when the sons of Israel come near to the sanctuary.

    ^8:20 And Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel did to the Levites. According to all that Jehovah commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. ^8:21 And the Levites purified themselves from sin and they washed their clothes. And Aaron offered them for a wave-offering before Jehovah and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. ^8:22And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As Jehovah had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

    ^8:23 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ^8:24This is what belongs to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and upward they will go in to wait upon the service in the work of the tent of meeting.^8:25 And from the age of fifty years they will cease waiting upon the work and will serve no more, ^8:26 but will minister with their brothers in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge and will do no service. You will do to the Levites this way concerning their charges.