1And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
2"Speak to Aaron, and say to him: When you set up the lamps, toward the front of the lampstand the seven lamps shall give light."
3And Aaron did so; toward the front of the lampstand he set up its lamps, as YHWH commanded (tzivvah) Moses.
4And this was the work of the lampstand: beaten work of gold; from its base to its flower it was beaten work; according to the appearance which YHWH had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
5And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
6"Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
7And thus you shall do to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle upon them water of purification, and let them pass a razor over all their flesh (basar), and they shall wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.
8And let them take a young bull, son of the herd, and its grain-offering, fine flour mingled with oil; and a second young bull, son of the herd, you shall take for a sin-offering.
9And you shall bring the Levites near before the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed), and you shall assemble all the congregation of the children of Israel.
10And you shall bring the Levites near before YHWH, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites.
11And Aaron shall wave the Levites as a wave-offering before YHWH from the children of Israel, that they may be to serve (avad) the service (avodah) of YHWH.
12And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the head of the bulls; and make the one a sin-offering and the other a burnt-offering to YHWH, to make atonement for the Levites.
13And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and wave them as a wave-offering to YHWH.
14And you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
15And after that the Levites shall go in to serve (avad) the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed); and you shall cleanse them and wave them as a wave-offering.
16For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; instead of the opening of every womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel, I have taken them to Me.
17For Mine is every firstborn among the children of Israel, among man (adam) and among beast; in the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself.
18And I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the children of Israel.
19And I have given the Levites as given ones to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to serve (avad) the service (avodah) of the children of Israel in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed), and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near to the holy place."
20And Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites according to all that YHWH commanded (tzivvah) Moses concerning the Levites; so did the children of Israel to them.
21And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; and Aaron waved them as a wave-offering before YHWH, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22And after that the Levites went in to serve (avad) their service (avodah) in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed) before Aaron and before his sons; as YHWH commanded (tzivvah) Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
23And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
24"This is what pertains to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward he shall come to wage the warfare in the service (avodah) of the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed);
25and from fifty years old he shall return from the warfare of the service (avodah), and shall serve (avad) no more;
26but he shall minister with his brothers in the tent (ohel) of appointed time (moed), to keep the charge (mishmeret), but service (avodah) he shall not serve (avad). Thus you shall do to the Levites concerning their charges (mishmeret)."