1. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2. “Speak to Aaron, and tell him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.’”
3. Aaron did so. He lit its lamps to light the area in front of the lamp stand, as the Lord commanded Moses.
4. This was the workmanship of the lamp stand, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work. He made the lamp stand according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses.
5. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
6. “Take the Levites from amongst the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
7. You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves.
8. Then let them take a young bull and its meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and another young bull you shall take for a sin offering.
9. You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel.
10. You shall present the Levites before the Lord. The children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites,
11. and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for a wave offering on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of the Lord.
12. “The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.
13. You shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to the Lord.
14. Thus you shall separate the Levites from amongst the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
15. “After that, the Levites shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. You shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering.
16. For they are wholly given to me from amongst the children of Israel; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all the children of Israel, I have taken them to me.
17. For all the firstborn amongst the children of Israel are mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for myself.