| New Living Translation | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The LORD said to Moses, | 1The LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 2“Give Aaron the following instructions: When you set up the seven lamps in the lampstand, place them so their light shines forward in front of the lampstand.” | 2"Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand." |
| 3So Aaron did this. He set up the seven lamps so they reflected their light forward, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. | 3So Aaron did this; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand just as the LORD had commanded Moses. |
| 4The entire lampstand, from its base to its decorative blossoms, was made of beaten gold. It was built according to the exact design the LORD had shown Moses. The Levites Dedicated | 4This is the way the lampstand was made: it was a hammered work of gold, hammered from its base to its flower petals. The lampstand was made according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses. |
| 5Then the LORD said to Moses, | 5The LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 6“Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean. | 6"Take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them. |
| 7Do this by sprinkling them with the water of purification, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothing. Then they will be ceremonially clean. | 7Do this to them for their purification: Sprinkle them with the purification water. Have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. |
| 8Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil, along with a second young bull for a sin offering. | 8"They are to take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. |
| 9Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle. | 9Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community. |
| 10When you present the Levites before the LORD, the people of Israel must lay their hands on them. | 10Then present the Levites before the LORD, and have the Israelites lay their hands on them. |
| 11Raising his hands, Aaron must then present the Levites to the LORD as a special offering from the people of Israel, thus dedicating them to the LORD’s service. | 11Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the LORD's work. |
| 12“Next the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Present one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to purify the Levites and make them right with the LORD. | 12Next the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. |
| 13Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the LORD. | 13"You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you are to present them before the LORD as a presentation offering. |
| 14In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me. | 14In this way you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites so that the Levites will belong to me. |
| 15After this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them and presented them as a special offering. | 15After that the Levites may come to serve at the tent of meeting, once you have ceremonially cleansed them and presented them as a presentation offering. |
| 16“Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. | 16For they have been exclusively assigned to me from the Israelites. I have taken them for myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn. |
| 17For all the firstborn males among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. I set them apart for myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. | 17For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to myself on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt. |
| 18Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. | 18But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites. |
| 19And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.” | 19From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary." |
| 20So Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following all the LORD’s instructions to Moses. | 20Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community did this to the Levites. The Israelites did everything to them the LORD commanded Moses regarding the Levites. |
| 21The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron lifted them up and presented them to the LORD as a special offering. He then offered a sacrifice to purify them and make them right with the LORD. | 21The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them before the LORD as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them ceremonially. |
| 22After that the Levites went into the Tabernacle to perform their duties, assisting Aaron and his sons. So they carried out all the commands that the LORD gave Moses concerning the Levites. | 22After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. So they did to them as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites. |
| 23The LORD also instructed Moses, | 23The LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 24“This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, | 24"In regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting. |
| 25and they must retire at the age of fifty. | 25But at fifty years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve. |
| 26After retirement they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards at the Tabernacle, but they may not officiate in the service. This is how you must assign duties to the Levites.” | 26He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties." |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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