| New Living Translation | NET 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. | 3And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the LORD 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 how the lampstand was made: It was beaten work in gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was beaten work. According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. |
| 5Then the LORD said to Moses, | 5Then the 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 purify 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. | 7And do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle water of purification on them; then have them shave all their body 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. | 8Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil; and you are to take a second young bull for a purification offering. |
| 9Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle. | 9You are to bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire community of the Israelites. |
| 10When you present the Levites before the LORD, the people of Israel must lay their hands on them. | 10Then you are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites; |
| 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. | 11and Aaron is to offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, that they may do the work of the LORD. |
| 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. | 12When the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole 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. | 13You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them as a wave offering to the LORD. |
| 14In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me. | 14And so you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. |
| 15After this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them and presented them as a special offering. | 15"After this, the Levites will go in to do the work of the tent of meeting. So you must cleanse them and offer them like a wave 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 are entirely given to me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn sons of all the Israelites. |
| 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 all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and animals; when I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart for myself. |
| 18Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. | 18So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons 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.” | 19I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary." |
| 20So Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following all the LORD’s instructions to Moses. | 20So Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites did this with the Levites. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, this is what the Israelites did with them. |
| 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 clothing; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them. |
| 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 this, the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did. |
| 23The LORD also instructed Moses, | 23Then the 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"This is what pertains to the Levites: At the age of twenty-five years and upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting, |
| 25and they must retire at the age of fifty. | 25and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work. |
| 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.” | 26They may assist their colleagues in the tent of meeting, to attend to needs, but they must do no work. This is the way you must establish the Levites regarding their duties." |
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