Numbers 8

Allah spoke to Musa, saying, ²"Speak to Harun, and tell him, 'When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.'"

³Harun did so. He lit its lamps to light the area in front of the lampstand, as Allah commanded Musa. ⁴This was the workmanship of the lampstand, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work: according to the pattern which Allah had shown Musa, so he made the lampstand.

⁵Allah spoke to Musa, saying, ⁶"Take the Levites from among Bani-Israel, and cleanse them. ⁷Thus shall you do to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves. ⁸Then 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. ⁹You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of Bani-Israel. ¹⁰You shall present the Levites before Allah. Bani-Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, ¹¹and Harun shall offer the Levites before Allah for a wave offering, on the behalf of Bani-Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Allah. ¹²The 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 Allah, to make atonement for the Levites. ¹³You shall set the Levites before Harun, and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Allah. ¹⁴Thus you shall separate the Levites from among Bani-Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

¹⁵"After that, the Levites shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting: and you shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering. ¹⁶For they are wholly given to me from among Bani-Israel; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all Bani-Israel, I have taken them to me. ¹⁷For all the firstborn among Bani-Israel are mine, both man and beast. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for myself. ¹⁸I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among Bani-Israel. ¹⁹I have given the Levites as a gift to Harun and to his sons from among Bani-Israel, to do the service of Bani-Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for Bani-Israel; that there be no plague among Bani-Israel, when Bani-Israel come near to the sanctuary."

²⁰Thus did Musa, and Harun, and all the congregation of Bani-Israel, to the Levites. According to all that Allah commanded Musa concerning the Levites, so Bani-Israel did to them. ²¹The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Harun offered them for a wave offering before Allah; and Harun made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²²After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting before Harun, and before his sons: as Allah had commanded Musa concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

²³Allah spoke to Musa, saying, ²⁴"This is that which belongs to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting; ²⁵and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more, ²⁶but shall minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites concerning their duties."