Numbers 8

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to Aaron, and you shall say to him: When you set up the lamps from the one side, toward the front of the lampstand the seven lamps shall give light.

And Aaron did so: from the one side, toward the front of the lampstand, he lit its lamps, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

And this is the construction of the lampstand: solid gold, its stem and its lilies solid, the whole of it; according to the form which the Lord showed to Moses, so he made the lampstand.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and you shall purify them.

And thus you shall do to them for their purification: you shall sprinkle them with water of purification; and a razor shall pass over all their body; and they shall wash their garments, and they shall be clean.

And they shall take one calf from the herd, and with it a sacrifice of fine flour mixed with oil; and a yearling calf from the herd you shall take for sin.

And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of witness, and you shall gather all the congregation of the sons of Israel.

And you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites.

And Aaron shall set the Levites apart as a gift before the Lord from the sons of Israel, and they shall be there to do the works of the Lord.

And the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the calves; and he shall offer the one for sin and the one as a whole burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for them.

And you shall set the Levites before the Lord and before Aaron and before his sons, and you shall hand them over as a gift before the Lord.

And you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and they shall be mine.

And after these things the Levites shall go in to do the works of the tent of witness; and you shall cleanse them and hand them over before the Lord.

For they are given over to me as a gift from among the sons of Israel; in place of those that open every womb, the firstborn of all from the sons of Israel, I have taken them for myself.

For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is mine, from human to beast; on the day I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them to myself.

And I took the Levites in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel.

And I handed over the Levites as a gift, given to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to do the works of the sons of Israel in the tent of witness and to make atonement for the sons of Israel; and there shall not be among the sons of Israel anyone drawing near to the holy things.

And Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel did so to the Levites; just as the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them.

And the Levites purified themselves and washed their garments; and Aaron handed them over as a gift before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.

And after these things the Levites went in to perform their ministry in the tent of witness, before Aaron and before his sons; just as the Lord instructed Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

This is what concerns the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to serve in the tent of witness.

And from fifty years old he shall withdraw from the ministry and shall work no more.

And his brother shall minister in the tent of witness, keeping the charges; but works he shall not do. Thus you shall do for the Levites in their charges.