Numbers:8

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* Now the LORD said to Moses , * "Say to Aaron , When you set up the lamps , the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand ." * And Aaron did so ; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand , as the LORD commanded Moses . * And this was the workmanship of the lampstand , hammered work of gold ; from its base to its flowers , it was hammered work ; according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses , so he made the lampstand . * And the LORD said to Moses , * "Take the Levites from among the people of Israel , and cleanse them . * And thus you shall do to them , to cleanse them : sprinkle the water of expiation upon them , and let them go with a razor over all their body , and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves . * Then let them take a young bull and its cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil , and you shall take another young bull for a sin offering . * And you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting , and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel . * When you present the Levites before the LORD , the people of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites , * and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the people of Israel , that it may be theirs to do the service of the LORD . * Then the Levites shall lay their hands upon 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 . * And you shall cause the Levites to attend Aaron and his sons , and shall offer them as a wave offering to the LORD . * "Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel , and the Levites shall be mine . * And after that the Levites shall go in to do service at the tent of meeting , when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering . * For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel ; instead of all that open the womb , the first-born of all the people of Israel , I have taken them for myself . * For all the first-born among the people of Israel are mine , both of man and of beast ; on the day that I slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself , * and I have taken the Levites instead of all the first-born among the people of Israel . * And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel , to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting , and to make atonement for the people of Israel , that there may be no plague among the people of Israel in case the people of Israel should come near the sanctuary ." * Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people of Israel to the Levites ; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites , the people of Israel did to them . * And the Levites purified themselves from sin , and washed their clothes ; and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the LORD , and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them . * And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting in attendance upon Aaron and his sons ; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites , so they did to them . * And the LORD said to Moses , * "This is what pertains to the Levites : from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the work in the service of the tent of meeting ; * and from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the work of the service and serve no more , * but minister to their brethren in the tent of meeting , to keep the charge , and they shall do no service . Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties ."

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