The Lampstand (Exodus 25:31–40; Exodus 37:17–24)
1 UDB Yahweh said to Moses, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 UDB "Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps on the lampstand and place them in such a way that they shine toward the front of the lampstand." BSB BSB: “Speak to Aaron and tell him: ‘When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.’”
3 UDB So Moses told him what Yahweh said, and he did that. BSB BSB: And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps facing toward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
4 UDB The lampstand had been made from gold that had been hammered from one large lump of gold, from its base to the decorations at the top that resembled flowers. The lampstand was made exactly as Yahweh had told Moses that it should be made. BSB BSB: This is how the lampstand was constructed: it was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms, fashioned according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.
Cleansing the Levites 5 UDB Yahweh also said to Moses, BSB BSB: Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
6 UDB "You must cause the descendants of Levi to be acceptable to me by setting them apart from the other Israelite people. BSB BSB: “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.
7 UDB Do that by sprinkling them with water that will symbolize their being freed from the guilt of their sins. Then they must shave off all the hair of their bodies and wash their clothes. BSB BSB: This is what you must do to cleanse them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
8 UDB Then they must bring one bull and some flour mixed with olive oil. Those things will be burned as sacrifices. They must also bring another bull that will be sacrificed to take away the guilt of their sins. BSB BSB: Then have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.
9 UDB Then you must summon all the Israelite people to come together in front of the sacred tent, to gather around the descendants of Levi. BSB BSB: Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel.
10 UDB Then the Israelite people must lay their hands on the descendants of Levi. BSB BSB: You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them.
11 UDB Aaron must then present them to me to be a gift from the Israelite people, as if he had lifted them up to me, so that they can work for me at the sacred tent. BSB BSB: Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.
12 UDB After that, the descendants of Levi must place their hands on the heads of the two bulls. Then the bulls will be killed and burned on the altar. One will be an offering to take away the guilt of their sins, and the other will be completely burned to please me. BSB BSB: And the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.
13 UDB The descendants of Levi must stand at the altar in front of Aaron and his sons, and you must then dedicate them to me, as if you had lifted them up to me. BSB BSB: You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and then present them before the LORD as a wave offering.
14 UDB This ritual will show that the descendants of Levi are set apart from the other Israelites and that they belong to me. BSB BSB: In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me.
15 UDB After the descendants of Levi have been made acceptable to me, and presented to me like a special offering as if they had been lifted up to me, they may start to work at the sacred tent. BSB BSB: After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting.
16 UDB They will belong to me. They will work for me as substitutes for the firstborn males of all the Israelites, who also belong to me. BSB BSB: For the Levites have been wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel.
17 UDB All the firstborn males in Israel, both the people and the animals, are mine. When I caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die, I set them apart for myself. But I spared the firstborn of all males of the Israelites, of people and animals, because they are mine. BSB BSB: For every firstborn male in Israel is Mine, both man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.
18 UDB But now I have chosen the descendants of Levi to take the places of the firstborn male sons of the other Israelites. BSB BSB: But I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.
19 UDB I have appointed the descendants of Levi to help Aaron and his sons at the sacred tent, as Aaron and his sons offer the sacrifices to take away the guilt of the Israelite people's sins, and to prevent the Israelites from coming close to the tent with the result that a plague would cause many of them to become sick and die." BSB BSB: And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service 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.”
20 UDB Aaron and Moses and the other Israelites helped the descendants of Levi to do everything that Yahweh had commanded. BSB BSB: So Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel did with the Levites everything that the LORD had commanded Moses they should do.
21 UDB The descendants of Levi sprinkled themselves with water to symbolize that they had been freed from the guilt of their sins, and they washed their clothes. Then Aaron brought them to the altar to present them to Yahweh, just as if he had lifted them up to him, and he offered sacrifices to take away the guilt of their sins and cause them to become acceptable to Yahweh. BSB BSB: The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22 UDB After that, the descendants of Levi started to work at the sacred tent to assist Aaron and his sons. They did that just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. BSB BSB: After that, the Levites came to perform their service at the Tent of Meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. Thus they did with the Levites just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Retirement for Levites 23 UDB Yahweh also said this to Moses: BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
24 UDB "The descendants of Levi who are between twenty-five and fifty years old will work at the sacred tent. BSB BSB: “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the service in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
25 UDB But after they become fifty years old, they must retire. BSB BSB: But at the age of fifty, they must retire from performing the work and no longer serve.
26 UDB They may help their fellow descendants of Levi do their work at the sacred tent, but they must not do the work themselves. That is what you must tell them about the work they will do." BSB BSB: After that, they may assist their brothers in fulfilling their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves are not to do the work. This is how you are to assign responsibilities to the Levites.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.