The Lampstand (Exodus 25:31–40; Exodus 37:17–24)
1 WBS And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 WBS Speak to Aaron, and say to him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 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 WBS And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps of it over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. 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 WBS And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, to its shaft, to the flowers of it, was beaten work: according to the pattern which the LORD had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick. 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 WBS And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
6 WBS Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. BSB BSB: “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.
7 WBS And thus shalt thou do to them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 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 WBS Then let them take a young bullock with his meat-offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin-offering. 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 WBS And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt convene the whole assembly of the children of Israel: BSB BSB: Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel.
10 WBS And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: BSB BSB: You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them.
11 WBS And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD. 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 WBS And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, to the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites. 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 WBS And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering to the LORD. 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 WBS Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. BSB BSB: In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me.
15 WBS And after that shall the Levites go in to perform the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 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 WBS For they are wholly given to me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the first-born of all the children of Israel, have I taken them 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 WBS For all the first born of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. 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 WBS And I have taken the Levites for all the first-born of the children of Israel. BSB BSB: But I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.
19 WBS And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there may be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh to the sanctuary. 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 WBS And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel to them. 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 WBS And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them. 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 WBS And after that went the Levites in to perform their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they to them. 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 WBS And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
24 WBS This is it that belongeth to the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: 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 WBS And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service of it , and shall serve no more: BSB BSB: But at the age of fifty, they must retire from performing the work and no longer serve.
26 WBS But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do to the Levites concerning their charge. 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.”