| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, | 1The LORD said to Moses, |
| 2Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. | 2“Give Aaron the following instructions: When you set up the seven lamps in the lampstand, place them so their light shines forward in front of the lampstand.” |
| 3And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. | 3So Aaron did this. He set up the seven lamps so they reflected their light forward, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. |
| 4And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick. | 4The entire lampstand, from its base to its decorative blossoms, was made of beaten gold. It was built according to the exact design the LORD had shown Moses. The Levites Dedicated |
| 5And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, | 5Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 6Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. | 6“Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean. |
| 7And thus shalt thou do unto 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. | 7Do this by sprinkling them with the water of purification, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothing. Then they will be ceremonially clean. |
| 8Then 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. | 8Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil, along with a second young bull for a sin offering. |
| 9And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: | 9Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle. |
| 10And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: | 10When you present the Levites before the LORD, the people of Israel must lay their hands on them. |
| 11And 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. | 11Raising his hands, Aaron must then present the Levites to the LORD as a special offering from the people of Israel, thus dedicating them to the LORD’s service. |
| 12And 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, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites. | 12“Next the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Present one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to purify the Levites and make them right with the LORD. |
| 13And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. | 13Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the LORD. |
| 14Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. | 14In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me. |
| 15And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. | 15After this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them and presented them as a special offering. |
| 16For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. | 16“Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. |
| 17For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. | 17For all the firstborn males among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. I set them apart for myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. |
| 18And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. | 18Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. |
| 19And 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 be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. | 19And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.” |
| 20And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. | 20So Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following all the LORD’s instructions to Moses. |
| 21And 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. | 21The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron lifted them up and presented them to the LORD as a special offering. He then offered a sacrifice to purify them and make them right with the LORD. |
| 22And after that went the Levites in to do 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 unto them. | 22After that the Levites went into the Tabernacle to perform their duties, assisting Aaron and his sons. So they carried out all the commands that the LORD gave Moses concerning the Levites. |
| 23And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, | 23The LORD also instructed Moses, |
| 24This is it that belongeth unto 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: | 24“This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, |
| 25And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: | 25and they must retire at the age of fifty. |
| 26But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge. | 26After retirement they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards at the Tabernacle, but they may not officiate in the service. This is how you must assign duties to the Levites.” |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
|
