| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1The LORD said to Moses, | 1The LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 2"Speak to Aaron and say to him, 'When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.'" | 2"Speak to Aaron and tell him, 'When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand.'" |
| 3Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the LORD commanded Moses. | 3And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. |
| 4This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold--from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the LORD had shown Moses. | 4This is how the lampstand was made: It was beaten work in gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was beaten work. According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. |
| 5The LORD said to Moses: | 5Then the LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 6"Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. | 6"Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them. |
| 7To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. | 7And do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle water of purification on them; then have them shave all their body and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. |
| 8Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. | 8Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil; and you are to take a second young bull for a purification offering. |
| 9Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. | 9You are to bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire community of the Israelites. |
| 10You are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. | 10Then you are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites; |
| 11Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the LORD. | 11and Aaron is to offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, that they may do the work of the LORD. |
| 12"Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the LORD and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. | 12When the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. |
| 13Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the LORD. | 13You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them as a wave offering to the LORD. |
| 14In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. | 14And so you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. |
| 15"After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. | 15"After this, the Levites will go in to do the work of the tent of meeting. So you must cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering. |
| 16They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. | 16For they are entirely given to me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn sons of all the Israelites. |
| 17Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. | 17For all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and animals; when I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart for myself. |
| 18And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. | 18So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons among the Israelites. |
| 19From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary." | 19I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary." |
| 20Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the LORD commanded Moses. | 20So Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites did this with the Levites. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, this is what the Israelites did with them. |
| 21The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD and made atonement for them to purify them. | 21The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them. |
| 22After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the LORD commanded Moses. | 22After this, the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did. |
| 23The LORD said to Moses, | 23Then the LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 24"This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, | 24"This is what pertains to the Levites: At the age of twenty-five years and upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting, |
| 25but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. | 25and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work. |
| 26They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites." | 26They may assist their colleagues in the tent of meeting, to attend to needs, but they must do no work. This is the way you must establish the Levites regarding their duties." |
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