1The Lord said 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.’ ” 3Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just 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.
The Setting Apart of the Levites
5The Lord said to Moses: 6“Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 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. 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.⚓9Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. 10You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. 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. 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. 13Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present 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. 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. 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. 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. 18And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. 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.” 20Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. 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. 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. 23The Lord said 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, 25but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. 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.”
8
Aloo txawb lub teeb
1Yawmsaub hais rau Mauxe tias, 2“Cia li hais rau Aloo tias, ‘Thaum yuav txawb xya lub teeb mas txawb kom ci pom kev rau ntawm tus kav teeb sab xubntiag.’ ” 3Mas Aloo kuj ua raws li ntawd, nws txawb cov teeb kom ci pom kev rau ntawm tus kav teeb sab xubntiag raws li Yawmsaub hais rau Mauxe. 4Tus kav teeb ntawd ua zoo li no, yog muab kub ntaus ua lub taw thoob plaws txog ntua cov paj puavleej yog muab kub ntaus ua. Ua li no Mauxe thiaj ntaus tus kav teeb raws li tus qauv uas Yawmsaub qhia rau Mauxe.
Ua kevcai tsa cov Levi
5Yawmsaub hais rau Mauxe tias, 6“Cia li muab cov Levi rho tawm hauv cov Yixayee los thiab muab lawv ua kevcai ntxuav kom huv. 7Koj yuav tsum ua kevcai li no ntxuav lawv kom huv, muab cov dej uas ua kevcai ntxuav los nchos rau lawv. Kom lawv xuas chais chais plaub ib ce huvsi thiab ntxhua tej tsoos tsho ua kevcai ntxuav kom huv. 8Kom lawv muab ib tug thav txiv nyuj thiab cov hmoov mog zoo zoo ntse roj uas ua kevcai xyeem qoob loo, thiab koj yuav muab ib tug thav txiv nyuj uas ua kevcai xyeem daws txim. 9Thiab koj yuav coj cov Levi tuaj rau ntawm lub tsev ntaub sib ntsib thiab kom ib tsoom pejxeem Yixayee tuaj txoos ua ke. 10Thaum uas coj cov Levi tuaj nyob rau ntawm Yawmsaub xubntiag mas cov Yixayee yuav tsum muab tes npuab rau saum cov Levi, 11thiab Aloo yuav muab cov Levi xyeem rau Yawmsaub, yog yam uas rho hauv cov Yixayee cev xyeem kom lawv thiaj ua tau Yawmsaub tes haujlwm. 12Mas cov Levi yuav muab tes npuab saum ob tug txiv nyuj taubhau, ces koj muab ib tug los ua kevcai xyeem daws txim, thiab muab ib tug los ua kevcai hlawv huvsi xyeem rau Yawmsaub thiaj ntxuav tau cov Levi kev txhaum. 13Koj yuav kom cov Levi sawv ntsug ntawm Aloo thiab Aloo cov tub xubntiag thiab koj yuav muab lawv ua kevcai cev xyeem rau Yawmsaub. 14“Ua li no koj yuav muab cov Levi cais ntawm cov Yixayee mas cov Levi yuav yog kuv tug. 15Thaum koj twb ua kevcai ntxuav lawv kom huv thiab ua kevcai muab lawv cev xyeem rau Yawmsaub lawd, txij ntawd mus cov Levi yuav nkag mus ua haujlwm ntawm lub tsev ntaub sib ntsib, 16rau qhov lawv raug muab rho tawm hauv cov Yixayee los pub kiag rau kuv. Kuv muab lawv los ua kuv tug theej txhua tus menyuam uas yug hauv lub plab los, yog theej cov Yixayee txhua tus tub hlob, 17rau qhov cov Yixayee txhua tus tub hlob tsis hais menyuam neeg menyuam tsiaj txhu los puavleej yog kuv li. Hnub uas kuv tau tua tej tub hlob hauv Iyi tebchaws huvsi kuv cais kom lawv dawb huv rau kuv lawm. 18Kuv twb muab cov Levi los theej cov Yixayee txhua tus tub hlob lawm. 19Kuv twb muab cov Levi rho tawm hauv cov Yixayee los pub kiag rau Aloo thiab Aloo cov tub kom nyob cov Yixayee chaw ua haujlwm ntawm lub tsev ntaub sib ntsib thiab ntxuav cov Yixayee kev txhaum, kom thiaj tsis muaj vij sub vij sw los raug cov Yixayee rau thaum uas lawv tuaj ze lub chaw pe Yawmsaub.” 20Mauxe thiab Aloo thiab ib tsoom pejxeem Yixayee sawvdaws tau ua rau cov Levi li no. Raws li Yawmsaub hais kom Mauxe ua rau cov Levi mas cov Yixayee kuj ua raws nraim. 21Cov Levi kuj ua kevcai ntxuav kom huv thiab ntxhua lawv tej tsoos tsho mas Aloo ua kevcai muab lawv cev xyeem rau ntawm Yawmsaub xubntiag, thiab Aloo ua kevcai ntxuav lawv kev txhaum lawv thiaj li huv. 22Txij thaum ntawd los cov Levi thiaj li mus ua haujlwm ntawm lub tsev ntaub sib ntsib, yog pab Aloo thiab Aloo cov tub. Raws li Yawmsaub hais kom Mauxe ua rau cov Levi ces lawv thiaj ua tau li ntawd.
Cov Levi li hnub nyoog ua haujlwm
23Yawmsaub hais rau Mauxe tias, 24“No ntsig txog cov Levi, cov Levi uas hnub nyoog nees nkaum tsib xyoos rov saud yuav nkag mus ua haujlwm ntawm lub tsev ntaub sib ntsib. 25Thaum lawv hnub nyoog muaj tsib caug xyoo lawv yuav tsum so tsis txhob ua haujlwm lawm. 26Tiamsis lawv pab tau lawv cov kwvtij ua haujlwm ntawm lub tsev ntaub sib ntsib, tiamsis tsis txhob ua haujlwm li qub. Koj yuav ua li no rau thaum koj feeb haujlwm rau cov Levi ua.”