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
Muab Cov Teeb Mus Txawb
1Tus TSWV hais rau Mauxes hais tias, 2“Koj qhia rau Aloos hais tias, thaum twg nws coj xya lub teeb mus txawb rau ntawm tus ncej txawb teeb, nws yuav tsum txawb kom cov teeb ntawd ci pom kev mus rau tom hauv ntej.” 3Aloos ua raws li ntawd, nws thiaj muab cov teeb mus txawb rau ntawm tus ncej txawb teeb tig tagnrho rau tom hauv ntej. 4Tus ncej txawb teeb ntawd saum hau los ti nkaus hauv taw puavleej yog muab cov tseem kub ntaus ua raws li tus qauv uas tus TSWV qhia rau Mauxes lawm.
Ua Kevcai Ntxuav thiab Fij Cov Levis
5Tus TSWV hais rau Mauxes hais tias, 6“Muab cov Levis cais tawm ntawm cov Yixalayees lub chaw nyob thiab muab lawv ua kevcai ntxuav kom huv 7raws li no: muab dej nchos rau lawv ua kevcai ntxuav thiab kom lawv chais lawv tej plaub thoob plaws ibce thiab kom lawv ntxhua lawv tej ris tsho. Ces lawv thiaj yuav huv. 8Ces kom lawv cab ib tug ntsuag nyuj thiab nqa ib co hmoov nplej uas twb ntse roj txiv ntoo rau lawm tuaj; thiab koj muab dua ib tug ntsuag nyuj tuaj tua fij daws txim. 9Ces kom cov Yixalayees tuaj txoos ua ke thiab kom cov Levis mus sawv tom hauv ntej tus TSWV lub Tsevntaub sib ntsib. 10Cov Yixalayees yuav tsum tsa tes rau saum cov Levis taubhau, 11thiab cia Aloos muab cov Levis uas yog cov Yixalayees yam khoom tshwjxeeb fij pub rau kuv kom lawv tau ua kuv tes haujlwm. 12Cov Levis yuav tsum tsa tes rau saum ob tug heev nyuj taubhau; muab ib tug tua fij daws txim thiab muab ib tug tua hlawv fij ua kevcai ntxuav kom cov Levis huv. 13“Muab cov Levis fij pub tshwjxeeb rau tus TSWV thiab tsa Aloos thiab nws cov tub ua cov saib xyuas lawv. 14Koj cia li muab cov Levis cais tawm ntawm cov Yixalayees mus nyob rau ib qho, cov Levis yog kuv tug lawm. 15Tom qab uas koj muab cov Levis ua kevcai ntxuav thiab muab lawv fij tas lawm, lawv thiaj tsimnyog ua kuv tes haujlwm hauv lub Tsevntaub sib ntsib. 16Lawv yog cov dawbhuv uas cov Yixalayees muab pub rau kuv, kuv thiaj yuav lawv ua kuv tug hloov cov Yixalayees thawj tug tub hlob chaw. 17Cov Yixalayees tej tub hlob thiab lawv tej tsiaj txhu thawj tug menyuam uas yog tus txiv puavleej yog kuv tug, vim thaum ub kuv tua cov Iziv tej tub hlob lawm. 18Nimno kuv thiaj xaiv cov Levis los hloov cov Yixalayees tej tub hlob chaw, 19thiab kuv muab cov Levis cob rau Aloos thiab nws cov tub, ib yam li lawv yog cov Yixalayees cov khoom pub uas coj mus ua haujlwm hauv tus TSWV lub Tsevntaub sib ntsib, hloov cov Yixalayees chaw thiab tiv thaiv cov Yixalayees ntawm txojkev puastsuaj, nyob tsam lawv txav mus ze Chav Dawbhuv.” 20Yog li ntawd, Mauxes, Aloos thiab tagnrho cov Yixalayees thiaj muab cov Levis ua kevcai fij raws li tus TSWV tau samhwm rau Mauxes lawm. 21Cov Levis puavleej ua kevcai ntxuav lawv thiab ntxhua lawv tej ris tsho, thiab Aloos muab lawv ua kevcai fij pub tshwjxeeb rau tus TSWV. Dua li ntawd, nws tseem ua kevcai daws txim rau lawv kom huv. 22Tom qab uas cov pejxeem ua txhua yam rau cov Levis raws li tej uas tus TSWV tau hais rau Mauxes lawm. Cov Levis thiaj tau mus ua haujlwm hauv lub Tsevntaub sib ntsib uas yog Aloos thiab nws cov tub ua cov saib. 23Tus TSWV hais rau Mauxes hais tias, 24“Txhua tus Levis uas hnubnyoog nees nkaum tsib xyoos yuav tsum tau ua haujlwm hauv tus TSWV lub Tsevntaub sib ntsib, 25thiab yuav tsum cia tus uas nws hnubnyoog tsib caug xyoo lawm mus so. 26Tom qab ntawd, nws yuav tsum tau pab nws cov kwvtij Levis ua lawv tej haujlwm hauv tus TSWV lub Tsevntaub sib ntsib, tiamsis nws tsis txhob ua ib yam haujlwm uas yog nws tib leeg ua xwb. Ntawm no yog lub luag haujlwm uas koj muab cob rau cov Levis ua.”