Bamidbar 8

1And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

2Speak unto Aharon and say unto him, When thou set up the Nerot (lamps), the seven Nerot (lamps) shall cast light in front of the Menorah.

3And Aharon did so; he set up the Nerot (lamps) thereof to give light in front of the Menorah, as Hashem commanded Moshe.

4And the Menorah was made thus of hammered zahav, from its base unto its flower was it hammered out; according unto the mar'eh (pattern) which Hashem had shown Moshe, so he made the Menorah.

5And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

6Take the Levi'im from among the Bnei Yisroel, and make them tahor.

7And thus shalt thou do unto them, to make them tahor: Sprinkle water of purification upon them, and let them cause a razor to pass over their basar, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves tahor.

8Then let them take a young bull with its minchah, even fine flour mixed with shemen, and another young bull shalt thou take for a chattat.

9And thou shalt bring the Levi'im before the Ohel Mo'ed: and thou shalt gather Kol Adat Bnei Yisroel together;

10And thou shalt bring the Levi'im before Hashem; and the Bnei Yisroel shall lay their hands upon the Levi'im;

11And Aharon shall offer the Levi'im before Hashem for a tenufah from the Bnei Yisroel, that they may perform the Avodat Hashem.

12And the Levi'im shall lay their hands upon the rosh of the bulls; and thou shalt offer the one for a chattat, and the other for an olah, unto Hashem, to make kapporah for the Levi'im.

13And thou shalt set the Levi'im before Aharon, and before his Banim, and offer them for a tenufah unto Hashem.

14Thus shalt thou set apart as separate the Levi'im from among the Bnei Yisroel; and the Levi'im shall be Mine.

15And after that shall the Levi'im go in to do the service of the Ohel Mo'ed; and thou shalt make them tahor and offer them for a tenufah.

16For they are wholly given unto Me from among the Bnei Yisroel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the Bechor Kol Bnei Yisroel, have I taken them unto Me.

17For Kol Bechor Bnei Yisroel are Mine, both adam and behemah; on the day that I struck down kol bechor in Eretz Mitzrayim I set them apart as kodesh for Myself.

18And I have taken the Levi'im takhat (instead of) Kol Bechor Bnei Yisroel.

19And I have given the Levi'im as a gift to Aharon and to his Banim from among the Bnei Yisroel, to do the Avodat Bnei Yisroel in the Ohel Mo'ed, and to make kapporah for the Bnei Yisroel; so that there be no plague among the Bnei Yisroel, when the Bnei Yisroel come near unto HaKodesh.

20And Moshe, and Aharon, and Kol Adat Bnei Yisroel, did with the Levi'im according unto all that Hashem commanded Moshe concerning the Levi'im, so did the Bnei Yisroel unto them.

21And the Levi'im purified themselves, and they immersed their clothes; and Aharon offered them as a tenufah before Hashem; and Aharon made kapporah for them to make them tahor.

22And after that went the Levi'im in to do their Avodah in the Ohel Mo'ed before Aharon, and before his Banim; just as Hashem had commanded Moshe concerning the Levi'im, so did they with them.

23And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

24This is it that belongeth unto the Levi'im: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the Avodat Ohel Mo'ed;

25And from the age of fifty years they shall retire from the service of the Avodah and shall serve no more;

26But shall assist with their brethren in the Ohel Mo'ed, in performing their duties, and shall do no Avodah. Thus shalt thou do with the Levi'im regarding their duties.