Preparing the Lamps

8 The Lord said to Moses, 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.” ³ So Aaron did this. He set up the seven lamps so they reflected their light forward, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴ The 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

⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean. ⁷ Do 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. ⁸ Have 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. ⁹ Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle.^{[a] 10} When you present the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel must lay their hands on them. ¹¹ Raising 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.

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.^{[b] 13} Then 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. ¹⁴ In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me. ¹⁵ After this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them and presented them as a special offering.

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. ¹⁷ For 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. ¹⁸ Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. ¹⁹ And 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^[c] the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.”

²⁰ So Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following all the Lord’s instructions to Moses. ²¹ The 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.^{[d] 22} After 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.

²³ The Lord also instructed Moses, ²⁴ “This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, ²⁵ and they must retire at the age of fifty. ²⁶ After 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.”

The Second Passover

9 A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. In the first month^[e] of that year he said, ² “Tell the Israelites to celebrate the Passover at the prescribed time, ³ at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.^[f] Be sure to follow all my decrees and regulations concerning this celebration.”

⁴ So Moses told the people to celebrate the Passover ⁵ in the wilderness of Sinai as twilight fell on the fourteenth day of the month. And they celebrated the festival there, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁶ But some of the men had been ceremonially defiled by touching a dead body, so they could not celebrate the Passover that day. They came to Moses and Aaron that day ⁷ and said, “We have become ceremonially unclean by touching a dead body. But why should we be prevented from presenting the Lord’s offering at the proper time with the rest of the Israelites?”

⁸ Moses answered, “Wait here until I have received instructions for you from the Lord.”

⁹ This was the Lord’s reply to Moses. ¹⁰ “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people now or in future generations are ceremonially unclean at Passover time because of touching a dead body, or if they are on a journey and cannot be present at the ceremony, they may still celebrate the Lord’s Passover. ¹¹ They must offer the Passover sacrifice one month later, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month.^[g] They must eat the Passover lamb at that time with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. ¹² They must not leave any of the lamb until the next morning, and they must not break any of its bones. They must follow all the normal regulations concerning the Passover.

¹³ “But those who neglect to celebrate the Passover at the regular time, even though they are ceremonially clean and not away on a trip, will be cut off from the community of Israel. If they fail to present the Lord’s offering at the proper time, they will suffer the consequences of their guilt. ¹⁴ And if foreigners living among you want to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, they must follow these same decrees and regulations. The same laws apply both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you.”

Procedures for the Burnt Offering

1 The Lord called to Moses from the Tabernacle^[a] and said to him, ² “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present an animal as an offering to the Lord, you may take it from your herd of cattle or your flock of sheep and goats.

³ “If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you^[b] may be accepted by the Lord. ⁴ Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him.^{[c] 5} Then slaughter the young bull in the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will present the animal’s blood by splattering it against all sides of the altar that stands at the entrance to the Tabernacle. ⁶ Then skin the animal and cut it into pieces. ⁷ The sons of Aaron the priest will build a wood fire on the altar. ⁸ They will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. ⁹ But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

¹⁰ “If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the flock, it may be either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a male with no defects. ¹¹ Slaughter the animal on the north side of the altar in the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will splatter its blood against all sides of the altar. ¹² Then cut the animal in pieces, and the priests will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. ¹³ But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

¹⁴ “If you present a bird as a burnt offering to the Lord, choose either a turtledove or a young pigeon. ¹⁵ The priest will take the bird to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar. But first he must drain its blood against the side of the altar. ¹⁶ The priest must also remove the crop and the feathers^[d] and throw them in the ashes on the east side of the altar. ¹⁷ Then, grasping the bird by its wings, the priest will tear the bird open, but without tearing it apart. Then he will burn it as a burnt offering on the wood burning on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Procedures for the Grain Offering

2 “When you present grain as an offering to the Lord, the offering must consist of choice flour. You are to pour olive oil on it, sprinkle it with frankincense, ² and bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. The priest will scoop out a handful of the flour moistened with oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this representative portion on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ³ The rest of the grain offering will then be given to Aaron and his sons. This offering will be considered a most holy part of the special gifts presented to the Lord.

⁴ “If your offering is a grain offering baked in an oven, it must be made of choice flour, but without any yeast. It may be presented in the form of thin cakes mixed with olive oil or wafers spread with olive oil. ⁵ If your grain offering is cooked on a griddle, it must be made of choice flour mixed with olive oil but without any yeast. ⁶ Break it in pieces and pour olive oil on it; it is a grain offering. ⁷ If your grain offering is prepared in a pan, it must be made of choice flour and olive oil.

⁸ “No matter how a grain offering for the Lord has been prepared, bring it to the priest, who will present it at the altar. ⁹ The priest will take a representative portion of the grain offering and burn it on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁰ The rest of the grain offering will then be given to Aaron and his sons as their food. This offering will be considered a most holy part of the special gifts presented to the Lord.

¹¹ “Do not use yeast in preparing any of the grain offerings you present to the Lord, because no yeast or honey may be burned as a special gift presented to the Lord. ¹² You may add yeast and honey to an offering of the first crops of your harvest, but these must never be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹³ Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings.

¹⁴ “If you present a grain offering to the Lord from the first portion of your harvest, bring fresh grain that is coarsely ground and roasted on a fire. ¹⁵ Put olive oil on this grain offering, and sprinkle it with frankincense. ¹⁶ The priest will take a representative portion of the grain moistened with oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn it as a special gift presented to the Lord.

Procedures for the Peace Offering

3 “If you present an animal from the herd as a peace offering to the Lord, it may be a male or a female, but it must have no defects. ² Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tabernacle.^[e] Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, will splatter its blood against all sides of the altar. ³ The priest must present part of this peace offering as a special gift to the Lord. This includes all the fat around the internal organs, ⁴ the two kidneys and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. These must be removed with the kidneys, ⁵ and Aaron’s sons will burn them on top of the burnt offering on the wood burning on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

⁶ “If you present an animal from the flock as a peace offering to the Lord, it may be a male or a female, but it must have no defects. ⁷ If you present a sheep as your offering, bring it to the Lord, ⁸ lay your hand on its head, and slaughter it in front of the Tabernacle. Aaron’s sons will then splatter the sheep’s blood against all sides of the altar. ⁹ The priest must present the fat of this peace offering as a special gift to the Lord. This includes the fat of the broad tail cut off near the backbone, all the fat around the internal organs, ¹⁰ the two kidneys and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. These must be removed with the kidneys, ¹¹ and the priest will burn them on the altar. It is a special gift of food presented to the Lord.

¹² “If you present a goat as your offering, bring it to the Lord, ¹³ lay your hand on its head, and slaughter it in front of the Tabernacle. Aaron’s sons will then splatter the goat’s blood against all sides of the altar. ¹⁴ The priest must present part of this offering as a special gift to the Lord. This includes all the fat around the internal organs, ¹⁵ the two kidneys and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. These must be removed with the kidneys, ¹⁶ and the priest will burn them on the altar. It is a special gift of food, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. All the fat belongs to the Lord.

¹⁷ “You must never eat any fat or blood. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation, wherever you live.”