[BEHAALOSECHA]

8 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

² Speak 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.

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

⁴ And 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.

⁵ And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

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

⁷ And 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.

⁸ Then 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.

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

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

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

¹² And 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.

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

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

¹⁵ And 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.

¹⁶ For 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.

¹⁷ For 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.

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

¹⁹ And 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.

²⁰ And 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.

²¹ And 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.

²² And 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.

²³ And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

²⁴ This 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;

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

²⁶ But 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.