10. where the people will place their hands on them.
11. Aaron will present the Levites to me as a gift from the people, so that the Levites will do my work.
12. After this, the Levites are to place their hands on the heads of the bulls. Then one of the bulls will be sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin, and the other to make sure that I am pleased.
13. The Levites will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will then dedicate the Levites to me.
14. This ceremony will show that the Levites are different from the other Israelites and belong to me in a special way.
15. After they have been made acceptable and have been dedicated, they will be allowed to work at my sacred tent.
16. They are mine and will take the place of the firstborn Israelite sons.
17. When I killed the eldest sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the firstborn sons in each Israelite family would be mine, as well as every firstborn male from their flocks and herds.
18. But now I have chosen these Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons,
19. and I have given them as gifts to Aaron and his sons to serve at the sacred tent. I will hold them responsible for what happens to anyone who gets too close to the sacred tent.
20. Moses, Aaron, and the other Israelites made sure that the Levites did everything the Lord had commanded.
21. The Levites sprinkled themselves with the water of forgiveness and washed their clothes. Then Aaron brought them to the altar and offered sacrifices to forgive their sins and make them acceptable to the Lord.
22. After this, the Levites worked at the sacred tent as assistants to Aaron and his sons, just as the Lord had commanded.
23. The Lord also told Moses,
24-25. “Levites who are between the ages of twenty-five and fifty can work at my sacred tent. But once they turn fifty, they must retire.
26. They may help the other Levites in their duties, but they must no longer be responsible for any work themselves. Remember this when you assign their duties.”