19. and I assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons, as a gift from the Israelites, to work in the Tent for the people of Israel and to protect the Israelites from the disaster that would strike them if they came too near the Holy Place.”
20. So Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel dedicated the Levites, as the Lord commanded Moses.
21. The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron dedicated them as a special gift to the Lord. He also performed the ritual of purification for them.
22. The people did everything the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites. And so the Levites were qualified to work in the Tent under Aaron and his sons.
23. The Lord said to Moses,
24. “From the age of 25 each Levite shall perform his duties in the Tent of my presence,
25. and at the age of fifty he shall retire.
26. After that, he may help his fellow-Levites in performing their duties in the Tent, but he must not perform any service by himself. This is how you are to regulate the duties of the Levites.”