2. “Tell Aaron that when he puts the seven lamps on the lampstand, he should place them so that the light shines towards the front.”
3. Aaron obeyed and placed the lamps facing the front of the lampstand.
4. From top to bottom the lampstand was made of hammered gold, according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses.
5. The Lord said to Moses,
6. “Separate the Levites from the rest of the people of Israel and purify them
7. in the following way: sprinkle them with the water of purification and tell them to shave their whole bodies and to wash their clothes. Then they will be ritually clean.
8. Then they are to take a young bull and the required grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil; and you are to take another bull for the sin offering.
9. Then assemble the whole community of Israel and make the Levites stand in front of the Tent of my presence.
10. The people of Israel are to place their hands on the heads of the Levites,
11. and then Aaron shall dedicate the Levites to me as a special gift from the Israelites, so that they may do my work.
12. The Levites shall then put their hands on the heads of the two bulls; one is to be offered as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, in order to perform the ritual of purification for the Levites.
13. “Dedicate the Levites as a special gift to me, and put Aaron and his sons in charge of them.
14. Separate the Levites in this way from the rest of the Israelites, so that they will belong to me.
15. After you have purified and dedicated the Levites, they will be qualified to work in the Tent.
16. I have claimed them in the place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites, and they belong to me alone.