Numbers 8:5-26

The Cleansing of the Levites

⁵ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶ Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. ⁷ And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: sprinkle upon them water of purification from sin; and they shall pass the razor over all their flesh, and shall wash their garments, and make themselves clean. ⁸ And they shall take a young bullock and its oblation of fine flour mingled with oil; and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin-offering. ⁹ And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tent of meeting; and thou shalt gather together the whole assembly of the children of Israel. ¹⁰ And thou shalt bring the Levites before Jehovah; and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites. ¹¹ And Aaron shall offer the Levites as a wave-offering before Jehovah from the children of Israel, and they shall perform the service of Jehovah. ¹² And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks, and thou shalt offer the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, to Jehovah, to make atonement for the Levites. ¹³ And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them as a wave-offering to Jehovah. ¹⁴ And thou shalt separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, that the Levites may be mine. ¹⁵ And afterwards shall the Levites come in to do the service of the tent of meeting. And thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them as a wave-offering. ¹⁶ For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of every one that breaketh open the womb, instead of every firstborn among the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. ¹⁷ For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are mine, both of man and beast; on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed them to myself. ¹⁸ And I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel. ¹⁹ And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons, from among the children of Israel, to perform the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel; that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel draw near to the sanctuary. ²⁰ And Moses and Aaron, and all the assembly of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses concerning the Levites: so did the children of Israel to them. ²¹ And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their garments; and Aaron offered them as a wave-offering before Jehovah; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²² And afterwards the Levites came in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron, and before his sons; as Jehovah had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they to them. ²³ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ This is that which concerneth the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward shall he come to labour in the work of the service of the tent of meeting. ²⁵ And from fifty years old he shall retire from the labour of the service, and shall serve no more; ²⁶ but he shall minister with his brethren in the tent of meeting, and keep the charge, but he shall not serve [in] the service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites with regard to their charges.