1Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose se, 2“Ka kyerɛ Aaron se, ‘Sɛ wosɔ akanea ason a ɛwɔ kaneadua no so no a, sɔ no sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, ɛbɛtow ne hann no akɔ kaneadua no nʼanim.’ ”
3Aaron yɛɛ saa; ɔsɔɔ akanea no ma ɛtow hann kɔɔ kaneadua no anim, sɛnea Awurade hyɛɛ Mose no. 4Sɛnea Wosi yɛɛ kaneadua no ni: Sikakɔkɔɔ a wɔaboro na wɔde yɛ fii nʼase kosi ne soro. Wɔyɛɛ no sɛnea Awurade kyerɛɛ Mose sɛ wɔnyɛ no ara pɛ.
5Na Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose se, 6“Yi Lewifo no fi Israelfo no mu na tew wɔn ho. 7Sɛ ɛbɛyɛ a wɔn ho ni yɛ eyi: Fa ahodwira nsu pete wɔn so. Ma wonyi wɔn ho nwi nyinaa, na wɔnhoro wɔn nneɛma nyinaa, na ama wɔn ho atew. 8Afei, ma wɔmfa nantwinini ba ne aduan afɔrebɔde a ɛyɛ asikresiam a wɔayam no muhumuhu a wɔde ngo afra a nantwinini ba baako ka ho a wɔde no bɛbɔ bɔne ho afɔre mmra. 9Frɛ Israelfo no nyinaa hyia na fa Lewifo no bra Ahyiae Ntamadan no pon ano. 10Ɛhɔ na mpanyimfo a wotuatua mmusuakuw no ano no de wɔn nsa begu wɔn so. 11Ɛsɛ sɛ Aaron yɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne bi sɛ ɔde wɔn rema Awurade sɛ akyɛde a efi Israel manfo nyinaa nkyɛn, na asiesie Lewifo no ama wɔayɛ Awurade adwuma.
12“Afei, Lewifo mpanyimfo no de wɔn nsa begu nantwimma no apampam na wɔde wɔn ama Awurade. Wɔde ɔbaako bɛbɔ bɔne ho afɔre na wɔde ɔbaako nso abɔ ɔhyew afɔre de ayɛ mpata ama Lewifo no. 13Afei, wɔde Lewifo no bɛma Aaron ne ne mma te sɛnea wɔde afɔrebɔde biara fa asɔfo so de ma Awurade no.” 14Mobɛfa saa kwan yi so ayi Lewifo no afi Israelfo no mu ama me, na wɔayɛ me dea.
15“Sɛ motew wɔn ho na mofa saa kwan yi so de wɔn ma me a, afei, wobedi ahyɛmfiri wɔ Ahyiae Ntamadan no mu, adi wɔn dwuma. 16Israelfo mu nyinaa, wɔn na wɔyɛ me nkurɔfo, na magye wɔn ato mu asi Israelfo mmakan nyinaa anan, Israelni bea biara abakan barima. 17Israel abakan biara yɛ me de; nnipa ne mmoa nyinaa. Bere a mikunkum Misraimfo mmakan nyinaa no ara na mefaa wɔn de wɔn yɛɛ me nkurɔfo. 18Mafa Lewifo no asi Israelfo mmakan nyinaa anan mu. 19Na mede Lewifo no bɛkyɛ Aaron ne ne mmabarima. Lewifo no na wɔbɛyɛ Ahyiae Ntamadan no mu nnwuma kronkron a anka ɛsɛ sɛ Israelfo no na wɔyɛ, na wɔn na wɔbɛbɔ afɔre ama nkurɔfo de ayɛ mpata ama wɔn sɛnea sɛ Israelfo no kɔ kronkronbea hɔ a ɔyaredɔm biara renka wɔn.”
20Mose ne Aaron ne Israelfo no nyinaa faa ɔkwan a Awurade kyerɛɛ Mose no so pɛpɛɛpɛ de Lewifo no maa Awurade. 21Lewifo no dwiraa wɔn ho, horoo wɔn nneɛma. Na Aaron de wɔn hyɛɛ Awurade nsa sɛ ohim afɔre na ɔyɛɛ wɔn ho mpata adwuma de tew wɔn ho. 22Ɛno akyi no, Lewifo no kɔyɛɛ adwuma wɔ Ahyiae Ntamadan no mu a na Aaron ne ne mmabarima no hwɛ wɔn so Wɔyɛɛ biribiara sɛnea Awurade hyɛɛ Mose sɛ wɔnyɛ no.
23Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose se, 24“Eyi kɔ ma Lewifo no: Sɛ Lewini barima biara di mfe aduonu anum a, ma no nsom wɔ Ahyiae Ntamadan mu, 25na sɛ wodi mfe aduonum a, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔapɔn fi adwuma mu a wɔnnyɛ adwuma bio. 26Sɛ wɔpɔn a, wotumi adi dwuma wɔ Ahyiae Ntamadan mu hɔ de boa wɔn nuanom, mmom wɔn ankasa de, ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔhyɛ da yɛ adwuma. Eyi ne ɔkwan a momfa so mma Lewifo no adwuma nyɛ.”
Setting up the lamps
1The Lord said to Moses, 2‘Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.” ’
3Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forwards on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4This is how the lampstand was made: it was made of hammered gold – from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.
The setting apart of the Levites
5The Lord said to Moses: 6‘Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 7To purify them, do this: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then make them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. 8Make them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.8:8 Or purification offering; also in verse 12 9Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. 10You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. 11Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.
12‘Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. 13Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. 14In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.
15‘After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. 16They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. 17Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. 19From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.’
20Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. 21The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. 22After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
23The Lord said to Moses, 24‘This applies to the Levites: men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, 25but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their usual duties and work no longer. 26They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.’
