Placing the Lamps
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron that when he puts the seven lamps on the lampstand, he should place them so that the light shines toward 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.
The Purification and Dedication of the Levites
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 have them shave their whole bodies and have them 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 have 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 first-born sons of the Israelites, and they belong to me alone. 17 When I killed all the first-born in Egypt, I consecrated as my own the oldest son of each Israelite family and the first-born of every animal. 18 I am now taking the Levites instead of all the first-born of the Israelites, 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 twenty-five 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.”
Kubiga Mavone
1 Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, 2 “Idwa Aroni abige mavone, ali kutendeka avoneke mbeli kwe tjigadziko tje mavone.” 3 Ngono Aroni kathama eijalo, kagadza mavone atjo kuvoneka mbeli kwe tjigadziko tje mavone Yahwe sekwa badwa Mushe. 4 Oku ndiko tjigadziko tje mavone sekwa tjakabe tjithamwa ndiko, golide yakabe ithugwa kudwa mu bhato latjo kunoti ku thabi dzatjo, kuyendidzana nge mbiko Yahwe yabakalakidza Mushe.
Kutjenapadziwa ne bigwa kwe Balevi
5 Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, 6 “Tola Balevi pakati kwe bathu be Iziraela, ubatjenapadze. 7 Ngono ubathame sahwoku kubatjenapadza, ubanyase nge vula yakayengamala inotjenapadza, babe bezwitesela mbili wose, babe besuka zwiambalo zwabo. Ngono banowobe batjenapala. 8 Kudwapo babe betola nkong'wana ne tjipo tje mathunde tje bgwisa gwakanathiwa gwakashanganyiwa ne mafuta, ne mmwe nkong'wana we tjibhayilo tje tjibi. 9 Ngono uzhise Balevi mbeli kwe nshasha we bushanganilo, ube ukubunganya gubungano lose le bathu be Iziraela, 10 kuti wazhisa Balevi mbeli kwa Yahwe, bathu be Iziraela babige maboko abo pezhugwi kwe misholo ye Balevi, 11 Aroni abe ezhisa Balevi mbeli kwa Yahwe, kube tjipo tjinozunguziwa tjidwa mu bathu be Iziraela, kuti babe bathu banoshinga nshingo wa Yahwe. 12 Ndizo Balevi babe bebiga maboko abo pezhugwi kwe misholo ye mikong'wana mibili. Ngono unowobe udusa mmwe kube tjibhayilo tje tjibi, mmwe kube tjibhayilo tjinopisigwa Yahwe, kuthamila Balevi gadzano na Yahwe. 13 Umise Balevi mbeli kwa Aroni ne bakololo babe, ube ubayisa se tjipo tjikazunguziwa kuna Yahwe.
14 “Nge zila iyeyi dusila Balevi ntome mu bathu be Iziraela, ngono Balevi banowobe bangu. 15 Shule kwe basinobe babigwa, banongina bakashinga nshingo we nshasha we bushanganilo, ha wabatjenapadza ubuya ubadusa bali tjipo tjikazunguziwa. 16 Ngobe ndabapiwa nge buzhalo bedwa mu bathu be Iziraela, mu bumo gwe mbano dzose dze bathu be Iziraela, ndazwitolegwa ibo. 17 Ngobe mbano dzose dze bathu be Iziraela nge dzangu, dzose dze bathu nenge zwithuwo. Mu zhuba landakabulaya mbano dzose mu shango ye Egipiti, ndakazwishalulila idzo. 18 Ngono ngwenu, ndatola Balevi mu bumo gwe mbano dzose dze bathu be Iziraela. 19 Ndatola Balevi mu bathu be Iziraela ndibalonga mu maboko a Aroni ne bakololo babe, kushingila bathu be Iziraela mu nshasha we bushanganilo ne kuthamila bathu be Iziraela gadzano na Yahwe, kuti kusitongobe ne tjiga tjingawila bathu be Iziraela, ha bathu be Iziraela bangasedzela pejo ne bugalo gwakayengemala.”
20 Mushe, na Aroni ne gubungano lose le bathu be Iziraela, bakashingila Balevi kuyendidzana ne tjakalauligwa Mushe ndi Yahwe. 21 Ngono Balevi bakazwitjenapadza mu tjibi, bakasuka zwiambalo zwabo, Aroni kabayisa bali tjipo tjikazunguziwa mbeli kwa Yahwe, ngono Aroni kabathamila gadzano na Yahwe kubatjenapadza. 22 Ndizo Balevi bakangina mu nshingo wabo mu nshasha we bushanganilo bali mu ndaulo ya Aroni ne bakololo babe seleba kwa Yahwe kuna Mushe ngekwe Balevi.
23 Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, 24 “Etji nditjo tjakalingisana ne Balevi: Kudwa muna bana makole ali makumi mabili ana ali mashanu (25) ne bawola pabali banowoshinga nshingo mu nshasha we bushanganilo, 25 ngono kudwa muna be makole ali makumi mashanu (50) baletje nshingo basitjashinge. 26 Shule kwa ipapo, bangabhatsha Balevi banowobe bali mu nshingo mu nshasha we bushanganilo, ibo basingashinge. Ndiko sekwa unowothama ngekwe Balevi mu kubapa nshingo.”