The Wilderness Years

because they are entirely given to me from among the people of Isra'el; I have taken them for myself in place of all those who come first out of the womb, that is, the firstborn males of the people of Isra'el.

For all the firstborn among the people of Isra'el are mine, both humans and animals; on the day I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself.

But I have taken the L'vi'im in place of all the firstborn among the people of Isra'el,

and I have given the L'vi'im to Aharon and his sons from among the people of Isra'el to do the service of the people of Isra'el in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Isra'el, so that no plague will fall on the people of Isra'el in consequence of their coming too close to the sanctuary."

This is what Moshe, Aharon and all the community of the people of Isra'el did to the L'vi'im. The people of Isra'el acted in accordance with everything that ADONAI had ordered Moshe in regard to the L'vi'im.

The L'vi'im purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aharon offered them as a holy gift before ADONAI and made atonement for them in order to cleanse them.

After that, the L'vi'im came to do their service in the tent of meeting in front of Aharon and his sons; they acted in accordance with ADONAI's orders to Moshe in regard to the L'vi'im.

ADONAI said to Moshe,

"Here are instructions concerning the L'vi'im: when they reach the age of twenty-five, they are to begin performing their duties serving in the tent of meeting;

and when they reach the age of fifty, they are to stop performing this work and not serve any longer.

They will assist their brothers who are performing their duties in the tent of meeting, but they themselves will not do any of the work. This is what you are to do with the L'vi'im in regard to their duties."

ADONAI spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert in the first month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt; he said,

"Let the people of Isra'el observe Pesach at its designated time.

On the fourteenth day of this month, at dusk, you are to observe it - at its designated time. You are to observe it according to all its regulations and rules."

Moshe told the people of Isra'el to observe Pesach.

So they observed Pesach at dusk on the fourteenth day of the month in the Sinai Desert; the people of Isra'el acted in accordance with all that ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

But there were certain people who had become unclean because of someone's corpse, so that they could not observe Pesach on that day. So they came before Moshe and Aharon that day

and said to him, "We are unclean because of someone's corpse; but why must we be kept from bringing the offering for ADONAI at the time designated for the people of Isra'el?"

Moshe answered them, "Wait, so that I can hear what ADONAI will order concerning you."

ADONAI said to Moshe,

"Tell the people of Isra'el, 'If any of you now or in future generations is unclean because of a corpse, or if he is on a trip abroad, nevertheless he is to observe Pesach.

But he will observe it in the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk. They are to eat it with matzah and maror,

they are to leave none of it until morning, and they are not to break any of its bones -they are to observe it according to all the regulations of Pesach.

But the person who is clean and not on a trip who fails to observe Pesach will be cut off from his people; because he did not bring the offering for ADONAI at its designated time, that person will bear the consequences of his sin.

If a foreigner is staying with you and wants to observe Pesach for ADONAI, he is to do it according to the regulations and rules of Pesach- you are to have the same law for the foreigner as for the citizen of the land.'"