²¹ In the tent of meeting outside the curtain that is in front of the testimony,^(A) Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamp^(B) from evening until morning before the Lord. This is to be a permanent statute^(C) for the Israelites throughout their generations.

The Priestly Garments

28 “Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve me as priest—Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^(D)

²⁶ And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. ²⁷ He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”^{(A) 28} The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people. ²⁹ Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated^[a] to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”^(B)

⁴⁵ “Take the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites’ cattle in place of their cattle. The Levites belong to me; I am the Lord.^(A)

¹⁹ “I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the Lord as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt^(A) before the Lord for you as well as your offspring.”

¹² Therefore declare: I grant him my covenant of peace.^{(A) 13} It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his future descendants,^(B) because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

⁸ He said about Levi: