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Malachi 2:4
Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
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Numbers 1:49-53
“ Do not include the tribe of Levi in the registration; do not count them with the rest of the Israelites.Put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with all its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and all its furnishings as you travel, and they must take care of it and camp around it.Whenever it is time for the Tabernacle to move, the Levites will take it down. And when it is time to stop, they will set it up again. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the Tabernacle must be put to death.Each tribe of Israel will camp in a designated area with its own family banner.But the Levites will camp around the Tabernacle of the Covenant to protect the community of Israel from the Lord’s anger. The Levites are responsible to stand guard around the Tabernacle.”
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Deuteronomy 10:8
At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and to stand before the Lord as his ministers, and to pronounce blessings in his name. These are their duties to this day.
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Numbers 8:6-26
“ Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean.Do this by sprinkling them with the water of purification, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothing. Then they will be ceremonially clean.Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil, along with a second young bull for a sin offering.Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle.When you present the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel must lay their hands on them.Raising his hands, Aaron must then present the Levites to the Lord as a special offering from the people of Israel, thus dedicating them to the Lord’s service.“ Next the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Present one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to purify the Levites and make them right with the Lord.Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the Lord.In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me.After this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them and presented them as a special offering.“ Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes.For all the firstborn males among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. I set them apart for myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians.Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel.And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.”So Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following all the Lord’s instructions to Moses.The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron lifted them up and presented them to the Lord as a special offering. He then offered a sacrifice to purify them and make them right with the Lord.After that the Levites went into the Tabernacle to perform their duties, assisting Aaron and his sons. So they carried out all the commands that the Lord gave Moses concerning the Levites.The Lord also instructed Moses,“ This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty five,and they must retire at the age of fifty.After retirement they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards at the Tabernacle, but they may not officiate in the service. This is how you must assign duties to the Levites.”
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Deuteronomy 33:8-9
Moses said this about the tribe of Levi:“ O Lord, you have given your Thummim and Urim— the sacred lots— to your faithful servants the Levites. You put them to the test at Massah and struggled with them at the waters of Meribah.The Levites obeyed your word and guarded your covenant. They were more loyal to you than to their own parents. They ignored their relatives and did not acknowledge their own children.
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Numbers 2:33
But as the Lord had commanded, the Levites were not included in this registration.
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Numbers 18:1-7
Then the Lord said to Aaron:“ You, your sons, and your relatives from the tribe of Levi will be held responsible for any offenses related to the sanctuary. But you and your sons alone will be held responsible for violations connected with the priesthood.“ Bring your relatives of the tribe of Levi— your ancestral tribe— to assist you and your sons as you perform the sacred duties in front of the Tabernacle of the Covenant.But as the Levites go about all their assigned duties at the Tabernacle, they must be careful not to go near any of the sacred objects or the altar. If they do, both you and they will die.The Levites must join you in fulfilling their responsibilities for the care and maintenance of the Tabernacle, but no unauthorized person may assist you.“ You yourselves must perform the sacred duties inside the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, the Lord’s anger will never again blaze against the people of Israel.I myself have chosen your fellow Levites from among the Israelites to be your special assistants. They are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord for service in the Tabernacle.But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.”
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Numbers 2:17
“ Then the Tabernacle, carried by the Levites, will set out from the middle of the camp. All the tribes are to travel in the same order that they camp, each in position under the appropriate family banner.
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Numbers 16:9-11
Does it seem insignificant to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the community of Israel to be near him so you can serve in the Lord’s Tabernacle and stand before the people to minister to them?Korah, he has already given this special ministry to you and your fellow Levites. Are you now demanding the priesthood as well?The Lord is the one you and your followers are really revolting against! For who is Aaron that you are complaining about him?”
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Exodus 32:26-29
So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted,“ All of you who are on the Lord’s side, come here and join me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.Moses told them,“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone— even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.”The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.Then Moses told the Levites,“ Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.”
