Numbers 8

1 The Lord told Moses,

Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying,

2 “Tell Aaron, ‘When you place the seven lamps on the lampstand, make sure they shine towards the front.’”

“Speak to Aaron [Light-bringer], and tell him, ‘When you light the lamp candles, the seven lamp candles shall give light in front of the menorah ·lamp·.’”

3 So that's what Aaron did. He placed the lamps facing towards the front of the lampstand, as the Lord had ordered Moses.

Aaron [Light-bringer] did so. He lit its lamp candles to light the area in front of the menorah ·lamp·, as Adonai enjoined Moses [Drawn out].

4 The lampstand was made of hammered gold from its base to the flower decorations on the top, in accordance with the design that the Lord had shown Moses.

This was the workmanship of the menorah ·lamp·, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work: according to the pattern which Adonai had shown Moses [Drawn out], so he made the menorah ·lamp·.

5 The Lord told Moses,

Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying,

6 “Separate the Levites from the other Israelites and purify them.

“Take the Levites [Descendants of United with] from among the children of Israel [God prevails], and cleanse them.

7 This is how you will purify them. Sprinkle on them the water of purification. They are to shave off all the hair from their bodies and wash their clothes so they will be clean.

You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves.

8 Have them bring a young bull with its grain offering of the best flour mixed with olive oil, and you are to bring a second young bull as a sin offering.

Then let them take a young bull, and its meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and another young bull you shall take for a sin offering.

9 Take the Levites and have them stand in front of the Tent of Meeting and have all the Israelites gather there.

You shall present the Levites [Descendants of United with] before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel [God prevails].

10 When you bring the Levites to the Lord the Israelites are to place their hands upon them.

You shall present the Levites [Descendants of United with] before Adonai. The children of Israel [God prevails] shall lay their hands on the Levites [Descendants of United with],

11 Aaron shall present the Levites to the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites so that they can do the Lord's work.

and Aaron [Light-bringer] shall offer the Levites [Descendants of United with] before Adonai for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel [God prevails], that it may be theirs to do the service of Adonai.

12 The Levites are to place their hands on the heads of the bulls. One is to be sacrificed as a sin offering to the Lord, and the other as a burnt offering to set the Levites right with the Lord.

“The Levites [Descendants of United with] shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering to Adonai, to make atonement for the Levites [Descendants of United with].

13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and present them to the Lord as a wave offering.

You shall set the Levites [Descendants of United with] before Aaron [Light-bringer], and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Adonai.

14 This is how you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to me.

Thus you shall separate the Levites [Descendants of United with] from among the children of Israel [God prevails], and the Levites [Descendants of United with] shall be mine.

15 They can come and serve at the Tent of Meeting once you've purified them and presented them as a wave offering.

“After that, the Levites [Descendants of United with] shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting: and you shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering.

16 The Levites have been completely given over to me by the Israelites. I have accepted them as mine in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites.

For they are wholly given to me from among the children of Israel [God prevails]; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all the children of Israel [God prevails], I have taken them to me.

17 Every firstborn male in Israel belongs to me, both human and animal. I reserved them for myself at the time when I killed all the firstborn in Egypt.

For all the firstborn among the children of Israel [God prevails] are mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery], I sanctified them for myself.

18 I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites.

I have taken the Levites [Descendants of United with] instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel [God prevails].

19 Of all the Israelites, the Levites are a gift from me to Aaron and his sons to serve the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting, and on their behalf to set them right, so that nothing bad will happen to them when they come to the sanctuary.”

I have given the Levites [Descendants of United with] as a gift to Aaron [Light-bringer] and to his sons from among the children of Israel [God prevails], to do the service of the children of Israel [God prevails] in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel [God prevails]; that there be no plague among the children of Israel [God prevails], when the children of Israel [God prevails] come near to the sanctuary.”

20 Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites did everything that the Lord had ordered Moses that they should do regarding the Levites.

Moses [Drawn out], and Aaron [Light-bringer], and all the congregation of the children of Israel [God prevails] did so to the Levites [Descendants of United with]. According to all that Adonai enjoined Moses [Drawn out] concerning the Levites [Descendants of United with], so the children of Israel [God prevails] did to them.

21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering to the Lord. Aaron also presented the sacrifice to make them right with the Lord so they would be clean.

The Levites [Descendants of United with] purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron [Light-bringer] offered them for a wave offering before Adonai; and Aaron [Light-bringer] made atonement for them to cleanse them.

22 Afterwards the Levites came to perform their service at the Tent of Meeting under the direction of Aaron and his sons. They followed all the instructions regarding the Levites that the Lord had given to Moses.

After that, the Levites [Descendants of United with] went in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron [Light-bringer], and before his sons: as Adonai had enjoined Moses [Drawn out] concerning the Levites [Descendants of United with], so they did to them.

23 The Lord told Moses,

Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying,

24 “This rule applies to the Levites. Those twenty-five or older shall serve at the Tent of Meeting.

“This is that which belongs to the Levites [Descendants of United with]: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting;

25 However, once they reach the age of fifty they need to retire from the work and won't serve any longer.

and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more,

26 They can still help their fellow Levites in their assignments, but they are not to do the actual work themselves. These are the arrangements in the case of the Levites.”

but shall minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, and shall do no service. You shall do thus to the Levites [Descendants of United with] concerning their duties.”