Numbers 8

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

And Yahweh spake unto Moses saying:

2 “Speak to Aaron. Say to him, 'The seven lamps must give light in front of the lampstand when you light them.'”

Speak unto Aaron, and thou shalt say unto him, —When thou lightest up the lamps, over against the front of the lampstand, shall the seven lamps give light.

3 Aaron did this. He lit the lamps on the lampstand to give light toward the front of it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

And Aaron did so, over against the front of the lampstand, lighted he up the lamps thereof, —As Yahweh commanded Moses,

4 The lampstand was made in this way and Yahweh showed Moses the pattern for it. It was to be hammered gold from its base to its top, with hammered cups like blossoms.

Now, this, was the work of the lampstand—beaten work of gold both in the shaft thereof and in the flowers thereof, was it beaten work, according to the appearance which Yahweh caused to appear unto Moses, so, made he the lampstand.

5 Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying:

6 “Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and purify them.

Take the Levites, out of the midst of the sons of Israel, —and thou shalt purify them.

7 Do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle the water of atonement on them. Make them shave their entire body, wash their clothes, and in this way purify themselves.

And, thus, shalt thou do unto them, to purify them, sprinkle upon them sin-cleansing water, —then shall they, cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, and shall wash their clothes and so make themselves pure.

8 Then have them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mingled with oil. Let them take another young bull as a sin offering.

Then shall they take a choice young bullock, with the meal-offering thereof even fine meal overflowed with oil, —and a second choice young bullock, shalt thou take. as a sin-bearer.

9 You will bring the Levites in front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole community of the people of Israel.

Then shalt thou bring the Levites near, before the tent of meeting, —and shalt call together all the assembly of the sons of Israel;

10 When you bring the Levites before Yahweh, the people of Israel must lay their hands on the Levites.

and shalt bring the Levites near before Yahweh, —and the sons of Israel shall lean their hands upon the Levites;

11 Aaron must offer the Levites before Yahweh, as a wave offering from the people of Israel so that they may do the service of Yahweh.

and Aaron shall offer the Levites as a wave-offering before Yahweh, from among the sons of Israel, —so shall they be for performing the laborious work of Yahweh.

12 The Levites must place their hands on the heads of the bulls. You must offer one bull for a sin offering and the other bull for a burnt offering to me, to atone for the Levites.

And, the Levites, shall lean their hands upon the head of the bullocks; then make thou of the one a sin-bearer and of the other an ascending-sacrifice unto Yahweh, to put a propitiatory-covering over the Levites.

13 Present the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and lift them up as a wave offering to me.

Thus shalt thou cause the Levites to stand before Aaron and before his sons, —thus shalt thou offer them as a wave-offering unto Yahweh;

14 In this way you must separate the Levites from among the people of Israel. The Levites will belong to me.

thus shalt thou separate the Levites out of the midst of the sons of Israel, —thus shall the Levites become mine.

15 After that, the Levites must go in to serve in the tent of meeting. You must purify them. You must offer them as a wave offering.

And after that, shall the Levites enter to do the labour of the tent of meeting, —so shalt thou purify them, and offer them as a wave-offering,

16 Do this, because they are entirely mine from among the people of Israel. They will take the place of each male child who opens the womb, the firstborn of all the descendants of Israel. I have taken the Levites for myself.

For, given, given, they are unto me, out of the midst of the sons of Israel, —instead of every firstborn that a mother beareth from among the sons of Israel, have I taken them unto me.

17 All the firstborn from among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. On the day that I took the lives of all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself.

For mine, is every firstborn among the sons of Israel, among men and among beasts, —on the day when I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt, did I hallow them unto me.

18 I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of all the firstborn.

Therefore have I taken the Levites, —instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel;

19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons. I have taken them from among the people of Israel to do the work of the people of Israel in the tent of meeting. I have given them to atone for the people of Israel so that no plague will harm the people when they come near to the holy place.”

therefore have I given the Levites as a gift unto Aaron and unto his sons, out of the midst of the sons of Israel, to do the laborious work of the sons of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to put a propitiatory-covering over the sons of Israel, —so shall there be among the sons of Israel, no plague, by the coming nigh of the sons of Israel unto the sanctuary.

20 Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of the people of Israel did this with the Levites. They did everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites. The people of Israel did this with them.

And Moses and Aaron and all the assembly of the sons of Israel did thus unto the Levites, —according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses as touching the Levites, so, did the sons of Israel unto them.

21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering to Yahweh and he made atonement for them to cleanse them.

And the Levites accepted the cleansing from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as a wave-offering before Yahweh, —and Aaron put a propitiatory-covering over them to make them pure.

22 After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before Aaron's sons. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses about the Levites. They treated all the Levites in this way.

And after that, went the Levites in to do their laborious work in the tent of meeting, before Aaron and before his sons, —as Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so, did they unto them.

23 Yahweh spoke again to Moses. He said,

And Yahweh spake unto Moses saying;

24 “All of this is for the Levites who are twenty-five years old and more. They must join the company to serve in the tent of meeting.

This is what concerneth the Levites, —from twenty-five years old and upwards, shall they enter to take rank in the host, for doing the laborious work of the tent of meeting;

25 They must stop serving in this way at the age of fifty years. At that age they must not serve any longer.

but from the age of fifty years, shall they retire from taking rank in the labour, and shall do laborious work no more;

26 They may help their brothers who continue to work at the tent of meeting, but they must serve no more. You must direct the Levites in all these matters.”

yet shall they wait upon their brethren in the tent of meeting, by keeping charge, but laborious work, shall they not perform, —thus, shalt thou do unto the Levites, as touching their charges.