民數記 8
1 上主訓示梅瑟說：「
And the Lord said to Moses,
2 你告訴亞郎說：你安放燈盞時，要使七盞燈光，光照燈台的前面。」
Say to Aaron, When you put the lights in their places, the seven lights will give light in front of the support.
3 亞郎就照樣做了：安放了燈盞，使燈光照耀燈台的前面，如上主對梅瑟所吩咐的。
And Aaron did so; he put the lights in their places so that they gave light in front of the support, as the Lord gave orders to Moses.
4 這燈台是用金子打成的，從座到花朵都是打成的；梅瑟是照上主指示的式樣，製造了燈台。
The support for the lights was of hammered gold work, from its base to its flowers it was of hammered work; from the design which the Lord had given to Moses, he made the support for the lights.
5 上主訓示梅瑟說：「
And the Lord said to Moses,
6 你由以色列子民中選出肋未人，並要潔淨他們。
Take the Levites out from among the children of Israel and make them clean.
7 為潔淨他們，你應這樣做：將取潔水灑在他們身上，命他們用刀剃全身，然後洗自己的衣服，使自己潔淨。
And this is how you are to make them clean: let the holy water which takes away sin be put on them, and let the hair all over their bodies be cut off with a sharp blade, and let their clothing be washed and their bodies made clean.
8 以後，他們應帶一隻公牛犢和同獻的素祭，即油調的細麵；你應另帶一頭公牛犢，為作贖罪祭；
Then let them take a young ox and its meal offering, crushed grain mixed with oil, and take another ox for a sin-offering.
9 領肋未人到會幕前，並召集以色列子民全會眾。
And make the Levites come forward in front of the Tent of meeting, and let all the children of Israel come together:
10 領肋未人到上主面前以後，以色列子民將自己的手放在肋未人身上，
And you are to take the Levites before the Lord: and the children of Israel are to put their hands on them:
11 亞郎就以搖禮把肋未人獻於上主面前，當作以色列子民的獻儀：這樣，他們纔可以行服事上主的事。
And Aaron is to give the Levites to the Lord as a wave offering from the children of Israel, so that they may do the Lord's work.
12 以後肋未人應按手在兩頭公牛犢頭上：一隻你要獻給上主作贖罪祭，一隻作全燔祭，為肋未人贖罪。
And the Levites are to put their hands on the heads of the oxen, and one of the oxen is to be offered for a sin-offering and the other for a burned offering to the Lord to take away the sin of the Levites.
13 你應使肋未人站在亞郎和他的兒子們面前，以搖禮把他們獻給上主。
Then the Levites are to be put before Aaron and his sons, to be offered as a wave offering to the Lord.
14 為此，你要由以色列子民中分出肋未人來，使他們屬於我。
So you are to make the Levites separate from the children of Israel, and the Levites will be mine.
15 此後，肋未人纔可進入會幕服務。為此你應潔淨他們，以搖禮奉獻他們，
After that, the Levites will go in to do whatever has to be done in the Tent of meeting; you are to make them clean and give them as a wave offering.
16 因為他們是以色列子民中完全獻與我的人；我使他們歸於我。以代替以色列子民中一切開胎的首生，
For they have been given to me from among the children of Israel; in place of every mother's first son, the first to come to birth in Israel, I have taken them for myself.
17 因為以色列子民中的一切首生，不拘是人是獸，都屬於我；自從我在埃及地擊殺了一切首生的那一日起，我就將他們祝聖歸屬於我。
For every mother's first son among the children of Israel is mine, the first male birth of man or beast: on the day when I sent death on all the first sons in the land of Egypt, I made them mine.
18 我取了肋未人，替代以色列子民中的一切首生；
And in place of the first sons among the children of Israel, I have taken the Levites.
19 我由以色列子民中委派了肋未人，作亞郎和他兒子們的屬下，為替代以色列子民在會幕內服務，為以色列子民贖罪，免得以色列子民因接近聖所而遭受災禍。」
And I have given them to Aaron and to his sons, from among the children of Israel, to undertake for them all the work of the Tent of meeting, and to take away sin from the children of Israel so that no evil may come on them when they come near the holy place.
20 梅瑟、亞郎以及以色列子民全會眾，對肋未人就如此做了；上主關於肋未人怎樣吩咐了梅瑟，以色列子民就對他們怎樣做了。
All these things Moses and Aaron and the children of Israel did to the Levites; as the Lord gave orders to Moses about the Levites, so the children of Israel did.
21 肋未人潔淨了自己，洗了自己的衣服，亞郎遂以搖禮把他們獻在上主面前，亞郎並為他們贖了罪，使他們潔淨。
And the Levites were made clean from sin, and their clothing was washed, and Aaron gave them for a wave offering before the Lord; and Aaron took away their sin and made them clean.
22 此後，肋未人纔進入會幕內，在亞郎和他的兒子們面前執行自己的職務。上主關於肋未人怎樣吩咐了，梅瑟就對他們怎樣做了。
And then the Levites went in to do their work in the Tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons: all the orders which the Lord had given Moses about the Levites were put into effect.
23 上主訓示梅瑟說：「
And the Lord said to Moses,
24 這是關於肋未人的法令：由二十五歲以上，應來服役，在會幕內工作；
This is the rule for the Levites: those of twenty-five years old and over are to go in and do the work of the Tent of meeting;
25 到了五十歲就退休，不再服役；
But after they are fifty years old, they are to give up their work and do no more;
26 以後在會幕內輔助自己的兄弟照管該遵守的事，自己卻不必服勞役。關於肋未人的職務，你應這樣安排。」
But be with their brothers in the Tent of meeting, taking care of it but doing no work. This is what you are to do in connection with the Levites and their work.
