Numbers 8

1 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him: ‘When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.’”

Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, then shall the seven lamps give light toward the body of the candlestick.

3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps facing toward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

And Aaron did so; toward the body of the candlestick did he light its lamps; as the Lord had commanded Moses.

4 This is how the lampstand was constructed: it was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms, fashioned according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.

And this was the workmanship of the candlestick: It was of beaten gold, from the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, it was beaten work; according unto the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so made he the candlestick.

5 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.

Take the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

7 This is what you must do to cleanse them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.

And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle upon them water of purification, after they have let the razor pass over all their flesh, and then let them wash their clothes, and so shall they be clean.

8 Then have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.

And they shall take a young bullock with his meat-offering, fine flour mingled with oil; and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin-offering.

9 Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel.

And thou shalt bring near the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt assemble together the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

10 You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them.

And when thou hast brought near the Levites before the Lord, then shall the children of Israel lay their hands upon the Levites:

11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.

And Aaron shall make with the Levites a waving before the Lord from the children of Israel, that they may be ready to execute the service of the Lord.

12 And the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.

And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt prepare the one as a sin-offering, and the other as a burnt-offering, unto the Lord, to make an atonement for the Levites.

13 You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and then present them before the LORD as a wave offering.

And thou shalt place the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and make with them a waving before the Lord.

14 In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me.

Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.

15 After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting.

And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: after thou shalt have cleansed them, and made with them a waving.

16 For the Levites have been wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel.

For they are wholly given unto me from the midst of the children of Israel: instead of every one that openeth the womb, of every first-born of the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.

17 For every firstborn male in Israel is Mine, both man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.

For mine are all the first-born of the children of Israel, both of man and beast: on the day that I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt did I sanctify them unto myself.

18 But I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.

And I have taken the Levites, instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel.

19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service for the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from the midst of the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel; that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.

20 So Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel did with the Levites everything that the LORD had commanded Moses they should do.

And so did Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the Levites: according unto all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.

21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.

And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron made with them a waving before the Lord: and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.

22 After that, the Levites came to perform their service at the Tent of Meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. Thus they did with the Levites just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.

23 And the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the service in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

This shall be the rule for the Levites: From twenty and five years old and upward shall he go into the ranks to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation;

25 But at the age of fifty, they must retire from performing the work and no longer serve.

And from the age of fifty years shall he go out of the ranks of the service, and he shall serve no more;

26 After that, they may assist their brothers in fulfilling their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves are not to do the work. This is how you are to assign responsibilities to the Levites.”

But he shall wait on his brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, but the service shall he not perform; thus shalt thou do unto the Levites in the discharge of their office.