Numbers 8

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Speak to Aaron, and thou shalt say to him: When thou shalt place the seven lamps, let the candlestick be set up on the south side. Give orders therefore that the lamps look over against the north, towards the table of the leaves of proposition, over against that part shall they give light, towards which the candlestick looketh.

"Speak to Aaron, and tell him, 'When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.'"

3 And Aaron did so, and he put the lamps upon the candlestick, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Aaron did so. He lit its lamps to light the area in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses.

4 Now this was the work of the candlestick, it was of beaten gold, both the shaft in the middle, and all that came out of both sides of the branches: according to the pattern which the Lord had shewn to Moses, so he made the candlestick.

This was the workmanship of the lampstand, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work: according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

6 Take the Levites out of the midst of the children of Israel, and thou shalt purify them,

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

7 According to this rite: Let them be sprinkled with the water of purification, and let them shave all the hairs of their flesh. And when they shall have washed their garments, and are cleansed,

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 They shall take an ox of the herd, and for the offering thereof fine flour tempered with oil: and thou shalt take another ox of the herd for 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 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the covenant, calling together all the multitude of the children of Israel:

You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

10 And when the Levites are before the Lord, the children of Israel shall put their hands upon them:

You shall present the Levites before the LORD. The children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites,

11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites, as a gift in the sight of the Lord from the children of Israel, that they may serve in his ministry.

and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of the LORD.

12 The Levites also shall put their hands upon the heads of the oxen, of which thou shalt sacrifice one for sin, and the other for a holocaust to the Lord, to pray for them.

The Levites 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 the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.

13 And thou shalt set the Levites in the sight of Aaron and of his sons, and shalt consecrate them being offered to the Lord,

You shall set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to the LORD.

14 And shalt separate them from the midst of the children of Israel, to be mine.

Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

15 And afterwards they shall enter into the tabernacle of the covenant, to serve me. And thus shalt thou purify and consecrate them for an oblation of the Lord: for as a gift they were given me by the children of Israel.

"After that, the Levites 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 I have taken them instead of the firstborn that open every womb in Israel,

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

17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel, both of men and of beasts, are mine. From the day that I slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, have I sanctified them to myself:

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

18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel:

I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

19 And have delivered them for a gift to Aaron and his sons out of the midst of the people, to serve me for Israel in the tabernacle of the covenant, and to pray for them, lest there should be a plague among the people, if they should presume to approach unto my sanctuary.

I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel; that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary."

20 And Moses and Aaron and all the multitude of the children of Israel did with the Levites all that the Lord had commanded Moses:

Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel did so to the Levites. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them.

21 And they were purified, and washed their garments. And Aaron lifted them up in the sight of the Lard, and prayed for them,

The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before the LORD; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.

22 That being purified they might go into the tabernacle of the covenant to do their services before Aaron and his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses touching the Levites, so was it done.

After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

24 This is the law of the Levites: From twenty-five years old and upwards, they shall go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

"This is that which belongs to the Levites: 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 And when they shall have accomplished the fiftieth year of their age, they shall cease to serve:

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

26 And they shall be the ministers of their brethren in the tabernacle of the covenant, to keep the things that are committed to their care, but not to do the works. Thus shalt thou order the Levites touching their charge.

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 concerning their duties."