Numbers 8
1 The Lord told Moses,
UThixo wathi kuMosi,
2 “Tell Aaron, ‘When you place the seven lamps on the lampstand, make sure they shine towards the front.’”
“Tshono ku-Aroni uthi, ‘Nxa usumisa izibane eziyisikhombisa, kufanele zikhanyise indawo ephambi koluthi lwezibane.’”
3 So that's what Aaron did. He placed the lamps facing towards the front of the lampstand, as the Lord had ordered Moses.
U-Aroni wenza njalo; wamisa izibane oluthini zikhangele phambili, njengokulaywa kukaMosi nguThixo.
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.
Uluthi lwesibane lwalwenziwe ngale indlela: Lwalwenziwe ngegolide elikhandiweyo kusukela esidindini salo kusiya embaxeni zamaluba alo. Uluthi lwesibane lwenziwa lwafana xathu lalokho uThixo ayekutshengise uMosi.
5 The Lord told Moses,
UThixo wathi kuMosi:
6 “Separate the Levites from the other Israelites and purify them.
“Yahlukanisa abaLevi kwabanye bonke abako-Israyeli ubahlambulule ngokomkhuba.
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.
Nanku ozakwenza nxa usubahlambulula: Bachele ngamanzi okuhlambulula, uthi baphuce imizimba yabo yonke njalo bagezise izigqoko zabo, bazihlambulule.
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.
Kabathathe inkunzi eliguqa ndawonye lomnikelo wayo wamabele ayifulawa ecolekileyo exutshaniswe lamafutha; ubusuthatha inkunzi yesibili ibe ngumnikelo wesono.
9 Take the Levites and have them stand in front of the Tent of Meeting and have all the Israelites gather there.
Letha abaLevi phambi kwethente lokuhlangana ubusubuthanisa isizwe sonke sako-Israyeli.
10 When you bring the Levites to the Lord the Israelites are to place their hands upon them.
Letha abaLevi phambi kukaThixo, abako-Israyeli babeke izandla zabo phezu kwabaLevi.
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.
U-Aroni kethule abaLevi phambi kukaThixo njengomnikelo wabako-Israyeli wokuzunguzwa, ukuze balungele ukwenza umsebenzi kaThixo.
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.
Nxa abaLevi sebebeke izandla zabo phezu kwamakhanda enkunzi, uzakwenza umnikelo wesono kuThixo ngenye yazo kanye lomnikelo wokutshiswa, ukwenzela abaLevi indlela yokubuyisana.
13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and present them to the Lord as a wave offering.
Misa abaLevi phambi kuka-Aroni kanye lamadodana akhe ubethule njengomnikelo wokuzunguzwa phambi kukaThixo.
14 This is how you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to me.
Ngalokhu uzabe usubahlukanisile abaLevi kwabanye bonke abako-Israyeli, ngakho abaLevi bazakuba ngabami.
15 They can come and serve at the Tent of Meeting once you've purified them and presented them as a wave offering.
Ngemva kokuba usuhlambulule wethula abaLevi njengomnikelo wokuzunguzwa, kabeze benze umsebenzi wabo ethenteni lokuhlangana.
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.
Bangabako-Israyeli abaphiwe mina ngokugcweleyo. Sengibathethe baba ngabami esikhundleni samazibulo, wonke umntwana ongumfana wokuqala ozelwe ngowesifazane wako-Israyeli.
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.
Wonke amazibulo ako-Israyeli, awabantu kumbe awezinyamazana, angawami. Ngazehlukanisela wona mhla ngibulala amazibulo wonke eGibhithe.
18 I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites.
Ngakho-ke sengithethe abaLevi esikhundleni samazibulo wonke angabafana bako-Israyeli.
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.”
Kubo bonke abako-Israyeli, senginike abaLevi ku-Aroni kanye lamadodana akhe ukuba babe yizipho ukuze benzele abako-Israyeli umsebenzi kanye lendlela yokubuyisana ethenteni lokuhlangana ukuze abako-Israyeli bangahlaselwa yisifo nxa besondela endlini engcwele.”
20 Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites did everything that the Lord had ordered Moses that they should do regarding the Levites.
UMosi lo-Aroni kanye labo bonke abako-Israyeli benza njalo kubaLevi njengalokhu uThixo walaya uMosi.
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.
AbaLevi bazihlambulula njalo bagezisa izigqoko zabo. Ngakho u-Aroni wabethula phambi kukaThixo njengomnikelo wokuzunguzwa njalo wabenzela indlela yokubuyisana ebahlambulula.
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.
Ngemva kwalokho, abaLevi beza ethenteni lokuhlangana ukuzokwenza umsebenzi wabo ngaphansi kuka-Aroni kanye lamadodana akhe. Benza njalo kubaLevi njengokulaywa kukaMosi nguThixo.
23 The Lord told Moses,
UThixo wathi kuMosi,
24 “This rule applies to the Levites. Those twenty-five or older shall serve at the Tent of Meeting.
“Lokhu kuqondane labaLevi: Abesilisa abaleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanhlanu kusiya phezulu bazakwenza umsebenzi ethenteni lokuhlangana,
25 However, once they reach the age of fifty they need to retire from the work and won't serve any longer.
kodwa asebeleminyaka engamatshumi amahlanu okuzalwa bazamiswa ukuphatha imisebenzi yabo yensuku ngensuku bangabe besasebenza futhi.
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.”
Bangasiza nje abafowabo nxa besenza imisebenzi yabo ethenteni lokuhlangana, kodwa bona ngokwabo bangasebenzi. Le yiyo-ke indlela ozakupha ngayo abaLevi imisebenzi.”
