Numbers 8

1 And Yhwh spake unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the lampstand.

“Speak to Aaron, and you shall say to him: When you place the seven lamps, let the lampstand be set up on the south side. Therefore, give this instruction: that the lamps should look out from the region opposite the north, toward the table of the bread of the presence; they shall give light opposite that area, toward the area that the lampstand faces.”

3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the lampstand, as Yhwh commanded Moses.

And Aaron did so, and he placed the lamps on the lampstand, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

4 And this work of the lampstand was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which Yhwh had shewed Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand: it was of ductile gold, both the main shaft and all that originated from both sides of the branches. According to the example that the Lord revealed to Moses, so did he make the lampstand.

5 And Yhwh spake unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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

“Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and you shall purify them

7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.

according to this ritual: Let them be sprinkled with the water of illumination, and let them shave off all the hairs of their body. And when they have washed their garments and have been cleansed,

8 Then let them take a young bullock with his grain offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.

they shall take an ox from the herd, with its libation of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil; then you shall receive another ox from the herd for sin.

9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:

And you shall bring forward the Levites before the tabernacle of the covenant, calling together all the multitude of the sons of Israel.

10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before Yhwh: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:

And when the Levites are before the Lord, the sons of Israel shall place their hands upon them.

11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before Yhwh for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of Yhwh.

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

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

Likewise, the Levites shall place their hands upon the heads of the oxen; you shall make use of one of these for sin, and the other as a holocaust to the Lord, so that you may intercede for them.

13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto Yhwh.

And you shall set the Levites in the sight of Aaron and his sons, and you shall consecrate those being offered to the Lord,

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

and you shall separate them from the midst of the sons of Israel, so that they may be for me.

15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.

And after this, they shall enter the tabernacle of the covenant, in order to serve me. And so shall you purify and consecrate them as an oblation to the Lord. For they were given to me as a gift from the sons of Israel.

16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.

I have accepted them in place of the firstborn which open every womb in Israel.

17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.

For all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, as much from men as from beasts, are mine. From the day when I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I have sanctified them to myself.

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

And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel.

19 And 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 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.

And I have delivered them as a gift to Aaron and his sons, from the midst of the people, in order to serve me, for Israel, in the tabernacle of the covenant, and in order to pray for them, lest there be a scourge among the people, if they were to dare to approach to my Sanctuary.”

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

And Moses and Aaron, and all the multitude of the sons of Israel, accomplished all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.

21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before Yhwh; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.

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

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

so that, having been purified, they might enter to their duties in the tabernacle of the covenant before Aaron and his sons. Just as the Lord had instructed Moses about the Levites, so was it done.

23 And Yhwh spake unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:

“This is the law of the Levites: From twenty-five years and above, they shall enter to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:

And when they will have completed the fiftieth year of age, they shall cease to serve.

26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.

And they shall be the ministers of their brothers in the tabernacle of the covenant, in order to care for the things that have been commended to them, but not to perform the works themselves. So shall you assign the Levites in their duties.”