Numbers 8

1 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

2 “Speak to Aaron, and you have said to him: In your causing the lights to go up, the seven lights give light toward the front of the face of the lampstand.”

“Speak to Aaron. Say to him, 'The seven lamps must give light in front of the lampstand when you light them.'”

3 And Aaron does so; he has caused its lights to go up toward the front of the face of the lampstand, as YHWH has commanded Moses.

Aaron did this. He lit the lamps on the lampstand to give light toward the front of it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

4 And this [is] the work of the lampstand: beaten work of gold; from its thigh to its flower it [is] beaten work; as the appearance which YHWH showed Moses, so he has made the lampstand.

The lampstand was made in this way and Yahweh showed Moses the pattern for it. It was to be hammered gold from its base to its top, with hammered cups like blossoms.

5 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

6 “Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and you have cleansed them.

“Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and purify them.

7 And thus you do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle waters of atonement on them, and they have caused a razor to pass over all their flesh, and have washed their garments, and cleansed themselves,

Do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle the water of atonement on them. Make them shave their entire body, wash their clothes, and in this way purify themselves.

8 and have taken a bullock, a son of the herd, and its present, flour mixed with oil, and you take a second bullock, a son of the herd, for a sin-offering;

Then have them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mingled with oil. Let them take another young bull as a sin offering.

9 and you have brought the Levites near before the Tent of Meeting, and you have assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel,

You will bring the Levites in front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole community of the people of Israel.

10 and you have brought the Levites near before YHWH, and the sons of Israel have laid their hands on the Levites,

When you bring the Levites before Yahweh, the people of Israel must lay their hands on the Levites.

11 and Aaron has waved the Levites [as] a wave-offering before YHWH, from the sons of Israel, and they have been [consecrated] for doing the service of YHWH.

Aaron must offer the Levites before Yahweh, as a wave offering from the people of Israel so that they may do the service of Yahweh.

12 And the Levites lay their hands on the head of the bullocks, and make one a sin-offering and one a burnt-offering to YHWH, to atone for the Levites.

The Levites must place their hands on the heads of the bulls. You must offer one bull for a sin offering and the other bull for a burnt offering to me, to atone for the Levites.

13 And you have caused the Levites to stand before Aaron, and before his sons, and have waved them [as] a wave-offering to YHWH;

Present the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and lift them up as a wave offering to me.

14 and you have separated the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and the Levites have become Mine;

In this way you must separate the Levites from among the people of Israel. The Levites will belong to me.

15 and afterward the Levites come in to serve the Tent of Meeting, and you have cleansed them, and have waved them [as] a wave-offering.

After that, the Levites must go in to serve in the tent of meeting. You must purify them. You must offer them as a wave offering.

16 For they are certainly given to Me out of the midst of the sons of Israel, instead of him who opens any womb—the firstborn of all; I have taken them for Myself from the sons of Israel;

Do this, because they are entirely mine from among the people of Israel. They will take the place of each male child who opens the womb, the firstborn of all the descendants of Israel. I have taken the Levites for myself.

17 for every firstborn among the sons of Israel [is] Mine, among man and among beast; in the day of My striking every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself;

All the firstborn from among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. On the day that I took the lives of all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself.

18 and I take the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel.

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

19 And I give the Levites [as] gifts to Aaron and to his sons, from the midst of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the sons of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the sons of Israel, and there is no plague among the sons of Israel in the sons of Israel drawing near to the holy place.”

I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons. I have taken them from among the people of Israel to do the work of the people of Israel in the tent of meeting. I have given them to atone for the people of Israel so that no plague will harm the people when they come near to the holy place.”

20 And Moses does—Aaron also, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel—to the Levites according to all that YHWH has commanded Moses concerning the Levites; so the sons of Israel have done to them.

Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of the people of Israel did this with the Levites. They did everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites. The people of Israel did this with them.

21 And the Levites cleanse themselves, and wash their garments, and Aaron waves them [as] a wave-offering before YHWH, and Aaron makes atonement for them to cleanse them,

The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering to Yahweh and he made atonement for them to cleanse them.

22 and afterward the Levites have gone in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting, before Aaron and before his sons; as YHWH has commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they have done to them.

After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before Aaron's sons. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses about the Levites. They treated all the Levites in this way.

23 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke again to Moses. He said,

24 “This [is] who [is] for the Levites: from a son of twenty-five years and upward he goes in to serve the host in the service of the Tent of Meeting,

“All of this is for the Levites who are twenty-five years old and more. They must join the company to serve in the tent of meeting.

25 and from a son of fifty years he returns from the host of the service, and does not serve anymore,

They must stop serving in this way at the age of fifty years. At that age they must not serve any longer.

26 and he has ministered with his brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to keep the charge, and does not do service; thus you do to the Levites concerning their charge.”

They may help their brothers who continue to work at the tent of meeting, but they must serve no more. You must direct the Levites in all these matters.”