Numbers 8

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

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

“Tell Aaron, ‘When you place the seven lamps on the lampstand, make sure they shine towards the front.’”

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

So that's what Aaron did. He placed the lamps facing towards the front of the lampstand, as the Lord had ordered Moses.

4 This was the workmanship of the menorah, 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 menorah.

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.

5 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

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

“Separate the Levites from the other Israelites and purify them.

7 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.

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.

8 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.

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.

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

Take the Levites and have them stand in front of the Tent of Meeting and have all the Israelites gather there.

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

When you bring the Levites to the Lord the Israelites are to place their hands upon them.

11 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.

Aaron shall present the Levites to the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites so that they can do the Lord's work.

12 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.

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.

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

Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and present them to the Lord as a wave offering.

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

This is how you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to me.

15 "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.

They can come and serve at the Tent of Meeting once you've purified them and presented them as a wave offering.

16 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.

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.

17 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.

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.

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

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

19 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."

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.”

20 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.

Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites did everything that the Lord had ordered Moses that they should do regarding the Levites.

21 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.

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.

22 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.

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.

23 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

24 "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;

“This rule applies to the Levites. Those twenty-five or older shall serve at the Tent of Meeting.

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

However, once they reach the age of fifty they need to retire from the work and won't serve any longer.

26 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."

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.”