Numbers 8

1 and to speak: speak LORD to(wards) Moses to/for to say

Yahweh said to Moses/me,

2 to speak: speak to(wards) Aaron and to say to(wards) him in/on/with to ascend: establish you [obj] [the] lamp to(wards) opposite face: before [the] lampstand to light seven [the] lamp

“Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps on the lampstand and place them in such a way that they shine toward the front of the lampstand.”

3 and to make: do so Aaron to(wards) opposite face: before [the] lampstand to ascend: establish lamp her like/as as which to command LORD [obj] Moses

So [Moses/I told him what Yahweh said], and he did that.

4 and this deed: work [the] lampstand beating gold till thigh her till flower her beating he/she/it like/as appearance which to see: see LORD [obj] Moses so to make [obj] [the] lampstand

The lampstand had been made from gold that had been hammered [from one large lump of gold], from its base to the decorations at the top [that resembled] flowers. The lampstand was made exactly like Yahweh had told Moses/me that it should be made.

5 and to speak: speak LORD to(wards) Moses to/for to say

Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

6 to take: take [obj] [the] Levi from midst son: descendant/people Israel and be pure [obj] them

“You must cause the descendants of Levi to be acceptable to me by setting them apart from the other Israeli people.

7 and thus to make: do to/for them to/for be pure them to sprinkle upon them water sin: punishment and to pass razor upon all flesh their and to wash garment their and be pure

Do that by sprinkling them with water [which will symbolize] their being freed/cleansed from [the guilt of] their sins. Then they must shave [off all the hair on] their bodies and wash their clothes.

8 and to take: take bullock son: young animal cattle and offering his fine flour to mix in/on/with oil and bullock second son: young animal cattle to take: take to/for sin: sin offering

Then they must bring to the Sacred Tent one bull and some grain mixed with [olive] oil. [Those things will be burned] as sacrifices. They must also bring another bull [that will enable me to forgive them] for the sins they have committed.

9 and to present: bring [obj] [the] Levi to/for face: before tent meeting and to gather [obj] all congregation son: descendant/people Israel

Then you must summon all the Israeli people to come together in front of the Sacred Tent, to [gather around] the descendants of Levi.

10 and to present: bring [obj] [the] Levi to/for face: before LORD and to support son: descendant/people Israel [obj] hand their upon [the] Levi

Then the Israeli people must lay their hands on the descendants of Levi.

11 and to wave Aaron [obj] [the] Levi wave offering to/for face: before LORD from with son: descendant/people Israel and to be to/for to serve: minister [obj] service: ministry LORD

Aaron must then present them to me to be a gift from the Israeli people, in order that they can work for me [at the Sacred Tent].

12 and [the] Levi to support [obj] hand their upon head [the] bullock and to make: offer [obj] [the] one sin: sin offering and [obj] [the] one burnt offering to/for LORD to/for to atone upon [the] Levi

“After that, the descendants of Levi must place their hands on the heads of the two bulls. Then the bulls will be [killed and] burned on the altar. One will be an offering to enable me [to forgive them for] sins they have committed, and the other will be completely burned [to please me].

13 and to stand: stand [obj] [the] Levi to/for face: before Aaron and to/for face: before son: child his and to wave [obj] them wave offering to/for LORD

The descendants of Levi must stand [at the altar] in front of Aaron and his sons, and you must then dedicate to me the descendants of Levi.

14 and to separate [obj] [the] Levi from midst son: descendant/people Israel and to be to/for me [the] Levi

This ritual will show that the descendants of Levi are set apart from the other Israelis and that they belong to me.

15 and after so to come (in): come [the] Levi to/for to serve: minister [obj] tent meeting and be pure [obj] them and to wave [obj] them wave offering

“After the descendants of Levi have been made acceptable to me, and presented to me like a special offering, they may start to work at the Sacred Tent.

16 for to give: give to give: give they(masc.) to/for me from midst son: descendant/people Israel underneath: instead firstborn all womb firstborn all from son: descendant/people Israel to take: take [obj] them to/for me

They will belong to me. They will work for me as substitutes for the firstborn males of all the Israelis, [who also belong to me].

17 for to/for me all firstborn in/on/with son: descendant/people Israel in/on/with man and in/on/with animal in/on/with day to smite I all firstborn in/on/with land: country/planet Egypt to consecrate: consecate [obj] them to/for me

All the firstborn males in Israel, both the people and the animals, are mine. When I caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die, [I (spared/did not kill) the firstborn males of the Israelis]. I set them apart to belong to me. I said that the firstborn males of all their domestic animals would also belong to me.

18 and to take: take [obj] [the] Levi underneath: instead all firstborn in/on/with son: descendant/people Israel

But now I have chosen the descendants of Levi to take the places of the firstborn males of other Israelis.

19 and to give: give [emph?] [obj] [the] Levi to give: give to/for Aaron and to/for son: child his from midst son: descendant/people Israel to/for to serve: minister [obj] service: ministry son: descendant/people Israel in/on/with tent meeting and to/for to atone upon son: descendant/people Israel and not to be in/on/with son: descendant/people Israel plague in/on/with to approach: approach son: descendant/people Israel to(wards) [the] holiness

I have appointed the descendants of Levi to help Aaron and his sons at the Sacred Tent, as Aaron and his sons offer the sacrifices so that the Israeli people’s sins will be forgiven, and to prevent the Israelis from coming close to the tent with the result that a plague would cause many of them to become sick and die.”

20 and to make: do Moses and Aaron and all congregation son: descendant/people Israel to/for Levi like/as all which to command LORD [obj] Moses to/for Levi so to make: do to/for them son: descendant/people Israel

Aaron and Moses/I and the other Israelis helped the descendants of Levi to do everything that Yahweh had commanded.

21 and to sin [the] Levi and to wash garment their and to wave Aaron [obj] them wave offering to/for face: before LORD and to atone upon them Aaron to/for be pure them

The descendants of Levi [sprinkled themselves with water to symbolize that] they had been freed/cleansed from [the guilt of] their sins, and they washed their clothes. Then Aaron brought them to [the altar to] present them to Yahweh, and he offered sacrifices to cleanse them from [the guilt of] their sins and cause them to become acceptable to Yahweh.

22 and after so to come (in): come [the] Levi to/for to serve: minister [obj] service: ministry their in/on/with tent meeting to/for face: before Aaron and to/for face: before son: child his like/as as which to command LORD [obj] Moses upon [the] Levi so to make: do to/for them

After that, the descendants of Levi started to work at the Sacred Tent to assist Aaron and his sons. They did that just as Yahweh had commanded Moses/me.

23 and to speak: speak LORD to(wards) Moses to/for to say

Yahweh also said this to Moses/me:

24 this which to/for Levi from son: aged five and twenty year and above [to] to come (in): come to/for to serve army: duty in/on/with service: ministry tent meeting

“The descendants of Levi who are between 25 and 50 years old will work at the Sacred Tent.

25 and from son: aged fifty year to return: again from army: duty [the] service: ministry and not to serve: minister still

But after they become 50 years old, they must (retire/not do that work any more).

26 and to minister [obj] brother: male-relative his in/on/with tent meeting to/for to keep: guard charge and service: ministry not to serve: minister thus to make: do to/for Levi in/on/with charge their

They may help the other descendants of Levi to do their work at the Sacred Tent, but they must not do the work themselves. That is what you must tell them about the work they will do.”