Numbers 8

1 Yahweh said to Moses/me,

And he spoke Yahweh to Moses saying.

2 “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.”

Speak to Aaron and you will say to him when lifting up you the lamps to [the] front of [the] face of the lampstand they will give light [the] seven the lamps.

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

And he did so Aaron to [the] front of [the] face of the lampstand he lifted up lamps its just as he had commanded Yahweh Moses.

4 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.

And this [was] [the] work of the lampstand hammered work gold to base its to blossom its [was] hammered work it like the appearance which he had shown Yahweh Moses so he made the lampstand.

5 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

And he spoke Yahweh to Moses saying.

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

Take the Levites from among [the] people of Israel and you will purify them.

7 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.

And thus you will do to them to purify them spatter on them water of sin offering and they will cause to pass a razor over all body their and they will wash clothes their and they will purify themselves.

8 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.

And they will take a young bull a young one of cattle and grain offering its fine flour mixed with oil and a young bull second a young one of cattle you will take to a sin offering.

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

And you will bring near the Levites before [the] tent of meeting and you will assemble all [the] congregation of [the] people of Israel.

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

And you will bring near the Levites before Yahweh and they will lay [the] people of Israel hands their on the Levites.

11 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].

And he will wave Aaron the Levites a wave-offering before Yahweh from with [the] people of Israel and they will be to serve [the] service of Yahweh.

12 “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].

And the Levites they will lay hands their on [the] head of the young bulls and offer the one a sin offering and the one a burnt offering to Yahweh to make atonement on the Levites.

13 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.

And you will make stand the Levites before Aaron and before sons his and you will wave them a wave-offering to Yahweh.

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

And you will separate the Levites from among [the] people of Israel and they will belong to me the Levites.

15 “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.

And after thus they will go the Levites to serve [the] tent of meeting and you will purify them and you will wave them a wave-offering.

16 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].

For [are] assigned assigned they to me from among [the] people of Israel in place of [the] firstborn of every womb [the] firstborn of all from [the] people of Israel I have taken them for myself.

17 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.

For [belongs] to me every firstborn among [the] people of Israel among humankind and among the livestock on [the] day struck I every firstborn in [the] land of Egypt I set apart them for myself.

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

And I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among [the] people of Israel.

19 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.”

And I have given! the Levites given [things] - to Aaron and to sons his from among [the] people of Israel to serve [the] service of [the] people of Israel in [the] tent of meeting and to make atonement on [the] people of Israel and not it will be among [the] people of Israel a plague when draw near [the] people of Israel to the holy place.

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

And he did Moses and Aaron and all [the] congregation of [the] people of Israel to the Levites according to all that he had commanded Yahweh Moses of the Levites so they did to them [the] people of Israel.

21 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.

And they purified themselves the Levites and they washed clothes their and he waved Aaron them a wave-offering before Yahweh and he made atonement on them Aaron to purify them.

22 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.

And after thus they went the Levites to serve service their in [the] tent of meeting before Aaron and before sons his just as he had commanded Yahweh Moses on the Levites so they did to them.

23 Yahweh also said this to Moses/me:

And he spoke Yahweh to Moses saying.

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

This [is that] which [is] to the Levites from a son of five and twenty year[s] and up-wards he will go to serve service in [the] service of [the] tent of meeting.

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

And from a son of fifty year[s] he will turn back from [the] service of the service and not he will serve again.

26 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.”

And he will serve brothers his in [the] tent of meeting by keeping a duty and service not he will serve thus you will do to the Levites in duties their.