Numbers 8
1 Yahweh said to Moses/me,
And the Lord spak to Moises, and seide, Speke thou to Aaron,
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.”
and thou schalt seie to hym, Whanne thou hast sett seuene launternes, the candilstike be reisid in the south part; therfor comaunde thou this, that the lanternes biholde euene ayens the north to the boord of looues of `settyng forth, tho schulen schyne ayenus that part which the candilstike biholdith.
3 So [Moses/I told him what Yahweh said], and he did that.
And Aaron dide, and puttide lanternes on the candilstike, as the Lord comaundide to Moises.
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.
Sotheli this was the makyng of the candilstike; it was of gold betun out with hameris, as wel the myddil stok as alle thingis that camen forth of euer eithir side of the yeerdis; bi the saumple `whych the Lord schewide to Moises, so he wrouyte the candilstike.
5 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
And the Lord spak to Moises,
6 “You must cause the descendants of Levi to be acceptable to me by setting them apart from the other Israeli people.
and seide, Take thou Leuytis fro the myddis of the sones of Israel;
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 thou schalt clense hem bi this custom. Be thei spreynt with watir of clensyng, and schaue thei alle the heeris of her fleisch. And whanne thei han waische her clothis and ben clensid, take thei an oxe of drooues,
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 the fletyng sacrifice therof, flour spreynt to gidere with oile; forsothe thou schalt take another oxe of the drooue for synne;
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 thou schalt present the Leuytis bifor the tabernacle of boond of pees, whanne al the multitude of the sones of Israel is clepid togidere.
10 Then the Israeli people must lay their hands on the descendants of Levi.
And whanne the Leuytis ben bifor the Lord, the sones of Israel schulen sette her hondis on hem;
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 Aaron schal offre the Leuytis in the siyt of the Lord, a yifte of the sones of Israel, that thei serue in the seruice `of hym.
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].
Also the Leuytis schulen sette her hondis on the heedis of the oxun, of whiche oxun thou schalt make oon for synne, and the tother in to brent sacrifice of the Lord, that thou preye for hem.
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 thou schalt ordeyne the Leuytis in the siyt of Aaron, and of hise sones, and thou schalt sacre hem offrid to the Lord;
14 This ritual will show that the descendants of Levi are set apart from the other Israelis and that they belong to me.
and thou schalt departe hem fro the myddis of the sones of Israel, that thei be myne.
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 aftirward entre thei in to the tabernacle of boond of pees, that thei serue me; and so thou schalt clense and schalt halewe hem, in to an offryng of the Lord, for bi fre yifte thei ben youun to me of the sones of Israel.
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].
Y haue take hem for the firste gendrid thingis that openen ech wombe in Israel;
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 alle the firste gendrid thingis of the sones of Israel ben myne, as wel of men as of beestis, fro the dai in which Y smoot ech firste gendrid thing in the loond of Egipt, Y halewide hem to me.
18 But now I have chosen the descendants of Levi to take the places of the firstborn males of other Israelis.
And Y took the Leuytis for alle the firste gendrid children of the sones 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 Y yaf hem bi fre yifte to Aaron and hise sones, fro the myddis of the puple, that thei serue me for Israel, in the tabernacle of boond of pees, and that thei preie for hem, lest veniaunce be in the puple, if thei ben hardi to neiye to the seyntuarye.
20 Aaron and Moses/I and the other Israelis helped the descendants of Levi to do everything that Yahweh had commanded.
And Moises and Aaron, and al the multitude of the sones of Israel, diden on the Leuitis tho thingis that the Lord comaundide to Moyses.
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 thei weren clensid, and thei waischiden her clothis; and Aaron reiside hem in the siyt of the Lord, and preiede for hem,
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.
that thei schulen be clensid, and schulden entre to her offices in to the tabernacle of boond of pees, bifor Aaron and hise sones; as the Lord comaundide to Moises of the Leuytis, so it was don.
23 Yahweh also said this to Moses/me:
And the Lord spak to Moises, and seide, This is lawe of Leuytis;
24 “The descendants of Levi who are between 25 and 50 years old will work at the Sacred Tent.
fro fyue and twentithe yeer and aboue thei schulen entre, for to mynystre in the tabernacle of boond of pees;
25 But after they become 50 years old, they must (retire/not do that work any more).
and whanne thei han fillid the fiftithe yeer of age, thei schulen ceesse to serue.
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 thei schulen be the mynystris of her bretheren in the tabernacle of boond of pees, that thei kepe tho thingis that ben bitakun to hem; sothely thei schulen not do tho werkis; thus thou schalt dispose Leuytis in her kepyngis.
