Numbers 8
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,
INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:
2 “Speak to Aaron. Say to him, 'The seven lamps must give light in front of the lampstand when you light them.'”
Tshono kuAroni uthi kuye: Nxa ulumathisa izibane, izibane eziyisikhombisa zizakhanyisa ngaphambili phambi koluthi lwesibane.
3 Aaron did this. He lit the lamps on the lampstand to give light toward the front of it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
UAroni wasesenza njalo; ngaphambili phambi koluthi lwesibane walumathisa izibane zalo, njengokulaya kweNkosi kuMozisi.
4 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.
Lalo umsebenzi woluthi lwesibane wawungowegolide elikhandiweyo, kuze kube sesidindini salo kuze kuye emalubeni alo lwalukhandiwe; njengesifanekiso iNkosi eyamtshengisa sona uMozisi, walwenza njalo uluthi lwesibane.
5 Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,
INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:
6 “Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and purify them.
Khupha amaLevi phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, uwahlambulule;
7 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.
wenze ngokunjalo kuwo ukuwahlambulula; ufafaze phezu kwawo amanzi okuhlambulula, njalo adlulise impuco emzimbeni wawo wonke, awatshe izigqoko zawo, azihlambulule.
8 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.
Athathe ijongosi ithole lenkomo, lomnikelo walo wokudla, impuphu ecolekileyo ixubene lamafutha, uthathe lelinye ijongosi ithole lenkomo, libe ngumnikelo wesono.
9 You will bring the Levites in front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole community of the people of Israel.
Njalo uzasondeza amaLevi phambi kwethente lenhlangano, ubuthanise inhlangano yonke yabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
10 When you bring the Levites before Yahweh, the people of Israel must lay their hands on the Levites.
Usondeze amaLevi phambi kweNkosi, njalo abantwana bakoIsrayeli bazabeka izandla zabo phezu kwamaLevi,
11 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.
loAroni azunguze amaLevi, abe ngumnikelo wokuzunguzwa phambi kweNkosi, evela ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli, ukuze abe ngasebenza umsebenzi weNkosi.
12 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.
AmaLevi azabeka-ke izandla zawo enhlokweni yamajongosi; unikele elinye libe ngumnikelo wesono, lelinye libe ngumnikelo wokutshiswa eNkosini, ukuwenzela amaLevi inhlawulo yokuthula.
13 Present the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and lift them up as a wave offering to me.
Njalo uzawamisa amaLevi phambi kukaAroni laphambi kwamadodana akhe, uwazunguze abe ngumnikelo wokuzunguzwa eNkosini.
14 In this way you must separate the Levites from among the people of Israel. The Levites will belong to me.
Ngakho uzakwehlukanisa amaLevi uwakhuphe phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, ukuthi amaLevi abe ngawami.
15 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.
Lemva kwalokho amaLevi azangena ukukhonza ethenteni lenhlangano. Njalo uzawahlambulula, uwazunguze abe ngumnikelo wokuzunguzwa.
16 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.
Ngoba wona aphiwe lokuphiwa mina ephuma phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli. Esikhundleni salokho okuvula sonke isizalo, izibulo laye wonke wabantwana bakoIsrayeli, ngizithathele wona.
17 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.
Ngoba lonke izibulo phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli ngelami, phakathi kwabantu laphakathi kwezifuyo. Ngosuku engatshaya ngalo lonke izibulo elizweni leGibhithe ngazingcwelisela wona;
18 I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of all the firstborn.
sengithethe amaLevi esikhundleni sawo wonke amazibulo phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
19 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.”
Ngiwanikile amaLevi njengabaphiweyo kuAroni lakumadodana akhe, ephuma phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, ukukhonza inkonzo yabantwana bakoIsrayeli ethenteni lenhlangano, lokwenzela abantwana bakoIsrayeli inhlawulo yokuthula, ukuze kungabi lenhlupheko phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, nxa abantwana bakoIsrayeli besondela endlini engcwele.
20 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.
UMozisi loAroni lenhlangano yonke yabantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesenza kumaLevi njengakho konke iNkosi eyakulaya uMozisi mayelana lamaLevi; benza njalo abantwana bakoIsrayeli kuwo.
21 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.
LamaLevi azihlambulula, ahlamba izembatho zawo; uAroni wasewazunguza aba ngumnikelo wokuzunguzwa phambi kweNkosi; loAroni wawenzela inhlawulo yokuthula ukuwahlambulula.
22 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.
Lemva kwalokho amaLevi angena ukwenza inkonzo yawo ethenteni lenhlangano phambi kukaAroni laphambi kwamadodana akhe. Njengalokhu iNkosi yamlaya uMozisi ngamaLevi, benza njalo kuwo.
23 Yahweh spoke again to Moses. He said,
INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:
24 “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.
Yilokhu okuqondene lamaLevi: Kusukela koleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanhlanu langaphezulu azangena ukukhonza inkonzo, enkonzweni yethente lenhlangano.
25 They must stop serving in this way at the age of fifty years. At that age they must not serve any longer.
Njalo kusukela koleminyaka engamatshumi amahlanu azaphuma enkonzweni yenkonzo, angabe esasebenza;
26 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.”
kodwa azasiza abazalwane bawo ethenteni lenhlangano ukugcina umlindo, kodwa angasebenzi umsebenzi. Uzakwenza njalo kumaLevi kumfanelo zawo.
