Numbers 8

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

2 Speak to Aaron, and say to him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.

“Speak to Aaron, and you have said to him: In your causing the lights to go up, the seven lights give light toward the front of the face of the lampstand.”

3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps of it over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.

And Aaron does so; he has caused its lights to go up toward the front of the face of the lampstand, as YHWH has commanded Moses.

4 And this work of the candlestick [was of] beaten gold, to its shaft, to the flowers of it, [was] beaten work: according to the pattern which the LORD had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

And this [is] the work of the lampstand: beaten work of gold; from its thigh to its flower it [is] beaten work; as the appearance which YHWH showed Moses, so he has made the lampstand.

5 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

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

“Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and you have cleansed them.

7 And thus shalt thou do to them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and [so] make themselves clean.

And thus you do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle waters of atonement on them, and they have caused a razor to pass over all their flesh, and have washed their garments, and cleansed themselves,

8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat-offering, [even] fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin-offering.

and have taken a bullock, a son of the herd, and its present, flour mixed with oil, and you take a second bullock, a son of the herd, for a sin-offering;

9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt convene the whole assembly of the children of Israel:

and you have brought the Levites near before the Tent of Meeting, and you have assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel,

10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:

and you have brought the Levites near before YHWH, and the sons of Israel have laid their hands on the Levites,

11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD [for] an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.

and Aaron has waved the Levites [as] a wave-offering before YHWH, from the sons of Israel, and they have been [consecrated] for doing the service of YHWH.

12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one [for] a sin-offering, and the other [for] a burnt-offering, to the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.

And the Levites lay their hands on the head of the bullocks, and make one a sin-offering and one a burnt-offering to YHWH, to atone for the Levites.

13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them [for] an offering to the LORD.

And you have caused the Levites to stand before Aaron, and before his sons, and have waved them [as] a wave-offering to YHWH;

14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.

and you have separated the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and the Levites have become Mine;

15 And after that shall the Levites go in to perform the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them [for] an offering.

and afterward the Levites come in to serve the Tent of Meeting, and you have cleansed them, and have waved them [as] a wave-offering.

16 For they [are] wholly given to me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, [even instead of] the first-born of all the children of Israel, have I taken them to me.

For they are certainly given to Me out of the midst of the sons of Israel, instead of him who opens any womb—the firstborn of all; I have taken them for Myself from the sons of Israel;

17 For all the first born of the children of Israel [are] mine, [both] man and beast: on the day that I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.

for every firstborn among the sons of Israel [is] Mine, among man and among beast; in the day of My striking every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself;

18 And I have taken the Levites for all the first-born of the children of Israel.

and I take the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel.

19 And 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 tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there may be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh to the sanctuary.

And I give the Levites [as] gifts to Aaron and to his sons, from the midst of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the sons of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the sons of Israel, and there is no plague among the sons of Israel in the sons of Israel drawing near to the holy place.”

20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel to them.

And Moses does—Aaron also, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel—to the Levites according to all that YHWH has commanded Moses concerning the Levites; so the sons of Israel have done to them.

21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them [as] an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.

And the Levites cleanse themselves, and wash their garments, and Aaron waves them [as] a wave-offering before YHWH, and Aaron makes atonement for them to cleanse them,

22 And after that went the Levites in to perform their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they to them.

and afterward the Levites have gone in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting, before Aaron and before his sons; as YHWH has commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they have done to them.

23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

24 This [is it] that [belongeth] to the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:

“This [is] who [is] for the Levites: from a son of twenty-five years and upward he goes in to serve the host in the service of the Tent of Meeting,

25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service [of it], and shall serve no more:

and from a son of fifty years he returns from the host of the service, and does not serve anymore,

26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do to the Levites concerning their charge.

and he has ministered with his brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to keep the charge, and does not do service; thus you do to the Levites concerning their charge.”