Numbers 8

1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 'Speak unto Aaron, and thou hast said unto him, In thy causing the lights to go up, over-against the face of the candlestick do the seven lights give light.'

“Speak to Aaron, and tell him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.’”

3 And Aaron doth so; over-against the face of the candlestick he hath caused its lights to go up, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.

Aaron did so. He lit its lamps to light the area in front of the lamp stand, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

4 And this [is] the work of the candlestick: beaten work of gold; unto its thigh, unto its flower it [is] beaten work; as the appearance which Jehovah shewed Moses, so he hath made the candlestick.

This was the workmanship of the lamp stand, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work. He made the lamp stand according to the pattern which Yahweh had shown Moses.

5 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

6 'Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and thou hast cleansed them.

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

7 'And thus thou dost to them to cleanse them: sprinkle upon them waters of atonement, and they have caused a razor to pass over all their flesh, and have washed their garments, and cleansed themselves,

You shall do this to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves.

8 and have taken a bullock, a son of the herd, and its present, flour mixed with oil, — and a second bullock a son of the herd thou dost take for a sin-offering,

Then let them take a young bull and its meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and another young bull you shall take for a sin offering.

9 and thou hast brought near the Levites before the tent of meeting, and thou hast assembled the whole company of the sons of Israel,

You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

10 and thou hast brought near the Levites before Jehovah, and the sons of Israel have laid their hands on the Levites,

You shall present the Levites before Yahweh. The children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites,

11 and Aaron hath waved the Levites — a wave-offering before Jehovah, from the sons of Israel, and they have been — for doing the service of Jehovah.

and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Yahweh for a wave offering on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Yahweh.

12 'And the Levites lay their hands on the head of the bullocks, and make thou the one a sin-offering, and the one a burnt-offering to Jehovah, to atone for the Levites,

“The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites.

13 and thou hast caused the Levites to stand before Aaron, and before his sons, and hast waved them — a wave-offering to Jehovah;

You shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Yahweh.

14 and thou hast separated the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and the Levites have become Mine;

Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

15 and afterwards do the Levites come in to serve the tent of meeting, and thou hast cleansed them, and hast waved them — a wave-offering.

“After that, the Levites shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. You shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering.

16 'For they are certainly given to Me out of the midst of the sons of Israel, instead of him who openeth any womb — the first-born of all — from the sons of Israel I have taken them to Myself;

For they are wholly given to me from among the children of Israel; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all the children of Israel, I have taken them to me.

17 for Mine [is] every first-born among the sons of Israel, among man and among beast; in the day of my smiting every first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself;

For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for myself.

18 and I take the Levites instead of every first-born among the sons of Israel:

I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

19 'And I give the Levites 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's drawing nigh unto the sanctuary.'

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 Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary.”

20 And Moses doth — Aaron also, and all the company of the sons of Israel — to the Levites according to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses concerning the Levites; so have the sons of Israel done to them.

Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel did so to the Levites. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them.

21 And the Levites cleanse themselves, and wash their garments, and Aaron waveth them a wave-offering before Jehovah, and Aaron maketh atonement for them to cleanse them,

The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.

22 and afterwards have the Levites gone in to do their service in the tent of meeting, before Aaron and before his sons; as Jehovah hath commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they have done to them.

After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and before his sons: as Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

23 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

24 'This [is] that which [is] the Levites': from a son of five and twenty years and upward he doth go in to serve the host in the service of the tent of meeting,

“This is what is assigned to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting;

25 and from a son of fifty years he doth return from the host of the service, and doth not serve any more,

and from the age of fifty years they shall retire from doing the work, and shall serve no more,

26 and he hath ministered with his brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and doth not do service; thus thou dost to the Levites concerning their charge.'

but shall assist their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, and shall perform no service. This is how you shall have the Levites do their duties.”