< Liber Numeri 8 >
1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 Loquere Aaron, et dices ad eum: Cum posueris septem lucernas, candelabrum in australi parte erigatur. Hoc igitur præcipe ut lucernæ contra boream e regione respiciant ad mensam panum propositionis, contra eam partem, quam candelabrum respicit, lucere debebunt.
“Speak to Aaron and tell him: ‘When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.’”
3 Fecitque Aaron, et imposuit lucernas super candelabrum, ut præceperat Dominus Moysi.
And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps facing toward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
4 Hæc autem erat factura candelabri, ex auro ductili, tam medius stipes, quam cuncta quæ ex utroque calamorum latere nascebantur: juxta exemplum quod ostendit Dominus Moysi, ita operatus est candelabrum.
This is how the lampstand was constructed: it was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms, fashioned according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.
5 Et locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
6 Tolle Levitas de medio filiorum Israël, et purificabis eos
“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.
7 juxta hunc ritum: aspergantur aqua lustrationis, et radant omnes pilos carnis suæ. Cumque laverint vestimenta sua, et mundati fuerint,
This is what you must do to cleanse them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
8 tollent bovem de armentis, et libamentum ejus similam oleo conspersam: bovem autem alterum de armento tu accipies pro peccato:
Then have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.
9 et applicabis Levitas coram tabernaculo fœderis, convocata omni multitudine filiorum Israël.
Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel.
10 Cumque Levitæ fuerint coram Domino, ponent filii Israël manus suas super eos.
You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them.
11 Et offeret Aaron Levitas, munus in conspectu Domini a filiis Israël, ut serviant in ministerio ejus.
Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.
12 Levitæ quoque ponent manus suas super capita boum, e quibus unum facies pro peccato, et alterum in holocaustum Domini, ut depreceris pro eis.
And the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.
13 Statuesque Levitas in conspectu Aaron et filiorum ejus, et consecrabis oblatos Domino,
You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and then present them before the LORD as a wave offering.
14 ac separabis de medio filiorum Israël, ut sint mei.
In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me.
15 Et postea ingredientur tabernaculum fœderis, ut serviant mihi. Sicque purificabis et consecrabis eos in oblationem Domini: quoniam dono donati sunt mihi a filiis Israël.
After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting.
16 Pro primogenitis quæ aperiunt omnem vulvam in Israël, accepi eos.
For the Levites have been wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel.
17 Mea sunt enim omnia primogenita filiorum Israël, tam ex hominibus quam ex jumentis. Ex die quo percussi omne primogenitum in terra Ægypti, sanctificavi eos mihi:
For every firstborn male in Israel is Mine, both man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.
18 et tuli Levitas pro cunctis primogenitis filiorum Israël,
But I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.
19 tradidique eos dono Aaron et filiis ejus de medio populi, ut serviant mihi pro Israël in tabernaculo fœderis, et orent pro eis ne sit in populo plaga, si ausi fuerint accedere ad sanctuarium.
And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service for the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”
20 Feceruntque Moyses et Aaron et omnis multitudo filiorum Israël super Levitas quæ præceperat Dominus Moysi:
So Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel did with the Levites everything that the LORD had commanded Moses they should do.
21 purificatique sunt, et laverunt vestimenta sua. Elevavitque eos Aaron in conspectu Domini, et oravit pro eis,
The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22 ut purificati ingrederentur ad officia sua in tabernaculum fœderis coram Aaron et filiis ejus. Sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi de Levitis, ita factum est.
After that, the Levites came to perform their service at the Tent of Meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. Thus they did with the Levites just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
23 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
And the LORD said to Moses,
24 Hæc est lex Levitarum: a viginti quinque annis et supra, ingredientur ut ministrent in tabernaculo fœderis.
“This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the service in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
25 Cumque quinquagesimum annum ætatis impleverint, servire cessabunt,
But at the age of fifty, they must retire from performing the work and no longer serve.
26 eruntque ministri fratrum suorum in tabernaculo fœderis, ut custodiant quæ sibi fuerunt commendata: opera autem ipsa non faciant. Sic dispones Levitis in custodiis suis.
After that, they may assist their brothers in fulfilling their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves are not to do the work. This is how you are to assign responsibilities to the Levites.”