Liber Numeri 8
1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
The Lord told Moses,
2 Loquere Aaron, et dices ad eum: Cum posueris septem lucernas, candelabrum in australi parte erigatur. Hoc igitur praecipe ut lucernae contra borean e regione respiciant ad mensam panum propositionis, contra eam partem, quam candelabrum respicit, lucere debebunt.
“Tell Aaron, ‘When you place the seven lamps on the lampstand, make sure they shine towards the front.’”
3 Fecitque Aaron, et imposuit lucernas super candelabrum, ut praeceperat Dominus Moysi.
So that's what Aaron did. He placed the lamps facing towards the front of the lampstand, as the Lord had ordered Moses.
4 Haec autem erat factura candelabri, ex auro ductili, tam medius stipes, quam cuncta quae ex utroque calamorum latere nascebantur: iuxta exemplum quod ostendit Dominus Moysi, ita operatus est candelabrum.
The lampstand was made of hammered gold from its base to the flower decorations on the top, in accordance with the design that the Lord had shown Moses.
5 Et locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
The Lord told Moses,
6 Tolle Levitas de medio filiorum Israel, et purificabis eos
“Separate the Levites from the other Israelites and purify them.
7 iuxta hunc ritum: Aspergantur aqua lustrationis, et radant omnes pilos carnis suae. Cumque laverint vestimenta sua, et mundati fuerint,
This is how you will purify them. Sprinkle on them the water of purification. They are to shave off all the hair from their bodies and wash their clothes so they will be clean.
8 tollent bovem de armentis, et libamentum eius similam oleo conspersam: bovem autem alterum de armento tu accipies pro peccato:
Have them bring a young bull with its grain offering of the best flour mixed with olive oil, and you are to bring a second young bull as a sin offering.
9 et applicabis Levitas coram tabernaculo foederis, convocata omni multitudine filiorum Israel.
Take the Levites and have them stand in front of the Tent of Meeting and have all the Israelites gather there.
10 Cumque Levitae fuerint coram Domino, ponent filii Israel manus suas super eos.
When you bring the Levites to the Lord the Israelites are to place their hands upon them.
11 et offeret Aaron Levitas, munus in conspectu Domini a filiis Israel, ut serviant in ministerio eius.
Aaron shall present the Levites to the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites so that they can do the Lord's work.
12 Levitae quoque ponent manus suas super capita boum, e quibus unum facies pro peccato, et alterum in holocaustum Domini, ut depreceris pro eis.
The Levites are to place their hands on the heads of the bulls. One is to be sacrificed as a sin offering to the Lord, and the other as a burnt offering to set the Levites right with the Lord.
13 Statuesque Levitas in conspectu Aaron et filiorum eius, et consecrabis oblatos Domino,
Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and present them to the Lord as a wave offering.
14 ac separabis de medio filiorum Israel, ut sint mei.
This is how you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to me.
15 et postea ingrediantur tabernaculum foederis, ut serviant mihi. Sicque purificabis et consecrabis eos in oblationem Domini: quoniam dono donati sunt mihi a filiis Israel.
They can come and serve at the Tent of Meeting once you've purified them and presented them as a wave offering.
16 Pro primogenitis quae aperiunt omnem vulvam in Israel, accepi eos.
The Levites have been completely given over to me by the Israelites. I have accepted them as mine in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites.
17 Mea sunt enim omnia primogenita filiorum Israel, tam ex hominibus quam ex iumentis. Ex die quo percussi omne primogenitum in Terra Aegypti, sanctificavi eos mihi:
Every firstborn male in Israel belongs to me, both human and animal. I reserved them for myself at the time when I killed all the firstborn in Egypt.
18 et tuli Levitas pro cunctis primogenitis filiorum Israel:
I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites.
19 tradidique eos dono Aaron et filiis eius de medio populi, ut serviant mihi pro Israel in tabernaculo foederis, et orent pro eis ne sit in populo plaga, si ausi fuerint accedere ad Sanctuarium.
Of all the Israelites, the Levites are a gift from me to Aaron and his sons to serve the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting, and on their behalf to set them right, so that nothing bad will happen to them when they come to the sanctuary.”
20 Feceruntque Moyses et Aaron et omnis multitudo filiorum Israel super Levitas quae praeceperat Dominus Moysi:
Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites did everything that the Lord had ordered Moses that they should do regarding the Levites.
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. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering to the Lord. Aaron also presented the sacrifice to make them right with the Lord so they would be clean.
22 ut purificati ingrederentur ad officia sua in tabernaculum foederis coram Aaron et filiis eius. Sicut praeceperat Dominus Moysi de Levitis, ita factum est.
Afterwards the Levites came to perform their service at the Tent of Meeting under the direction of Aaron and his sons. They followed all the instructions regarding the Levites that the Lord had given to Moses.
23 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
The Lord told Moses,
24 Haec est lex Levitarum, A viginti quinque annis et supra, ingredientur ut ministrent in tabernaculo foederis.
“This rule applies to the Levites. Those twenty-five or older shall serve at the Tent of Meeting.
25 Cumque quinquagesimum annum aetatis impleverint, servire cessabunt:
However, once they reach the age of fifty they need to retire from the work and won't serve any longer.
26 eruntque ministri fratrum suorum in tabernaculo foederis, ut custodiant quae sibi fuerunt commendata, opera autem ipsa non faciant. Sic dispones Levitis in custodiis suis.
They can still help their fellow Levites in their assignments, but they are not to do the actual work themselves. These are the arrangements in the case of the Levites.”
