Numbers 8

Modern

Literal

The Lampstand

¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

²“Speak to Aaron and tell him: ‘When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.’”

²“Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you lift up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light to the front of the face of the lampstand.’”

³And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps facing toward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³And Aaron did so. He lifted up the lamps toward the front face of the lampstand, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

⁴This 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.

⁴And this was the workmanship of the lampstand: Hammered gold—from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern that YHWH had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing the Levites

⁵Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

⁵And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

⁶“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.

⁶“Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

⁷This 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.

⁷Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle on them waters of purification, and let a razor pass over all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes and make themselves clean.

⁸Then 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.

⁸And let them take a bull, a son of the herd, and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with the oil; and a second bull, a son of the herd, you shall take as a sin offering.

⁹Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel.

⁹And you shall bring the Levites before the face of the Tent of Meeting, and you shall gather together all the congregation of the sons of Israel.

¹⁰You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them.

¹⁰And you shall bring the Levites before the face of YHWH, and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.

¹¹Aaron 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.

¹¹And Aaron shall offer the Levites a wave offering before the face of YHWH from the sons of Israel, that they may perform the service of YHWH.

¹²And 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.

¹²And the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the one for a burnt offering to YHWH, to make atonement upon the Levites.

¹³You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and then present them before the LORD as a wave offering.

¹³And you shall stand the Levites before the face of Aaron and his sons, and wave them as a wave offering to YHWH.

¹⁴In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me.

¹⁴And you shall separate the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be unto Me.

¹⁵After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁵And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the Tent of Meeting. And you shall cleanse them and offer them as a wave offering.

¹⁶For 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.

¹⁶For they are wholly given to Me from the midst of the sons of Israel. Instead of him who opens every womb—the firstborn of all the sons of Israel—I have taken them for Myself.

¹⁷For 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.

¹⁷For Mine are all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, the man and the beast. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them to Myself.

¹⁸But I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.

¹⁸And I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel.

¹⁹And 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.”

¹⁹And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from the midst of the sons of Israel, to do the work of the sons of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement upon the sons of Israel, and there will be no plague among the sons of Israel at the coming of the sons of Israel to the sanctuary.”

²⁰So Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel did with the Levites everything that the LORD had commanded Moses they should do.

²⁰And Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel did to the Levites according to all that YHWH commanded Moses concerning the Levites; so the sons of Israel did to them.

²¹The 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.

²¹And the Levites cleansed themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the face of YHWH, and Aaron made atonement upon them to cleanse them.

²²After 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.

²²And after that, the Levites went in to do their work in the Tent of Meeting before the face of Aaron and his sons. As YHWH commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement for Levites

²³And the LORD said to Moses,

²³And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

²⁴“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.

²⁴“This is what is unto the Levites: From a son of five and twenty years and above, one may enter to perform the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting.

²⁵But at the age of fifty, they must retire from performing the work and no longer serve.

²⁵And from a son of fifty years, they must cease from the host of the service, and shall not serve anymore.

²⁶After 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.”

²⁶And they may minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting to keep the charge, and they shall not do work. Thus you shall do for the Levites in their duties.”