Numbers, 8

1. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

1. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

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

2. "Say this to Aaron: Set up the lamps, so that the seven lamps throw their light toward the front of the lampstand."

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

3. Aaron set up the lamps to the front of the lampstand, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

4. And this work of the candlestick [was of] beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, [was] beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

4. This lampstand was made of hammered gold; from its stem to its petals, it was of hammered gold. This lampstand had been made according to the pattern Yahweh had shown to Moses.

5. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

5. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

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

6. "Separate the Levites from the other Israelites and purify them.

7. And thus shalt thou do unto 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.

7. You shall sprinkle them with the water of purification, and they shall shave their bodies all over and wash their clothing. They will then be clean.

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.

8. They shall next take a young bull, with the accompanying grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take a second young bull for a sacrifice for sin.

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

9. Then bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting, and call together the whole community of Israel.

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

10. When you have brought the Levites before Yahweh, the sons of Israel must lay their hands on them.

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.

11. Aaron shall then offer the Levites, and make the gesture of offering waving them before Yahweh on behalf of the Israelites. From that time, they will be dedicated to the service of Yahweh.

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, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.

12. The Levites must then lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, one of which you are to offer as a sacrifice for sin, and the other as a burnt offering to Yahweh; this is the rite of atonement for the Levites.

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

13. Having brought the Levites before Aaron and his sons, you will present them to Yahweh and wave them before him.

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

14. So you shall set the Levites apart from the rest of the sons of Israel, so that they may be mine.

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

15. The Levites may begin their ministry in the Tent of Meeting when you have purified them and offered them with the gesture of offering.

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

16. They are given me from among all the sons of Israel. They are to replace all the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. I have taken them for my own.

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

17. For all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, man and beast, belong to me: the day I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated them to myself,

18. And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.

18. and now, in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, I have taken the Levites.

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 be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.

19. But now I give them to Aaron and his sons from among the sons of Israel and they will minister in the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the sons of Israel, and perform the rite of atonement over them, so that none of the sons of Israel may be struck down for approaching the sanctuary."

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

20. Moses, Aaron and the whole community of the sons of Israel dealt with the Levites exactly as Yahweh had ordered Moses; this is what the sons of Israel did with 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.

21. The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them and waved them before Yahweh. Then he performed the rite of atonement over them.

22. And after that went the Levites in to do 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 unto them.

22. The Levites were then allowed to perform their ministry in the Tent of Meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. As Yahweh had ordered Moses concerning the Levites, so it was done to them.

23. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

23. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

24. This [is it] that [belongeth] unto 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:

24. "This concerns the Levites. The Levite shall exercise his ministry and do his duties in the Tent of Meeting from the age of twenty-four onward.

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

25. After the age of fifty, he is no longer bound to the ministry; he shall have no further duties;

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 unto the Levites touching their charge.

26. but he can still help his brothers to perform the services in the Tent of Meeting, though he himself will no longer have any ministry. See that this is the rule for the ministry of the Levites."