Numbers 8
Complete Jewish Bible
Parashah 36: B’ha‘alotkha (When you set up) 8:1–12:16
8 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Tell Aharon, ‘When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to cast their light forward, in front of the menorah.’” 3 Aharon did this: he lit its lamps so as to give light in front of the menorah, as Adonai had ordered Moshe. 4 Here is how the menorah was made: it was hammered gold from its base to its flowers, hammered work, following the pattern Adonai had shown Moshe. This is how he made the menorah.
5 Adonai said to Moshe, 6 “Take the L’vi’im from among the people of Isra’el and cleanse them. 7 Here is how you are to cleanse them: sprinkle the purification water on them, have them shave their whole body with a razor, and have them wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering, which is to be fine flour mixed with olive oil; while you take another bull for a sin offering. 9 You are to present the L’vi’im in front of the tent of meeting, and assemble the entire community of the people of Isra’el. 10 You will present the L’vi’im before Adonai, the people of Isra’el will lay their hands on the L’vi’im, 11 and Aharon will offer the L’vi’im before Adonai as a wave offering from the people of Isra’el, so that they may do Adonai’s service. 12 The L’vi’im will lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; the one you will offer as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to Adonai to make atonement for the L’vi’im. 13 You are to place the L’vi’im before Aharon and his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Adonai. 14 In this way you will separate the L’vi’im from the people of Isra’el, and the L’vi’im will belong to me.
(ii) 15 “After that, the L’vi’im will enter and do the service of the tent of meeting. You will cleanse them and offer them as a wave offering, 16 because they are entirely given to me from among the people of Isra’el; I have taken them for myself in place of all those who come first out of the womb, that is, the firstborn males of the people of Isra’el. 17 For all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el are mine, both humans and animals; on the day I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18 But I have taken the L’vi’im in place of all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el, 19 and I have given the L’vi’im to Aharon and his sons from among the people of Isra’el to do the service of the people of Isra’el in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Isra’el, so that no plague will fall on the people of Isra’el in consequence of their coming too close to the sanctuary.”
20 This is what Moshe, Aharon and all the community of the people of Isra’el did to the L’vi’im. The people of Isra’el acted in accordance with everything that Adonai had ordered Moshe in regard to the L’vi’im. 21 The L’vi’im purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aharon offered them as a holy gift before Adonai and made atonement for them in order to cleanse them. 22 After that, the L’vi’im came to do their service in the tent of meeting in front of Aharon and his sons; they acted in accordance with Adonai’s orders to Moshe in regard to the L’vi’im.
23 Adonai said to Moshe, 24 “Here are instructions concerning the L’vi’im: when they reach the age of twenty-five, they are to begin performing their duties serving in the tent of meeting; 25 and when they reach the age of fifty, they are to stop performing this work and not serve any longer. 26 They will assist their brothers who are performing their duties in the tent of meeting, but they themselves will not do any of the work. This is what you are to do with the L’vi’im in regard to their duties.”
Numbers 8
Wycliffe Bible
8 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
2 Speak thou to Aaron, and thou shalt say to him, When thou hast set (up the) seven lanterns, the candlestick (should) be raised (up) in the south part; therefore command thou this, that the lanterns behold even against the north to the board of [the] loaves of setting forth, (so that) those lanterns shall shine against that part that the candlestick beholdeth to. (Speak thou to Aaron, and thou shalt say to him, When thou putteth the lanterns onto the lamp-stand, put them so that their light shineth out towards the front.)
3 And Aaron did so, and he putted the lanterns upon the candlestick (and he put the lanterns on the lamp-stand), as the Lord commanded to Moses.
4 Soothly this was the making of the candlestick; it was of gold beaten out with hammers, as well the middle stalk, as all the things that came forth on ever either side of the rods; by the sample which the Lord showed to Moses, so he wrought the candlestick. (And this was the making of the lamp-stand; it was made of gold, beaten out with hammers, the middle stem, as well as all of its branches; by the example, or the pattern, which the Lord had shown to Moses, so he made the lamp-stand.)
5 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
6 Take thou the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel; and thou shalt cleanse them by this custom. (Take thou the Levites from the midst of the Israelites; and thou shalt cleanse, or shalt purify, them by this rite.)
7 Be they sprinkled with (the) water of cleansing, or of purification, and shave they all the hairs of their flesh. And when they have washed their clothes and be cleansed,
8 take they an ox of the droves, and the flowing sacrifice thereof, [tried] flour sprinkled (al)together with oil; forsooth thou shalt take another ox of the drove for sin; (take they an ox from the herd, and its grain offering of fine flour sprinkled with oil; and thou shalt take another ox from the herd for a sin offering;)
9 and thou shalt present the Levites before the tabernacle of the bond of peace (and thou shalt bring the Levites before the Tabernacle of the Covenant), when all the multitude of the sons of Israel is called together.
10 And when the Levites be presented before the Lord, the sons of Israel shall set their hands upon them;
11 and Aaron shall offer, (or shall present,) the Levites in the sight of the Lord, (as) a gift of the sons of Israel, that they serve in the service of him. (and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord, as a special gift from the Israelites, to serve in the Lord’s service.)
12 Also the Levites shall set their hands upon the heads of the oxen, of which oxen thou shalt make, or ordain, one for sin, and the tother into burnt sacrifice of the Lord, that thou pray for them. (And the Levites shall put their hands on the heads of the oxen, of which oxen thou shalt ordain one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, to make amends for the Levites.)
13 And thou shalt ordain the Levites in the sight of Aaron, and of his sons, and thou shalt (make) sacred them (that be) offered to the Lord (and thou shalt consecrate, or shalt dedicate, those who be offered to the Lord);
14 and thou shalt separate them from the midst of the sons of Israel, (so) that they be mine.
15 And afterward enter they into the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, that they serve me; and so thou shalt cleanse and hallow them, into an offering of the Lord, (And afterward they shall enter into the Tabernacle of the Covenant to serve me; and so thou shalt cleanse, or shalt purify, and dedicate them, as an offering to the Lord,)
16 for by free gift they be given to me (out) of the sons of Israel. I have taken them for the first begotten things that open each womb in Israel; (for they be given to me as a special gift from all the Israelites. I have taken them in place of the first-born males that open every womb in Israel;)
17 for all the first begotten things of the sons of Israel be mine, as well of men as of beasts (for all the first-born males of the Israelites be mine, of people as well as of beasts), (yea,) from the day in which I smote each first engendered (male) thing in the land of Egypt, I [have] hallowed them to me.
18 And I took the Levites for all the first begotten (sons) of the sons of Israel; (And I took the Levites in place of all the first-born sons of the Israelites;)
19 and I gave them by free gift to Aaron and to his sons, from the midst of the people, that they serve me for Israel, in the tabernacle of the bond of peace, and that they pray for them, lest vengeance be in the people, if they be hardy to nigh to the saintuary. (and I gave them as a gift to Aaron and to his sons, out of the midst of the people, to serve me for all the Israelites, in the Tabernacle of the Covenant, and to make amends for them, lest vengeance come upon the people, if they be fool-hardy enough to come near to the sanctuary.)
20 And Moses and Aaron, and all the multitude of the sons of Israel, did upon the Levites those things that the Lord commanded to Moses. (And so Moses and Aaron, and all the multitude of the Israelites, did with the Levites those things that the Lord commanded to Moses.)
21 And (so) the Levites were cleansed, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron raised, or presented, them in the sight of the Lord, and he prayed for them, that they shall be cleansed (and he made amends for them, to purify them),
22 and should enter to their offices into the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, before Aaron and his sons (and then they entered into the Tabernacle of the Covenant to perform their service, before Aaron and his sons); as the Lord commanded to Moses of the Levites, so it was done.
23 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
24 This is the law of [the] Levites; from five and twenty years and above they shall enter, for to minister in the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace; (This is the law for the Levites; from twenty-five years of age and older, they shall serve in the Tabernacle of the Covenant;)
25 and when they have filled the fiftieth year of age, they shall cease to serve.
26 And they shall be the ministers of their brethren in the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, that they keep (watch on) those things that be betaken to them; soothly they shall not do those works, as they did before; thus thou shalt dispose [the] Levites in their keepings. (And afterward, they shall help their brothers in the Tabernacle of the Covenant, and do those tasks that be assigned to them; but they shall not do the work that they did before; thus thou shalt ordain the Levites in their duties.)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
2001 by Terence P. Noble