Numbers 8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Lighting in the Tabernacle
8 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand.” 3 So Aaron did this; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4 This is the way the lampstand was made: it was a hammered work of gold, hammered from its base to its flower petals. The lampstand was made according to the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.(A)
Consecration of the Levites
5 The Lord spoke to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them. 7 This is what you must do to them for their purification: Sprinkle them with the purification water.(B) Have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.(C)
8 “They are to take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. 9 Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community.(D) 10 Then present the Levites before the Lord, and have the Israelites lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the Lord’s work.(E) 12 Next the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.(F)
13 “You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you are to present them before the Lord as a presentation offering. 14 In this way you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites so that the Levites will belong to Me.(G) 15 After that the Levites may come to serve at the tent of meeting, once you have ceremonially cleansed them and presented them as a presentation offering.(H) 16 For they have been exclusively assigned to Me from the Israelites.(I) I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn.(J) 17 For every firstborn among the Israelites is Mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to Myself(K) on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt. 18 But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites. 19 From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work 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.”(L)
20 Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community did this to the Levites. The Israelites did everything to them the Lord commanded Moses regarding the Levites. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented[a] them before the Lord as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to ceremonially cleanse them. 22 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. So they did to them as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 24 “In regard to the Levites: From 25 years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting.(M) 25 But at 50 years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve. 26 He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities[b] at the tent of meeting,(N) but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 8:21 Lit waved
- Numbers 8:26 Or to keep guard
Numbers 8
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
8 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2 Speak to Aaron, and thou shalt say to him: When thou shalt place the seven lamps, let the candlestick be set up on the south side. Give orders therefore that the lamps look over against the north, towards the table of the leaves of proposition, over against that part shall they give light, towards which the candlestick looketh.
3 And Aaron did so, and he put the lamps upon the candlestick, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
4 Now this was the work of the candlestick, it was of beaten gold, both the shaft in the middle, and all that came out of both sides of the branches: according to the pattern which the Lord had shewn to Moses, so he made the candlestick.
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6 Take the Levites out of the midst of the children of Israel, and thou shalt purify them,
7 According to this rite: Let them be sprinkled with the water of purification, and let them shave all the hairs of their flesh. And when they shall have washed their garments, and are cleansed,
8 They shall take an ox of the herd, and for the offering thereof fine flour tempered with oil: and thou shalt take another ox of the herd for a sin offering:
9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the covenant, calling together all the multitude of the children of Israel:
10 And when the Levites are before the Lord, the children of Israel shall put their hands upon them:
11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites, as a gift in the sight of the Lord from the children of Israel, that they may serve in his ministry.
12 The Levites also shall put their hands upon the heads of the oxen, of which thou shalt sacrifice one for sin, and the other for a holocaust to the Lord, to pray for them.
13 And thou shalt set the Levites in the sight of Aaron and of his sons, and shalt consecrate them being offered to the Lord,
14 And shalt separate them from the midst of the children of Israel, to be mine.
15 And afterwards they shall enter into the tabernacle of the covenant, to serve me. And thus shalt thou purify and consecrate them for an oblation of the Lord: for as a gift they were given me by the children of Israel.
16 I have taken them instead of the firstborn that open every womb in Israel,
17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel, both of men and of beasts, are mine. From the day that I slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, have I sanctified them to myself:
18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel:
19 And have delivered them for a gift to Aaron and his sons out of the midst of the people, to serve me for Israel in the tabernacle of the covenant, and to pray for them, lest there should be a plague among the people, if they should presume to approach unto my sanctuary.
20 And Moses and Aaron and all the multitude of the children of Israel did with the Levites all that the Lord had commanded Moses:
21 And they were purified, and washed their garments. And Aaron lifted them up in the sight of the Lord, and prayed for them,
22 That being purified they might go into the tabernacle of the covenant to do their services before Aaron and his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses touching the Levites, so was it done.
23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
24 This is the law of the Levites: From twenty-five years old and upwards, they shall go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.
25 And when they shall have accomplished the fiftieth year of their age, they shall cease to serve:
26 And they shall be the ministers of their brethren in the tabernacle of the covenant, to keep the things that are committed to their care, but not to do the works. Thus shalt thou order the Levites touching their charge.
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