Numbers 8
The Message
The Lights
8 1-2 God spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron, Install the seven lamps so they will throw light in front of the Lampstand.”
3-4 Aaron did just that. He installed the lamps so they threw light in front of the Lampstand, as God had instructed Moses. The Lampstand was made of hammered gold from its stem to its petals. It was made precisely to the design God had shown Moses.
Purifying the Levites
5-7 God spoke to Moses: “Take the Levites from the midst of the People of Israel and purify them for doing God’s work. This is the way you will do it: Sprinkle water of absolution on them; have them shave their entire bodies; have them scrub their clothes. Then they will have purified themselves.
8-11 “Have them take a young bull with its accompanying Grain-Offering of fine flour mixed with oil, plus a second young bull for an Absolution-Offering. Bring the Levites to the front of the Tent of Meeting and gather the entire community of Israel. Present the Levites before God as the People of Israel lay their hands on them. Aaron will present the Levites before God as a Wave-Offering from the People of Israel so that they will be ready to do God’s work.
12-14 “Have the Levites place their hands on the heads of the bulls, selecting one for the Absolution-Offering and another for the Whole-Burnt-Offering to God to make atonement for the Levites. Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and present them as a Wave-Offering to God. This is the procedure for setting apart the Levites from the rest of the People of Israel; the Levites are exclusively for my use.
15-19 “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a Wave-Offering to God, they can go to work in the Tent of Meeting. The Levites have been selected out of the People of Israel for my exclusive use; they function in place of every firstborn male born to an Israelite woman. Every firstborn male in Israel, animal or human, is set apart for my use. When I struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, I consecrated them for my holy uses. But now I take the Levites as stand-ins in place of every firstborn son in Israel, selected out of the People of Israel, and I have given the Levites to Aaron and his sons to do all the work involved in the Tent of Meeting on behalf of all the People of Israel and to make atonement for them so that nothing bad will happen to them when they approach the Sanctuary.”
20-22 Moses, Aaron, and the entire community of the People of Israel carried out these procedures with the Levites, just as God had commanded Moses. The Levites purified themselves and scrubbed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a Wave-Offering before God and made atonement for them to purify them. Only then did the Levites go to work at the Tent of Meeting. Aaron and his sons supervised them following the directions God had given.
23-26 God spoke to Moses: “These are your instructions regarding the Levites: At the age of twenty-five they will join the workforce in the Tent of Meeting; at the age of fifty they must retire from the work. They can assist their brothers in the tasks in the Tent of Meeting, but they are not permitted to do the actual work themselves. These are the ground rules for the work of the Levites.”
民数记 8
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
安置七盏灯
8 耶和华对摩西说： 2 “你告诉亚伦，安放灯的时候，七盏灯都要照向灯台的前面。” 3 亚伦就照耶和华对摩西的吩咐把灯放好，使灯照向前方。 4 整座灯台，从灯座到上面的花苞，都是照耶和华对摩西的吩咐用金子锤制而成的。
为利未人行洁净与奉献礼
5 耶和华对摩西说： 6 “你要把利未人从其他以色列人中分别出来，洁净他们。 7 要用以下的方法洁净他们，把洁净水洒在他们身上，叫他们用剃刀剃净全身，洗净衣服，这样他们就洁净了。 8 然后叫他们带来一头公牛犊及作素祭的调了油的细面粉，你要另献一头公牛犊作赎罪祭。 9 你要招聚以色列全体会众，将利未人带到会幕前， 10 带到耶和华面前，会众要按手在他们身上。 11 亚伦要把他们献给耶和华，作为以色列人献的摇祭，使他们可以事奉耶和华。 12 利未人要按手在那两头公牛的头上，然后你要把一头作为赎罪祭，一头作为燔祭献给耶和华，好为利未人赎罪。 13 你要让利未人站在亚伦父子们面前，把他们当作摇祭献给耶和华。 14 这样，你就把利未人从其他以色列人中分别出来，使他们归给我。 15 利未人被洁净、当作摇祭献上以后，就可以进会幕司职， 16 因为在以色列人中，他们完全属于我，我拣选他们归我所有，以代替以色列人所有的长子。 17 以色列人所有的长子和头生的牲畜都属于我。我击杀埃及人所有的长子和头生的牲畜那天，已把以色列人所有的长子和头生的牲畜都分别出来，使之圣洁，归给我。 18 我现在已拣选利未人代替以色列人所有的长子， 19 把他们交给亚伦父子们，替以色列人在会幕中司职，为以色列人赎罪，免得以色列人因接近圣所而遭祸。”
20 摩西、亚伦和以色列全体会众就按照耶和华对摩西的吩咐把利未人献上。 21 利未人自洁、洗净衣服后，亚伦把他们当作摇祭献给耶和华，又为他们赎罪，使他们洁净。 22 之后，利未人便进入会幕，在亚伦父子们的监督下司职。以色列人照耶和华对摩西的吩咐奉献了利未人。
23 耶和华对摩西说： 24 “二十五岁以上的利未人都要到会幕司职， 25 五十岁时退休。 26 退休之后，他们可以协助本族弟兄看守会幕，不用再司职。你要这样给他们分派工作。”
Numbers 8
Living Bible
8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron that when he lights the seven lamps in the lampstand, he is to set them so that they will throw their light forward.”
3 So Aaron did this. 4 The lampstand, including the floral decorations on the base and branches, was made entirely of beaten gold. It was constructed according to the exact design the Lord had shown Moses.
5-6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now set apart the Levites from the other people of Israel. 7 Do this by sprinkling water of purification upon them, then having them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothing and themselves. 8 Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of fine flour mingled with oil, along with another young bull for a sin offering. 9 Then bring the Levites to the door of the Tabernacle as all the people watch. 10 There the leaders[a] of the tribes shall lay their hands upon them, 11 and Aaron, with a gesture of offering, shall present them to the Lord as a gift from the entire nation of Israel. The Levites will represent all the people in serving the Lord.
12 “Next, the Levite leaders shall lay their hands upon the heads of the young bulls and offer them before the Lord; one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 Then the Levites are to be presented to Aaron and his sons, just as any other gift to the Lord is given to the priests! 14 In this way you will dedicate the Levites from among the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. 15 After you have sanctified them and presented them in this way, they shall go in and out of the Tabernacle to do their work.
16 “They are mine from among all the people of Israel, and I have accepted them in place of all the firstborn children of the Israelites: I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. 17 For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both men and animals; I claimed them for myself the night I killed all the firstborn Egyptians. 18 Yes, I have accepted the Levites in place of all the eldest sons of Israel. 19 And I will give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons. The Levites will carry out the sacred duties required of the people of Israel in the Tabernacle, and will offer the people’s sacrifices, making atonement for them. There will be no plague among the Israelites—as there would be if the ordinary people entered the Tabernacle.”
20 So Moses and Aaron and all the people of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following Jehovah’s instructions to Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them to the Lord in a gesture of offering. He then performed the rite of atonement over them to purify them. 22 After that they went into the Tabernacle as assistants to Aaron and his sons; everything was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
23-24 The Lord also instructed Moses, “The Levites are to begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, and are to retire at the age of fifty. 25-26 After retirement they can assist with various light duties in the Tabernacle, but will have no regular responsibilities.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 8:10 There the leaders, implied. Also in v. 12.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.