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.”
Numeri 8
Het Boek
De Levieten apart gezet voor God
8 De Here zei tegen Mozes: 2 ‘Zeg tegen Aäron dat hij, als hij de zeven lampen van de kandelaar aansteekt, hij deze zó moet richten dat zij hun licht naar voren werpen.’ 3 Aäron deed dit. 4 De kandelaar en de bloemdecoraties op de schacht en de armen waren gemaakt van gedreven goud. Het geheel was gemaakt volgens het voorbeeld dat de Here aan Mozes had getoond.
5,6 Toen zei de Here tegen Mozes: ‘Neem de Levieten apart van de rest van het volk Israël. 7 Zij moeten zich reinigen: besprenkel hen met water dat hen ontzondigt. Laten zij vervolgens hun hele lichaam scheren, hun kleren wassen en zich baden. 8 Laat hen daarna een jonge stier en een spijsoffer van fijn meel, vermengd met olie en een jonge stier als zondoffer brengen. 9 Breng de Levieten dan bij de ingang van de tabernakel. Het hele volk moet daarbij aanwezig zijn. 10 Daar zullen de stamhoofden namens het hele volk hun de handen opleggen. 11 Aäron zal hen met een gebaar alsof hij offert, aan de Here aanbieden als een geschenk van het hele volk Israël. De Levieten zullen in hun dienst aan de Here het hele volk vertegenwoordigen. 12 Daarna zullen de Levieten hun handen leggen op de koppen van de jonge stieren en deze aan de Here offeren: de ene als zondoffer en de andere als brandoffer, om verzoening te doen over de Levieten. 13 Vervolgens moeten de Levieten bij Aäron en zijn zonen worden gebracht, net zoals elk ander geschenk aan de Here bij de priesters wordt gebracht! 14 Op die manier zult u de Levieten afzonderen van de rest van het volk en zij zullen mijn eigendom zijn. 15 Nadat u hen hebt geheiligd en aan de Here hebt aangeboden, zullen zij de tabernakel in en uit gaan om hun werk te doen. 16 Zij zijn mijn absolute eigendom. Ik heb hen aanvaard in plaats van de eerstgeborenen van de Israëlieten, 17 want alle eerstgeborenen van het volk Israël zijn van Mij, zowel van mens als van dier. Ik heb hen voor Mijzelf bestemd in de nacht dat Ik de eerstgeborenen van de Egyptenaren doodde. 18 Ja, Ik heb de Levieten aangenomen in plaats van alle oudste zonen van Israël. 19 En Ik zal de Levieten als een geschenk geven aan Aäron en zijn zonen. De Levieten zullen in de tabernakel de heilige taken uitvoeren die waren opgelegd aan de Israëlieten. Zij zullen de gaven van het volk offeren om verzoening over hen te doen. Er zal dan geen plaag onder de Israëlieten voorkomen, wat wel zou gebeuren als gewone mensen de tabernakel zouden binnengaan.’
20 Dus wijdden Mozes, Aäron en het hele volk Israël de Levieten en volgden zorgvuldig de opdrachten op die de Here Mozes had gegeven. 21 De Levieten reinigden zich en wasten hun kleren. Aäron bood hen als een bijzondere gave aan de Here aan en voerde de reinigingsceremonie voor hen uit om hen te heiligen en te reinigen.
22 Vervolgens betraden zij de tabernakel als helpers van Aäron en zijn zonen, alles gebeurde zoals de Here Mozes had opgedragen.
23,24 De Here instrueerde Mozes verder: ‘Als een Leviet vijfentwintig jaar is, mag hij dienst doen in de tabernakel. Hij wordt ontslagen van zijn taken als hij vijftig jaar is. 25,26 Als hij ouder is dan vijftig jaar kan hij nog wel helpen bij lichte werkzaamheden, maar hoeft geen vaste plichten meer te vervullen.’
Numbers 8
King James Version
8 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto Aaron and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.
3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord 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.
5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse 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.
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.
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:
10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:
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.
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.
13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the Lord.
14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall 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.
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.
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.
18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
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:
25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:
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.
Numeri 8
Nuova Riveduta 2006
Disposizione delle lampade e del candelabro
8 (A)Il Signore disse ancora a Mosè: 2 «Parla ad Aaronne, e digli: “Quando disporrai le lampade, le sette lampade dovranno proiettare la luce sul davanti del candelabro”». 3 E Aaronne fece così; dispose le lampade in modo che facessero luce sul davanti del candelabro, come il Signore aveva ordinato a Mosè. 4 Il candelabro era fatto così: era d’oro battuto; tanto la sua base quanto i suoi fiori erano lavorati a martello. Mosè aveva fatto il candelabro secondo il modello che il Signore gli aveva mostrato.
Consacrazione dei Leviti
5 (B)Il Signore disse a Mosè: 6 «Prendi i Leviti tra i figli d’Israele e purificali. 7 Per purificarli, farai così: tu li aspergerai con l’acqua per il peccato[a], essi faranno passare il rasoio su tutto il loro corpo, si laveranno le vesti e si purificheranno. 8 Poi prenderanno un toro con l’oblazione ordinaria di fior di farina intrisa d’olio, e tu prenderai un altro toro per il sacrificio per il peccato. 9 Farai avvicinare i Leviti davanti alla tenda di convegno e convocherai tutta la comunità dei figli d’Israele. 10 Farai avvicinare i Leviti davanti al Signore e i figli d’Israele imporranno le mani sui Leviti; 11 Aaronne presenterà i Leviti come offerta agitata davanti al Signore da parte dei figli d’Israele ed essi faranno il servizio del Signore. 12 Poi i Leviti poseranno le mani sulla testa dei tori e tu ne offrirai uno come sacrificio per il peccato e l’altro come olocausto al Signore, per fare l’espiazione per i Leviti. 13 Farai stare i Leviti in piedi davanti ad Aaronne e davanti ai suoi figli, e li presenterai come un’offerta agitata al Signore. 14 Così separerai i Leviti in mezzo ai figli d’Israele, e i Leviti saranno miei. 15 Dopo questo, i Leviti verranno a fare il servizio nella tenda di convegno; e tu li purificherai e li presenterai come un’offerta agitata; 16 poiché mi sono interamente dati tra i figli d’Israele; io li ho presi per me, invece di tutti i primi nati, dei primogeniti di tutti i figli d’Israele. 17 Poiché tutti i primogeniti dei figli d’Israele, tanto degli uomini quanto del bestiame, sono miei; io me li consacrai[b] il giorno che percossi tutti i primogeniti nel paese d’Egitto. 18 Ho preso i Leviti invece di tutti i primogeniti dei figli d’Israele. 19 Ho dato in dono ad Aaronne e ai suoi figli i Leviti tra i figli d’Israele, perché facciano il servizio dei figli d’Israele nella tenda di convegno e perché facciano l’espiazione per i figli d’Israele, affinché nessuna calamità scoppi tra i figli d’Israele quando si avvicinano al santuario».
20 Così fecero Mosè, Aaronne e tutta la comunità dei figli d’Israele rispetto ai Leviti; i figli d’Israele fecero a loro riguardo tutto quello che il Signore aveva ordinato a Mosè relativamente a loro. 21 I Leviti si purificarono e si lavarono le vesti; Aaronne li presentò come un’offerta agitata davanti al Signore e fece l’espiazione per essi, per purificarli. 22 Dopo questo, i Leviti vennero a fare il servizio nella tenda di convegno in presenza di Aaronne e dei suoi figli. Si fece ai Leviti secondo l’ordine che il Signore aveva dato a Mosè a loro riguardo.
23 (C)Il Signore disse a Mosè: 24 «Questo è ciò che concerne i Leviti: dai venticinque anni in su il Levita entrerà per assumere un incarico nel servizio della tenda di convegno; 25 all’età di cinquant’anni si ritirerà dal suo incarico e non farà più il servizio. 26 Potrà assistere i suoi fratelli nella tenda di convegno, sorvegliando ciò che è affidato alle loro cure, ma non farà più servizio. Così farai, rispetto ai Leviti, per quello che concerne i loro incarichi».
Footnotes
- Numeri 8:7 Per il peccato, cioè per l’espiazione.
- Numeri 8:17 Cfr. Es 13:2.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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