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Numbers 8-9
New American Standard Bible

The Seven Lamps

8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you [a]mount the lamps, the seven lamps will (A)provide light in the front of the lampstand.’” 3 Therefore Aaron did so; he [b]mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4 (B)Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flower ornamentation it was hammered work; (C)according to the [c]pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing the Levites

5 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and (D)cleanse them. 7 This is what you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle [d]purifying (E)water on them, and have them [e](F)use a razor over their whole [f]body, and they shall (G)wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then have them take a [g]bull with (H)its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and you shall take a second [h]bull as a sin offering. 9 So (I)you shall present the Levites in front of the tent of meeting. (J)You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, 10 and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel (K)shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11 Aaron then shall [i]present the Levites before the Lord as a (L)wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may [j]qualify to perform the service of the Lord. 12 Now (M)the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then you are to offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

14 “So you shall single out the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and (N)the Levites shall be Mine. 15 Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and (O)present them as a wave offering; 16 for they are (P)exclusively given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself (Q)instead of the firstborn of every womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17 For (R)every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the people and among the animals; on the day that I fatally struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for Myself. 18 But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel. 19 And (S)I have given the Levites as [k]a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no (T)affliction among the sons of Israel due to [l]their approaching the sanctuary.”

20 So this is what Moses, Aaron, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel did to the Levites; according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses regarding the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. 21 (U)The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement for the Levites

23 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what applies to the Levites: from (V)twenty-five years old and upward [m]they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. 25 But at the age of fifty years they shall [n]retire from service in the work and not work anymore. 26 They may, however, [o]assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, (W)to fulfill an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. In this way you shall deal with the Levites in their obligations.”

The Passover

9 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in (X)the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Now the sons of Israel are to [p]celebrate the Passover at (Y)its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, [q]at twilight, you shall celebrate it at its appointed time; you shall celebrate it in accordance with all its statutes and all its ordinances.” 4 So Moses [r]told the sons of Israel to celebrate the Passover. 5 And (Z)they celebrated the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; (AA)in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 6 But there were some men who were (AB)unclean because of contact with a [s]dead person, so that they could not celebrate Passover on that day; and (AC)they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of a [t]dead person, why are we kept from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” 8 Moses then said to them, “[u](AD)Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”

9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead [v]person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, celebrate the Passover to the Lord. 11 In the second month on the (AE)fourteenth day at twilight, they shall celebrate it; they (AF)shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They (AG)shall not leave any of it until morning, (AH)nor break a bone of it; they shall celebrate it in accordance with the whole statute of the Passover. 13 (AI)But the person who is clean and is not on a journey, yet refrains from celebrating the Passover, that [w]person shall then be cut off from his people, because he did not present the offering of the Lord at its appointed time. That person (AJ)will bear the responsibility for his sin. 14 And (AK)if a stranger resides among you and [x]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and its ordinance, so he shall celebrate it; you shall have [y]the (AL)same statute, both for the stranger and for the native of the land.’”

The Cloud on the Tabernacle

15 Now on (AM)the day that the tabernacle was erected, (AN)the cloud covered the tabernacle, the (AO)tent of the testimony, and (AP)in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle until morning. 16 That is how it was continuously; (AQ)the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 (AR)Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. 18 At the [z]command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the [aa]command of the Lord they would camp; (AS)as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, [ab]the sons of Israel would comply with the Lord’s ordinance and not set out. 20 If [ac]sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, (AT)in accordance with the [ad]command of the Lord they remained camped. Then in accordance with the [ae]command of the Lord they set out. 21 If [af]sometimes the cloud [ag]remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning they would set out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but (AU)when it was lifted, they did set out. 23 (AV)At the [ah]command of the Lord they camped, and at the [ai]command of the Lord they set out; they did what the Lord required, in accordance with the [aj]command of the Lord through Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 8:2 Lit put up
  2. Numbers 8:3 Lit put up
  3. Numbers 8:4 Lit appearance
  4. Numbers 8:7 Lit water of expiation
  5. Numbers 8:7 Lit cause to pass
  6. Numbers 8:7 Lit flesh
  7. Numbers 8:8 Lit bull, a son of the herd
  8. Numbers 8:8 Lit bull, a son of the herd
  9. Numbers 8:11 Lit wave, and so throughout the ch
  10. Numbers 8:11 Lit be to perform
  11. Numbers 8:19 Lit given ones
  12. Numbers 8:19 Lit the sons of Israel’s
  13. Numbers 8:24 Lit he
  14. Numbers 8:25 Lit return
  15. Numbers 8:26 Lit serve
  16. Numbers 9:2 Lit perform, and so throughout the ch
  17. Numbers 9:3 Lit between the two evenings, and so throughout the ch
  18. Numbers 9:4 Lit spoke to
  19. Numbers 9:6 Lit soul of man
  20. Numbers 9:7 Lit soul of man
  21. Numbers 9:8 Lit Stand
  22. Numbers 9:10 Lit soul
  23. Numbers 9:13 Lit soul
  24. Numbers 9:14 Or would celebrate
  25. Numbers 9:14 Or one statute
  26. Numbers 9:18 Lit mouth
  27. Numbers 9:18 Lit mouth
  28. Numbers 9:19 Lit and the
  29. Numbers 9:20 Lit it was that
  30. Numbers 9:20 Lit mouth
  31. Numbers 9:20 Lit mouth
  32. Numbers 9:21 Lit it was that
  33. Numbers 9:21 Lit was
  34. Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
  35. Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
  36. Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
Close NLT

Numbers 8-9
New Living Translation

Preparing the Lamps

8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give Aaron the following instructions: When you set up the seven lamps in the lampstand, place them so their light shines forward in front of the lampstand.” 3 So Aaron did this. He set up the seven lamps so they reflected their light forward, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4 The entire lampstand, from its base to its decorative blossoms, was made of beaten gold. It was built according to the exact design the Lord had shown Moses.

The Levites Dedicated

5 Then the Lord said to Moses, 6 “Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean. 7 Do this by sprinkling them with the water of purification, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothing. Then they will be ceremonially clean. 8 Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil, along with a second young bull for a sin offering. 9 Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle.[a] 10 When you present the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel must lay their hands on them. 11 Raising his hands, Aaron must then present the Levites to the Lord as a special offering from the people of Israel, thus dedicating them to the Lord’s service.

12 “Next the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Present one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to purify the Levites and make them right with the Lord.[b] 13 Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the Lord. 14 In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me. 15 After this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them and presented them as a special offering.

16 “Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. 17 For all the firstborn males among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. I set them apart for myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. 18 Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. 19 And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify[c] the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.”

20 So Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following all the Lord’s instructions to Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron lifted them up and presented them to the Lord as a special offering. He then offered a sacrifice to purify them and make them right with the Lord.[d] 22 After that the Levites went into the Tabernacle to perform their duties, assisting Aaron and his sons. So they carried out all the commands that the Lord gave Moses concerning the Levites.

23 The Lord also instructed Moses, 24 “This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, 25 and they must retire at the age of fifty. 26 After retirement they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards at the Tabernacle, but they may not officiate in the service. This is how you must assign duties to the Levites.”

The Second Passover

9 A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. In the first month[e] of that year he said, 2 “Tell the Israelites to celebrate the Passover at the prescribed time, 3 at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.[f] Be sure to follow all my decrees and regulations concerning this celebration.”

4 So Moses told the people to celebrate the Passover 5 in the wilderness of Sinai as twilight fell on the fourteenth day of the month. And they celebrated the festival there, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 6 But some of the men had been ceremonially defiled by touching a dead body, so they could not celebrate the Passover that day. They came to Moses and Aaron that day 7 and said, “We have become ceremonially unclean by touching a dead body. But why should we be prevented from presenting the Lord’s offering at the proper time with the rest of the Israelites?”

8 Moses answered, “Wait here until I have received instructions for you from the Lord.”

9 This was the Lord’s reply to Moses. 10 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people now or in future generations are ceremonially unclean at Passover time because of touching a dead body, or if they are on a journey and cannot be present at the ceremony, they may still celebrate the Lord’s Passover. 11 They must offer the Passover sacrifice one month later, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month.[g] They must eat the Passover lamb at that time with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. 12 They must not leave any of the lamb until the next morning, and they must not break any of its bones. They must follow all the normal regulations concerning the Passover.

13 “But those who neglect to celebrate the Passover at the regular time, even though they are ceremonially clean and not away on a trip, will be cut off from the community of Israel. If they fail to present the Lord’s offering at the proper time, they will suffer the consequences of their guilt. 14 And if foreigners living among you want to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, they must follow these same decrees and regulations. The same laws apply both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you.”

The Fiery Cloud

15 On the day the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered it.[h] But from evening until morning the cloud over the Tabernacle looked like a pillar of fire. 16 This was the regular pattern—at night the cloud that covered the Tabernacle had the appearance of fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. 18 In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. 19 If the cloud remained over the Tabernacle for a long time, the Israelites stayed and performed their duty to the Lord. 20 Sometimes the cloud would stay over the Tabernacle for only a few days, so the people would stay for only a few days, as the Lord commanded. Then at the Lord’s command they would break camp and move on. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only overnight and lifted the next morning. But day or night, when the cloud lifted, the people broke camp and moved on. 22 Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on. 23 So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.

Footnotes

  1. 8:9 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting; also in 8:15, 19, 22, 24, 26.
  2. 8:12 Or to make atonement for the Levites.
  3. 8:19 Or make atonement for.
  4. 8:21 Or then made atonement for them to purify them.
  5. 9:1 The first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of March and April.
  6. 9:3 This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late March, April, or early May.
  7. 9:11 This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late April, May, or early June.
  8. 9:15 Hebrew covered the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony.
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