Numbers 8
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 8
The Lampstand. 1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to shine to the front of the lampstand.’ ” 3 Aaron did this. He set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: it was made from hammered gold from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made according to the pattern that the Lord had shown to Moses.
Purifying the Levites. 5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Separate the Levites from the other people of Israel and purify them.[a] 7 Do the following to purify them: Sprinkle the water of expiation upon them, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothes. This will purify them. 8 Let them take a young bull and its cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil. You shall also take another young bull for a sin offering. 9 You shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also gather together the whole assembly of the people of Israel. 10 You shall present the Levites before the Lord, and all the people of Israel will lay their hands upon the Levites.[b] 11 Then Aaron will present the Levites to the Lord as a wave offering of the people of Israel so that they may carry out the work of the Lord. 12 The Levites will lay their hands upon the heads of the young bulls. You will offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites.
13 “You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons to present them as a wave offering to the Lord. 14 Thus you will separate the Levites from the people of Israel, and the Levites will be mine. 15 After this the Levites can go in and serve the needs of the tent of meeting, when you have purified them and offered them as a wave offering. 16 They are to be wholly dedicated to me from among the people of Israel. I have reserved them for myself as a substitute for all those who open the womb, the firstborn of the people of Israel. 17 All the firstborn of the people of Israel belong to me, both human and animal. I sanctified them to myself on the day that I killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt. 18 But I have taken the Levites as a substitute for all the firstborn of the people of Israel. 19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to perform the work of the people of Israel in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, so that no plague may come upon the people of Israel when the people of Israel approach near the sanctuary.”
20 So Moses and Aaron and all the assembly of the people of Israel did to the Levites what God had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, that is what the people of Israel did to them. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Aaron presented them as a wave offering to the Lord, and made atonement for them to purify them. 22 Then the Levites went in and performed the work of the tent of meeting under the authority of Aaron and his sons. They did to the Levites the things that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning them.
23 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “The Levites will go in to perform the work of the tent of meeting from the age of twenty-five years old. 25 Then, when they are fifty years old, they will stop performing that service. They will work no more. 26 They may assist their brothers in carrying out the duties of the tent of meeting, but they themselves are not to perform that work. This is how you will establish the responsibilities of the Levites.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 8:6 Purify them: through a complex ritual (see Ex 29) the priests were made holy whereas the Levites were cleansed for ministry.
- Numbers 8:10 The laying on of hands does not bestow any special power on the Levites, but makes of them an offering in the name of the people.
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
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.
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