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.
Numbers 8
Wycliffe Bible
8 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
2 Speak thou to Aaron, and thou shalt say to him, When thou hast set (up the) seven lanterns, the candlestick (should) be raised (up) in the south part; therefore command thou this, that the lanterns behold even against the north to the board of [the] loaves of setting forth, (so that) those lanterns shall shine against that part that the candlestick beholdeth to. (Speak thou to Aaron, and thou shalt say to him, When thou putteth the lanterns onto the lamp-stand, put them so that their light shineth out towards the front.)
3 And Aaron did so, and he putted the lanterns upon the candlestick (and he put the lanterns on the lamp-stand), as the Lord commanded to Moses.
4 Soothly this was the making of the candlestick; it was of gold beaten out with hammers, as well the middle stalk, as all the things that came forth on ever either side of the rods; by the sample which the Lord showed to Moses, so he wrought the candlestick. (And this was the making of the lamp-stand; it was made of gold, beaten out with hammers, the middle stem, as well as all of its branches; by the example, or the pattern, which the Lord had shown to Moses, so he made the lamp-stand.)
5 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
6 Take thou the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel; and thou shalt cleanse them by this custom. (Take thou the Levites from the midst of the Israelites; and thou shalt cleanse, or shalt purify, them by this rite.)
7 Be they sprinkled with (the) water of cleansing, or of purification, and shave they all the hairs of their flesh. And when they have washed their clothes and be cleansed,
8 take they an ox of the droves, and the flowing sacrifice thereof, [tried] flour sprinkled (al)together with oil; forsooth thou shalt take another ox of the drove for sin; (take they an ox from the herd, and its grain offering of fine flour sprinkled with oil; and thou shalt take another ox from the herd for a sin offering;)
9 and thou shalt present the Levites before the tabernacle of the bond of peace (and thou shalt bring the Levites before the Tabernacle of the Covenant), when all the multitude of the sons of Israel is called together.
10 And when the Levites be presented before the Lord, the sons of Israel shall set their hands upon them;
11 and Aaron shall offer, (or shall present,) the Levites in the sight of the Lord, (as) a gift of the sons of Israel, that they serve in the service of him. (and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord, as a special gift from the Israelites, to serve in the Lord’s service.)
12 Also the Levites shall set their hands upon the heads of the oxen, of which oxen thou shalt make, or ordain, one for sin, and the tother into burnt sacrifice of the Lord, that thou pray for them. (And the Levites shall put their hands on the heads of the oxen, of which oxen thou shalt ordain one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, to make amends for the Levites.)
13 And thou shalt ordain the Levites in the sight of Aaron, and of his sons, and thou shalt (make) sacred them (that be) offered to the Lord (and thou shalt consecrate, or shalt dedicate, those who be offered to the Lord);
14 and thou shalt separate them from the midst of the sons of Israel, (so) that they be mine.
15 And afterward enter they into the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, that they serve me; and so thou shalt cleanse and hallow them, into an offering of the Lord, (And afterward they shall enter into the Tabernacle of the Covenant to serve me; and so thou shalt cleanse, or shalt purify, and dedicate them, as an offering to the Lord,)
16 for by free gift they be given to me (out) of the sons of Israel. I have taken them for the first begotten things that open each womb in Israel; (for they be given to me as a special gift from all the Israelites. I have taken them in place of the first-born males that open every womb in Israel;)
17 for all the first begotten things of the sons of Israel be mine, as well of men as of beasts (for all the first-born males of the Israelites be mine, of people as well as of beasts), (yea,) from the day in which I smote each first engendered (male) thing in the land of Egypt, I [have] hallowed them to me.
18 And I took the Levites for all the first begotten (sons) of the sons of Israel; (And I took the Levites in place of all the first-born sons of the Israelites;)
19 and I gave them by free gift to Aaron and to his sons, from the midst of the people, that they serve me for Israel, in the tabernacle of the bond of peace, and that they pray for them, lest vengeance be in the people, if they be hardy to nigh to the saintuary. (and I gave them as a gift to Aaron and to his sons, out of the midst of the people, to serve me for all the Israelites, in the Tabernacle of the Covenant, and to make amends for them, lest vengeance come upon the people, if they be fool-hardy enough to come near to the sanctuary.)
20 And Moses and Aaron, and all the multitude of the sons of Israel, did upon the Levites those things that the Lord commanded to Moses. (And so Moses and Aaron, and all the multitude of the Israelites, did with the Levites those things that the Lord commanded to Moses.)
21 And (so) the Levites were cleansed, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron raised, or presented, them in the sight of the Lord, and he prayed for them, that they shall be cleansed (and he made amends for them, to purify them),
22 and should enter to their offices into the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, before Aaron and his sons (and then they entered into the Tabernacle of the Covenant to perform their service, before Aaron and his sons); as the Lord commanded to Moses of the Levites, so it was done.
23 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
24 This is the law of [the] Levites; from five and twenty years and above they shall enter, for to minister in the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace; (This is the law for the Levites; from twenty-five years of age and older, they shall serve in the Tabernacle of the Covenant;)
25 and when they have filled the fiftieth year of age, they shall cease to serve.
26 And they shall be the ministers of their brethren in the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, that they keep (watch on) those things that be betaken to them; soothly they shall not do those works, as they did before; thus thou shalt dispose [the] Levites in their keepings. (And afterward, they shall help their brothers in the Tabernacle of the Covenant, and do those tasks that be assigned to them; but they shall not do the work that they did before; thus thou shalt ordain the Levites in their duties.)
Numbers 8
New International Version
Setting Up the Lamps
8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.(A)’”
3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold(B)—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern(C) the Lord had shown Moses.
The Setting Apart of the Levites
5 The Lord said to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.(D) 7 To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing(E) on them; then have them shave their whole bodies(F) and wash their clothes.(G) And so they will purify themselves.(H) 8 Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil;(I) then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.[a](J) 9 Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting(K) and assemble the whole Israelite community.(L) 10 You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them.(M) 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering(N) from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.
12 “Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls,(O) using one for a sin offering(P) to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering,(Q) to make atonement(R) for the Levites. 13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering(S) to the Lord. 14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.(T)
15 “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering,(U) they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting.(V) 16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn,(W) the first male offspring(X) from every Israelite woman. 17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal,(Y) is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself.(Z) 18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel.(AA) 19 From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons(AB) to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites(AC) and to make atonement for them(AD) so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”
20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes.(AE) Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement(AF) for them to purify them.(AG) 22 After that, the Levites came to do their work(AH) at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more(AI) shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting,(AJ) 25 but at the age of fifty,(AK) they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. 26 They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work.(AL) This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 8:8 Or purification offering; also in verse 12
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2001 by Terence P. Noble
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