Numbers 8:5-22
Lexham English Bible
Moses Consecrates the Levites
5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from the midst of the Israelites[a] and purify them. 7 So you will do to them, to purify them: sprinkle on them waters of purification, and they will shave their whole body[b] and wash their garments. 8 And they will take a young bull[c] and its grain offering of finely milled flour mixed with oil, and you will take a second young bull[d] as a sin offering. 9 You will bring the Levites before[e] the tent of assembly, and you will summon the entire community of the Israelites.[f] 10 And you will bring the Levites before Yahweh,[g] and the Israelites[h] will lay their hands on the Levites, 11 and Aaron will offer[i] the Levites as a wave offering before Yahweh[j] from the Israelites,[k] and they will do the work of Yahweh. 12 And the Levites will lay their hands on the head of the one bull and offer it as a sin offering and the other one as a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you will present the Levites before[l] Aaron and before[m] his sons, and he will offer[n] them as a wave offering to Yahweh.
14 “And you will separate the Levites from the midst of the Israelites,[o] and the Levites will be for me. 15 And after this the Levites will come to serve at the tent of assembly, and you will purify them, and you will offer[p] them as a wave offering. 16 For they are given to me exclusively from the midst of the Israelites.[q] I have taken them for myself in place of the firstborn of every womb, every firstborn from the Israelites.[r] 17 For every firstborn among the Israelites[s] is mine, both humankind and animal. On the day I destroyed every firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them to me, 18 and I have taken the Levites in the place of every firstborn among the Israelites.[t] 19 And I have given the Levites; they are given to Aaron and his sons from the midst of the Israelites[u] to do the work of the Israelites[v] in the tent of the assembly and to make atonement for the Israelites,[w] so a plague will not be among the Israelites[x] when the Israelites[y] come near the sanctuary.”
20 And Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites[z] did to the Levites; everything that Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the Israelites[aa] did to them. 21 And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their garments, and Aaron offered them[ab] as a wave offering before Yahweh;[ac] and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them. 22 After this the Levites came to do their work in the tent of assembly before Aaron and his sons. Just as Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levities, so they did to them.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 8:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:7 Literally “they will send a razor on all their body”
- Numbers 8:8 Literally “a bull, a son of cattle”
- Numbers 8:8 Literally “a bull, a son of cattle”
- Numbers 8:9 Literally “in the presence of”
- Numbers 8:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:10 Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”
- Numbers 8:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:11 Literally “Aaron will wave”
- Numbers 8:11 Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”
- Numbers 8:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:13 Literally “in the presence of”
- Numbers 8:13 Literally “in the presence of”
- Numbers 8:13 Literally “Aaron will wave”
- Numbers 8:14 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:15 Literally “Aaron will wave”
- Numbers 8:16 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:16 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:17 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:18 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:19 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:19 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:19 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:19 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:19 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:20 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:20 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 8:21 Literally “Aaron waved them”
- Numbers 8:21 Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”
Numbers 8:5-22
New American Standard Bible
Cleansing the Levites
5 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and (A)cleanse them. 7 This is what you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle [a]purifying (B)water on them, and have them [b](C)use a razor over their whole [c]body, and they shall (D)wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then have them take a [d]bull with (E)its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and you shall take a second [e]bull as a sin offering. 9 So (F)you shall present the Levites in front of the tent of meeting. (G)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 (H)shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11 Aaron then shall [f]present the Levites before the Lord as a (I)wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may [g]qualify to perform the service of the Lord. 12 Now (J)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 (K)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 (L)present them as a wave offering; 16 for they are (M)exclusively given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself (N)instead of the firstborn of every womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17 For (O)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 (P)I have given the Levites as [h]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 (Q)affliction among the sons of Israel due to [i]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 (R)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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 8:7 Lit water of expiation
- Numbers 8:7 Lit cause to pass
- Numbers 8:7 Lit flesh
- Numbers 8:8 Lit bull, a son of the herd
- Numbers 8:8 Lit bull, a son of the herd
- Numbers 8:11 Lit wave, and so throughout the ch
- Numbers 8:11 Lit be to perform
- Numbers 8:19 Lit given ones
- Numbers 8:19 Lit the sons of Israel’s
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