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 Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Consecration and Service of the Levites
5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and cleanse them. 7 Thus you shall do to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification on them; have them shave their whole body with a razor and wash their clothes and so cleanse themselves.(A) 8 Then let them take a young bull and its grain offering of choice flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull for a purification offering.(B) 9 You shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole congregation of the Israelites.(C) 10 When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the Israelites shall lay their hands on the Levites, 11 and Aaron shall present the Levites before the Lord as an elevation offering from the Israelites, that they may do the service of the Lord. 12 The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and he shall offer the one for a purification offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.(D) 13 Then you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you shall present them as an elevation offering to the Lord.
14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the other Israelites, and the Levites shall be mine.(E) 15 Thereafter the Levites may go in to do service at the tent of meeting, once you have cleansed them and presented them as an elevation offering.(F) 16 For they are unreservedly given to me from among the Israelites; I have taken them for myself, in place of all that open the womb, the firstborn of all the Israelites.(G) 17 For all the firstborn among the Israelites are mine, both human and animal. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, 18 but I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites. 19 Moreover, I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the service for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the Israelites, in order that there may be no plague among the Israelites for coming too close to the sanctuary.”(H)
20 Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the Israelites did with the Levites accordingly; the Israelites did with the Levites just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning them. 21 The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them as an elevation offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.(I) 22 Thereafter the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting in attendance on Aaron and his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did with them.
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.