Numbers 8
8
The Lighting in the Tabernacle
1The Lord spoke to Moses: 2“Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand.” 3So Aaron did this; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4This is the way the lampstand was made: it was a hammered work of gold, hammered from its base to its flower petals. The lampstand was made according to the pattern the Lord had shown Moses. # 8:2–4 Ex 25:31–40
Consecration of the Levites
5The Lord spoke to Moses: 6“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them. 7Do this to them for their purification: Sprinkle them with the purification water. # 8:7 Lv 14:51; Nm 19:7,13,17,20; Heb 9:13,23 Have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. # 8:7 Lv 8:1–6; 14:8–9; Nm 6:19
8“They are to take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. 9Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community. # 8:9 Ex 29:4; Lv 8:1–6 10Then present the Levites before the Lord, and have the Israelites lay their hands on them. 11Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the Lord’s work. # 8:11 Nm 1:50,53; 3:6–7 12Next the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. # 8:12 Lv 1:3–5; 4:3–4
13“You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you are to present them before the Lord as a presentation offering. 14In this way you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites so that the Levites will belong to me. # 8:14 Nm 3:12,45; 16:8–9 15After that the Levites may come to serve at the tent of meeting, once you have ceremonially cleansed them and presented them as a presentation offering. # 8:15 Ex 29:26–27; Lv 8:26–29; Nm 6:20 16For they have been exclusively assigned to me from the Israelites. # 8:16 Nm 3:9; 18:6 I have taken them for myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn. # 8:16 Ex 13:2,12,15; 32:26–29; Nm 3:6,12–13,41–45; 8:16–19; 18:1; Dt 10:8–9; 18:1–2; 21:5 17For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to myself # 8:17 Ex 13:1–2,11–12,15–16 on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt. 18But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites. 19From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.” # 8:19 Nm 1:51,53; 16:1–3,32–50; 18:1–7
20Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community did this to the Levites. The Israelites did everything to them the Lord commanded Moses regarding the Levites. 21The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented # 8:21 Lit waved them before the Lord as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them ceremonially. 22After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. So they did to them as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.
23The Lord spoke to Moses: 24“In regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting. # 8:24 Nm 4:3,23,30 25But at fifty years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve. 26He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities # 8:26 Or to keep guard at the tent of meeting, # 8:26 Nm 3:7–8 but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties.”
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Numbers 8
8
Aaron puts the gold lamps in place
1The LORD said to Moses,#Ex 25.31-40; 37.17-24. 2“Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps on the lampstand so they shine towards the front.”
3Aaron obeyed and placed the lamps as he was told. 4The lampstand was made of hammered gold from its base to the decorative flowers on top, exactly like the pattern the LORD had described to Moses.
Instructions for ordaining the Levites
5The LORD said to Moses:
6The Levites must be acceptable to me before they begin working at the sacred tent. So separate them from the rest of the Israelites 7and sprinkle them with the water that washes away their sins. Then tell them to shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes.
8They are to bring a bull and its proper grain sacrifice of flour mixed with olive oil. And they must bring a second bull as a sacrifice for sin.
9Then you, Moses, will call together all the people of Israel and make the Levites go to my sacred tent, 10where the people will place their hands on them. 11Aaron will present the Levites to me as a gift from the people, so that the Levites will do my work.
12After this, the Levites are to place their hands on the heads of the bulls. Then one of the bulls will be sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin, and the other to make sure that I am pleased. 13The Levites will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will then dedicate the Levites to me.
14This ceremony will show that the Levites are different from the other Israelites and belong to me in a special way. 15After they have been made acceptable and have been dedicated, they will be allowed to work at my sacred tent. 16They are mine and will take the place of the firstborn Israelite sons. 17When I killed the eldest sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the firstborn sons in each Israelite family would be mine, as well as every firstborn male from their flocks and herds.#Ex 13.2. 18But now I have chosen these Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons, 19and I have given them as gifts to Aaron and his sons to serve at the sacred tent. I will hold them responsible for what happens to anyone who gets too close to the sacred tent.#8.19 I will hold…sacred tent: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
The Levites are dedicated to the LORD
20Moses, Aaron, and the other Israelites made sure that the Levites did everything the LORD had commanded. 21The Levites sprinkled themselves with the water of forgiveness and washed their clothes. Then Aaron brought them to the altar and offered sacrifices to forgive their sins and make them acceptable to the LORD. 22After this, the Levites worked at the sacred tent as assistants to Aaron and his sons, just as the LORD had commanded.
23The LORD also told Moses, 24-25“Levites who are between the ages of twenty-five and fifty can work at my sacred tent. But once they turn fifty, they must retire. 26They may help the other Levites in their duties, but they must no longer be responsible for any work themselves. Remember this when you assign their duties.”
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012