Numbers 8
8
The Lampstand
1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps in the place I showed you. These lamps will light the area in front of the lampstand.”
3Aaron did this. He put the lamps in the right place so that they lighted the area in front of the lampstand. He obeyed the command that the Lord gave Moses. 4This is how the lampstand was made: It was made from hammered gold, all the way from the gold base at the bottom to the gold flowers at the top. It looked just like the pattern that the Lord had shown to Moses.
Dedicating the Levites
5The Lord said to Moses, 6“Separate the Levites from the other Israelites. Make these Levites clean. 7This is what you should do to make them clean: Sprinkle the special water from the sin offering#8:7 water from the sin offering In this water were the ashes from the red cow that had been burned on the altar as a sin offering. on them. This water will make them clean. Then they must shave their bodies and wash their clothes. This will make their bodies clean.
8“They must take a young bull and the grain offering that must be offered with it. This grain offering will be flour mixed with oil. Then take another young bull for a sin offering. 9Bring the Levites to the area in front of the Meeting Tent. Then bring all the Israelites together at that place. 10Bring the Levites before the Lord. The Israelites will put their hands on them.#8:10 put their hands on them This showed that the people shared in appointing the Levites to their special work. 11Aaron will give the Levites to the Lord as an offering from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do their special work for the Lord.
12“Tell the Levites to put their hands on the heads of the bulls. One bull will be a sin offering and the other bull will be used as a burnt offering to the Lord. These offerings will make the Levites pure. 13Tell the Levites to stand in front of Aaron and his sons. Then give the Levites to the Lord. They will be like an offering. 14This will make the Levites holy. They will be different from the other Israelites. The Levites will belong to me.
15“So make the Levites pure and give them to the Lord as a special offering.#8:15 special offering Literally, “a lifted offering.” Also in verse 21. After you do this, they can come and do their work at the Meeting Tent. 16The Israelites will give me the Levites. They will belong to me. In the past I told every Israelite family to give me their firstborn son. But now I am taking the Levites in place of these firstborn sons from the other families in Israel. 17Every firstborn in Israel—man or animal—is mine, because I killed all the firstborn children and animals in Egypt. And I chose to take the firstborn sons to belong to me. 18But now I will take the Levites in their place. I will take the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons from the other families in Israel. 19I chose the Levites from among all the Israelites. And I give them as gifts to Aaron and his sons. I want them to do the work at the Meeting Tent. They will serve for all the Israelites. They will help make the sacrifices that make the Israelites pure. Then no great sickness or trouble will come to the Israelites when they come near the holy place.”
20So Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites obeyed the Lord. They did with the Levites everything that the Lord commanded Moses. 21The Levites washed themselves and their clothes. Then Aaron gave them to the Lord as special offerings. Aaron gave the offerings that covered their sins and made them pure. 22After that the Levites came to the Meeting Tent to do their work. Aaron and his sons watched them. They were responsible for the work of the Levites. Aaron and his sons did what the Lord commanded Moses.
23Then the Lord said to Moses, 24“This is a special command for the Levites: Every Levite man who is 25 years old or older must come and share in the work at the Meeting Tent. 25But when a man is 50 years old, he will retire from this hard work. 26Men who are at least 50 years old will be on duty to help their brothers, but they will not do the work themselves. That is what you must do for the Levites so that they can do their duty.”
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) 8
8
1And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
2Speak to Aharon, and say to him, ‘When you ascend to trim the lamps, let the seven lamps give light in front of the lampstand.’
3And Aharon did so. He set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as יהוה commanded Mosheh.
4And this is the work of the lampstand: beaten work of gold, from its base to its blossoms it is beaten work. According to the pattern which יהוה had shown Mosheh, so he made the lampstand.
5And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
6“Take the Lĕwites from among the children of Yisra’ĕl, and you shall cleanse them,
7and do this to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of sin offering on them, and they shall shave all their body, and shall wash their garments, and cleanse themselves,”
8and shall take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, while you take another young bull as a sin offering.
9“And you shall bring the Lĕwites before the Tent of Appointment, and you shall assemble all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
10And you shall bring the Lĕwites before יהוה, and the children of Yisra’ĕl shall lay their hands on the Lĕwites,”
11and Aharon shall wave the Lĕwites before יהוה, a wave offering from the children of Yisra’ĕl – so shall they be for doing the service of יהוה.
12“And the Lĕwites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls. And one shall be prepared as a sin offering and the other as an ascending offering to יהוה, to make atonement for the Lĕwites.
13“And you shall have the Lĕwites stand before Aharon and his sons, and then wave them, a wave offering to יהוה.
14“Thus you shall separate the Lĕwites from among the children of Yisra’ĕl, and the Lĕwites shall be Mine.
15“Then after that the Lĕwites shall go in to do service in the Tent of Appointment, when you have cleansed them and waved them as a wave offering.
16“For they are given ones, given to Me from among the children of Yisra’ĕl. I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the first-born of all the children of Yisra’ĕl.
17“For all the first-born among the children of Yisra’ĕl are Mine, both man and beast. On the day that I struck all the first-born in the land of Mitsrayim I set them apart unto Myself.
18“And I have taken the Lĕwites instead of all the first-born of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
19“And I have given the Lĕwites as a gift to Aharon and his sons from among the children of Yisra’ĕl, to do the service of the children of Yisra’ĕl in the Tent of Appointment, and to make atonement for the children of Yisra’ĕl, that there be no plague among the children of Yisra’ĕl when the children of Yisra’ĕl come near the set-apart place.”
20Thus Mosheh and Aharon and all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl did to the Lĕwites according to all that יהוה commanded Mosheh concerning the Lĕwites, so the children of Yisra’ĕl did to them.
21And the Lĕwites cleansed themselves and washed their garments, and Aharon waved them, a wave offering before יהוה, and Aharon made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22Then after that the Lĕwites went in to do their service in the Tent of Appointment before Aharon and his sons as יהוה commanded Mosheh concerning the Lĕwites, so they did to them.
23And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
24“This applies to the Lĕwites: From twenty-five years old and above let him come into active service in the service of the Tent of Appointment,
25and at the age of fifty years they retire from active service of the service, and serve no more,
26“but they shall attend with their brothers in the Tent of Appointment, to guard the duty, but shall do no service. Thus you shall do to the Lĕwites regarding their duties.
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