Numbers 8
Seven Lamps Facing Forward, and a Tribe Given Away
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The Arrangement of the Golden Lampstand
8:1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8:2Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you set the lamps in place, the seven lamps shall shine from one side toward the front of the lampstand.
8:3Aaron did so. He lit its lamps from the one side toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord instructed Moses.
8:4This was the construction of the lampstand: solid gold, its stem and its lilies, entirely solid. According to the form the Lord showed Moses, so he made the lampstand.
The Consecration of the Levites
8:5The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8:6Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and purify them.
8:7Do this for their purification: sprinkle them with purification water, let a razor pass over their whole body, and let them wash their clothes and be clean.
8:8They shall take one young bull with its sacrifice of fine flour prepared with oil, and you shall take a year-old young bull for sin.
8:9Bring the Levites before the Tent of Testimony and assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel.
8:10Bring the Levites before the Lord, and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.
8:11Aaron shall set the Levites apart as a gift before the Lord from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the works of the Lord.
8:12The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls. He shall offer one for sin and one as a whole burnt offering to the Lord, to make propitiation for them.
8:13Stand the Levites before the Lord, before Aaron, and before his sons, and give them as a gift before the Lord.
8:14Separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and they shall be Mine.
8:15Afterward the Levites shall enter to perform the works of the Tent of Testimony. You shall cleanse them and give them before the Lord.
8:16For they are given to Me as a gift from among the sons of Israel. In place of those opening every womb, all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, I have taken them for Myself.
8:17For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, human and livestock alike. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated them to Myself.
8:18I took the Levites in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel.
8:19I gave the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the works of the sons of Israel in the Tent of Testimony and make propitiation for the sons of Israel, and there shall be no one among the sons of Israel approaching the holy things.
8:20Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel did for the Levites everything that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites. So the sons of Israel did for them.
8:21The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Aaron gave them as a gift before the Lord, and Aaron made propitiation for them to purify them.
8:22Afterward the Levites entered to minister their ministry in the Tent of Testimony before Aaron and his sons. As the Lord instructed Moses concerning the Levites, so they did for them.
Age Limits and Retirement for Levites
8:23The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8:24This concerns the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward, they shall enter to work in the Tent of Testimony.
8:25From fifty years old, they shall withdraw from the ministry and shall work no longer.
8:26Their brother shall minister in the Tent of Testimony, keeping charge, but they shall perform no work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites in their charges.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.