The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Numbers 08
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to Aaron, and tell him, ‘When
you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall
give light in front of the lamp stand.’ ”
3Aaron did so. He litits lamps to lightthe
area in front of the lamp stand, as Yahweh
commanded Moses.
4 This was the workmanship of the lamp
stand, beaten work of gold. From its base
to its flowers, it was beaten work. He made
the lamp stand according to the pattern
which Yahweh had shown Moses.
5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel,
and cleanse them.
7 You shall do this to them to cleanse
them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on
them, let them shave their whole bodies
with a razor, let them wash their clothes,
and cleanse themselves.
8 Then let them take a young bull and
its meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil;
and another young bull you shall take for
a sin offering.
9 You shall present the Levites before
the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble
the whole congregation of the children of
Israel.
10 You shall present the Levites before
Yahweh. The children of Israel shall lay
their hands on the Levites,
11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Yahweh for a wave offering on the
behalf of the children of Israel, that it may
be theirs to do the service of Yahweh.
12 “The Levites shall lay their hands on
the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer
the one for a sin offering and the other
for a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make
atonement for the Levites.
13 You shall set the Levites before Aaron
and before his sons, and offer them as a
wave offering to Yahweh.
14 Thus you shall separate the Levites
from among the children of Israel, and the
Levites shall be mine.
15 “After that, the Levites shall go in to do
the service oftheTent ofMeeting. Youshall
cleanse them, and offer them as a wave
offering.
16 For they are wholly given to me from
among the children of Israel; instead of all
who open the womb, even the firstborn of
all the children ofIsrael, I have taken them
to me.
17 For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are mine, both man and
animal. On the day that I struck all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified
them for myself.
18 I have taken the Levites instead of all
the firstborn among the children of Israel.
19 I have given the Levites as a gift to
Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the
children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting,
and to make atonement for the children
of Israel, so that there will be no plague
among the children ofIsrael when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary.”
20 Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel did so to the
Levites. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so
the children of Israel did to them.
21 The Levites purified themselves from
sin, and they washed their clothes; and
Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh and Aaron made atonement
for them to cleanse them.
22 After that, the Levites went in to do
their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and before his sons: as Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning
the Levites, so they did to them.
23 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
24 “This is what is assigned to the Levites:
from twenty-five years old and upward
they shall go in to wait on the service in the
work of the Tent of Meeting;
25 and from the age of fifty years they
shall retire from doing the work, and shall
serve no more,
26 but shall assist their brothers in the
Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, and
shall perform no service. This is how you
shall have the Levites do their duties.”