Num 8 | ABEn | STEP | And the lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Numbers 8

CHAPTER 8 Purification of the Levites

1 And the lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Speak to Aaron! And you shall say to him, Whenever you should place the lamps by rank, [⁵in ⁶front ⁷of the ⁸lamp-stand ⁴shall give light ¹the ²seven ³lamps]. 3 And [²did ³so ¹Aaron]; in front of the lamp-stand he lit up its lamps as the lord gave orders to Moses. 4 And this is the apparatus of the lamp-stand; [²is solid ³gold, ¹its stem], and its lilies are solid entirely, according to the form which the lord showed Moses -- thus he made the lamp-stand. 5 And the lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and you shall purify them. 7 And thus you shall do to them for their purification -- you shall sprinkle about them water of purification, and [²shall come ¹a razor] upon the whole of their body. And you shall wash their garments, and they shall be clean. 8 And they shall take [²calf ¹one] from the oxen, and of this a sacrifice offering of fine flour being prepared in olive oil. And a calf of a year old from the oxen you shall take for a sin offering. 9 And you shall lead forward the Levites before the tent of the testimony. And you shall bring together all the congregation of the sons of Israel. 10 And you shall lead forward the Levites before the lord, and [⁴shall place ¹the ²sons ³of Israel] their hands upon the Levites. 11 And Aaron shall separate the Levites for a gift before the lord from the sons of Israel. And they shall be so as to work the works of the lord. 12 And the Levites shall place the hands upon the heads of the calves. And you shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the one for a whole burnt-offering to the lord to atone for them. 13 And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons; and you shall give them back as a gift to the lord. 14 And you shall draw apart the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and they shall be mine. 15 And after these things [³shall enter ¹the ²Levites] to work the works of the tent of the testimony. And you shall cleanse them, and render them before the lord. 16 For as a gift these are being given back to me; they are from out of the midst of the sons of Israel, in place of the ones opening wide every womb of all first-born of the sons of Israel; I have taken them to myself. 17 For [⁷is mine ¹every ²first-born ³among ⁴the ⁵sons ⁶of Israel], from man unto beast; in which day I struck every first-born in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them to myself. 18 And I took the Levites instead of every first-born among the sons of Israel. 19 And I gave back the Levites as a gift, recompensing Aaron and to his sons from out of the midst of the sons of Israel, to work the works of the sons of Israel in the tent of the testimony, and to atone for the sons of Israel; and that [²shall not be ³among ⁴the ⁵sons ⁶of Israel ¹a calamity] whenever drawing near to the holy things. 20 And [⁴did ¹so Moses ²and ³Aaron], and all the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the Levites as the lord gave charge to Moses concerning the Levites -- thus [⁴did ⁵to them ¹the ²sons ³of Israel]. 21 And [³purified themselves ¹the ²Levites], and washed their garments. And [²gave ³them ¹Aaron] as a gift before the lord. And [²made atonement ³for ⁴them ¹Aaron] to purify them. 22 And after this [³entered ¹the ²Levites] to officiate their ministration in the tent of the testimony before Aaron, and before his sons. As the lord gave orders to Moses for the Levite, so they did to them. 23 And the lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 This is the thing for the Levites from five and twenty years and up. They shall enter to minister a ministration in works in the tent of the testimony. 25 And from fifty years old he shall leave from the ministration, and shall not work any longer. 26 And he shall officiate with his brethren in the tent of the testimony, to guard the watches; [⁴the works ¹but ²he shall not ³work] -- so shall you do to the Levites in their watches.