Open English Translation NUM Chapter 8

8 Then Yahweh told Mosheh (Moses),[ref] 2 “Tell Aharon (Aaron) that when he places the seven lamps on the lampstand, they must light up the area in front of it.” 3 So Aharon did it just as Yahweh had instructed, setting up the lamps on the lampstand to face forwards. 4 The lampstand from the base to its blossoms had been made by hammering a single sheet of gold, just as Yahweh had shown Mosheh.

5 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, 6 “Out of all the Israelis, take the Levites and purify them. 7 This is how to make them pure: sprinkle the sin offering water on them, then they must shave their entire bodies and wash themselves and their clothes. 8 They must take a young bull along with its grain offering of flour mixed with oil, plus a second young bull for a sin offering. 9 You must have the Levites stand at the front of the sacred tent and summon the rest of the Israelis there too. 10 Then you must present the Levites in front of Yahweh and the Israeli men must place their hands on them. 11 Out of all the Israelis, Aharon must present the Levites as a raised offering to Yahweh so they can serve Yahweh with their assigned duties. 12 Then the Levites must place their hands on the bulls’ heads, and one must be given as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make the Levites innocent in Yahweh’s eyes.

13 “The Levites must stand in front of Aharon and his sons, then they can be offered as a raised offering to Yahweh. 14 That’s how they’ll be distinguished from the other Israelis, and then they’ll belong to me. 15 Then the Levites will go to serve at the sacred tent after you’ve purified them and presented them as a raised offering, 16 because they’re given to me by all the Israeli people—I’ve taken them for myself in place of their firstborn male sons, 17 because every firstborn Israeli male person and animal belongs to me. I set them apart for myself when I killed every other firstborn in Egypt, 18 so I’ve now taken the Levites instead of the firstborn Israeli sons. 19 Then I’ve given the Levites out of all the Israelis, to Aharon and his sons to serve the whole country by serving in the sacred tent and making the Israelis innocent in Yahweh’s eyes. That way, a plague won’t strike the Israelis when they approach the sacred tent.”

20 So Mosheh and Aharon and all the Israelis did to the Levites just what Yahweh had instructed Mosheh. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aharon offered them to Yahweh as a raised offering, and Aharon offered a sacrifice to make them innocent in Yahweh’s eyes. 22 After that, the Levites went to do their assigned duties at the sacred tent working under Aharon and his sons. The Israelis did exactly what Yahweh told Mosheh to do with the Levites.

23 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, 24 “These are the instructions for the Levites: from the age of twenty-five, Levite men will begin serving the work in the sacred tent 25 until the age of fifty when they must retire from that work. 26 They may then assist their fellow Levites with guard duties, but they can no longer work directly with the sacred tent.”