Numbers 8

vayedabber Adonai el-mosheh lemor

GOD spoke to Moses, saying:

dabber el-aharon ve'amarta elayw beha'alotekha et-hannerot el-mul pene hammenorah ya'iru shivat hannerot

Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand.”

vayya'as ken aharon el-mul pene hammenorah he'elah neroteha ka'asher tsivvah Adonai et-mosheh

Aaron did so; he mounted the lamps at the front of the lampstand, as GOD had commanded Moses.—

vezeh ma'aseh hammenorah miqshah zahav ad-yerekhah ad-pirkhah miqshah hiv kammareh asher herah Adonai et-mosheh ken asah et-hammenorah

Now this is how the lampstand was made: it was hammered work of gold, hammered from base to petal. According to the pattern that GOD had shown Moses, so was the lampstand made.

vayedabber Adonai el-mosheh lemor

GOD spoke to Moses, saying:

qakh et-haleviyyim mittokh bene yisra'el vetiharta otam

Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them.

vekhoh-ta'aseh lahem letaharam hazzeh alehem me khattat vehe'eviru ta'ar al-kol-besaram vekhibbesu vigdehem vehitteharu

This is what you shall do to them to purify them: sprinkle on them water of purification, and let them each go over their whole body with a razor, and wash their clothes; thus they shall be purified.

velaqekhu par ben-baqar uminkhato solet belulah vashamen ufar-sheni ven-baqar tiqqakh lekhattat

Let them take a bull of the herd, and with it a grain offering of choice flour with oil mixed in, and you take a second bull of the herd for a purgation offering.

vehiqravta et-haleviyyim lifne ohel mo'ed vehiqhaleta et-kol-adat bene yisra'el

You shall bring the Levites forward before the Tent of Meeting. Assemble the whole Israelite community,

vehiqravta et-haleviyyim lifne Adonai vesamekhu vene-yisra'el et-yedehem al-haleviyyim

and bring the Levites forward before GOD. Let the Israelites lay their hands upon the Levites,

vehenif aharon et-haleviyyim tenufah lifne Adonai me'et bene yisra'el vehayu la'avod et-avodat Adonai

and let Aaron designate the Levites before GOD as an elevation offering from the Israelites, that they may perform the service of GOD.

vehaleviyyim yismekhu et-yedehem al rosh happarim va'aseh et-ha'ekhad khattat ve'et-ha'ekhad olah la-Adonai lekhapper al-haleviyyim

The Levites shall now lay their hands upon the heads of the bulls; one shall be offered to GOD as a purgation offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make expiation for the Levites.

veha'amadta et-haleviyyim lifne aharon velifne vanayw vehenafta otam tenufah la-Adonai

You shall place the Levites in attendance upon Aaron and his sons, and designate them as an elevation offering to GOD.

vehivdalta et-haleviyyim mittokh bene yisra'el vehayu li haleviyyim

Thus you shall set the Levites apart from the Israelites, and the Levites shall be Mine.

ve'akhare-khen yavo'u haleviyyim la'avod et-ohel mo'ed vetiharta otam vehenafta otam tenufah

Thereafter the Levites shall be qualified for the service of the Tent of Meeting, once you have purified them and designated them as an elevation offering.

ki netunim netunim hemmah li mittokh bene yisra'el takhat pitrat kol-rekhem bekhor kol mibbene yisra'el laqakhti otam li

For they are formally assigned to Me from among the Israelites: I have taken them for Myself in place of all the first issue of the womb, of all the male first-born of the Israelites.

ki li khol-bekhor bivne yisra'el ba'adam uvabbehemah beyom hakkoti khol-bekhor be'erets mitsrayim hiqdashti otam li

For every male first-born among the Israelites, human as well as animal, is Mine; I consecrated them to Myself at the time that I smote every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt.

va'eqqakh et-haleviyyim takhat kol-bekhor bivne yisra'el

Now I take the Levites instead of every first-born of the Israelites;

va'ettenah et-haleviyyim netunim le'aharon ulevanayw mittokh bene yisra'el la'avod et-avodat bene-yisra'el be'ohel mo'ed ulekhapper al-bene yisra'el velo yihyeh bivne yisra'el negef begeshet bene-yisra'el el-haqqodesh

and from among the Israelites I formally assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons, to perform the service for the Israelites in the Tent of Meeting and to make expiation for the Israelites, so that no plague may afflict the Israelites for coming too near the sanctuary.

vayya'as mosheh ve'aharon vekhol-adat bene-yisra'el lalviyyim kekhol asher-tsivvah Adonai et-mosheh lalviyyim ken-asu lahem bene yisra'el

Moses, Aaron, and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites accordingly; just as GOD had commanded Moses in regard to the Levites, so the Israelites did with them.

vayyitkhatte'u haleviyyim vayekhabbesu bigdehem vayyanef aharon otam tenufah lifne Adonai vayekhapper alehem aharon letaharam

The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; and Aaron designated them as an elevation offering before GOD, and Aaron made expiation for them to purify them.

ve'akhare-khen ba'u haleviyyim la'avod et-avodatam be'ohel mo'ed lifne aharon velifne vanayw ka'asher tsivvah Adonai et-mosheh al-haleviyyim ken asu lahem

Thereafter the Levites were qualified to perform their service in the Tent of Meeting, under Aaron and his sons. As GOD had commanded Moses in regard to the Levites, so they did to them.

vayedabber Adonai el-mosheh lemor

GOD spoke to Moses, saying:

zot asher lalviyyim mibben khamesh ve'esrim shanah vamalah yavo litsvo tsava ba'avodat ohel mo'ed

This is the rule for the Levites. From twenty-five years of age up they shall participate in the work force in the service of the Tent of Meeting;

umibben khamishim shanah yashuv mitseva ha'avodah velo ya'avod od

but at the age of fifty they shall retire from the work force and shall serve no more.

vesheret et-ekhayw be'ohel mo'ed lishmor mishmeret va'avodah lo ya'avod kakhah ta'aseh lalviyyim bemishmerotam

They may assist their brother Levites at the Tent of Meeting by standing guard, but they shall perform no labor. Thus you shall deal with the Levites in regard to their duties.