Numbers 8

DOUAI-RHEIMS	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:	1 Now the LORD said to Moses,
2 Speak to Aaron, and thou shalt say to him: When thou shalt place the seven lamps, let the candlestick be set up on the south side. Give orders therefore that the lamps look over against the north, towards the table of the leaves of proposition, over against that part shall they give light, towards which the candlestick looketh.	2 "Say to Aaron, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand."
3 And Aaron did so, and he put the lamps upon the candlestick, as the Lord had commanded Moses.	3 And Aaron did so; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses.
4 Now this was the work of the candlestick, it was of beaten gold, both the shaft in the middle, and all that came out of both sides of the branches: according to the pattern which the Lord had shewn to Moses, so he made the candlestick.	4 And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying :	5 And the LORD said to Moses,
6 Take the Levites out of the midst of the children of Israel, and thou shalt purify them,	6 "Take the Levites from among the people of Israel, and cleanse them.
7 According to this rite: Let them be sprinkled with the water of purification, and let them shave all the hairs of their flesh. And when they shall have washed their garments, and are cleansed,	7 And thus you shall do to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of expiation upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.
8 They shall take an ox of the herd, and for the offering thereof fine flour tempered with oil: and thou shalt take another ox of the herd for a sin offering:	8 Then let them take a young bull and its cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull for a sin offering.
9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the covenant, calling together all the multitude of the children of Israel:	9 And you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting, and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel.
10 And when the Levites are before the Lord, the children of Israel shall put their hands upon them:	10 When you present the Levites before the LORD, the people of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites,
11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites, as a gift in the sight of the Lord from the children of Israel, that they may serve in his ministry.	11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of the LORD.
12 The Levites also shall put their hands upon the heads of the oxen, of which thou shalt sacrifice one for sin, and the other for a holocaust to the Lord, to pray for them.	12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bulls; and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.
13 And thou shalt set the Levites in the sight of Aaron and of his sons, and shalt consecrate them being offered to the Lord,	13 And you shall cause the Levites to attend Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the LORD.
14 And shalt separate them from the midst of the children of Israel, to be mine.	14 "Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
15 And afterwards they shall enter into the tabernacle of the covenant, to serve me. And thus shalt thou purify and consecrate them for an oblation of the Lord: for as a gift they were given me by the children of Israel.	15 And after that the Levites shall go in to do service at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering.
16 I have taken them instead of the firstborn that open every womb in Israel,	16 For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel; instead of all that open the womb, the first-born of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself.
17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel, both of men and of beasts, are mine. From the day that I slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, have I sanctified them to myself:	17 For all the first-born among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast; on the day that I slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself,
18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel:	18 and I have taken the Levites instead of all the first-born among the people of Israel.
19 And have delivered them for a gift to Aaron and his sons out of the midst of the people, to serve me for Israel in the tabernacle of the covenant, and to pray for them, lest there should be a plague among the people, if they should presume to approach unto my sanctuary.	19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel in case the people of Israel should come near the sanctuary."
20 And Moses and Aaron and all the multitude of the children of Israel did with the Levites all that the Lord had commanded Moses:	20 Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people of Israel to the Levites; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the people of Israel did to them.
21 And they were purified, and washed their garments. And Aaron lifted them up in the sight of the Lard, and prayed for them,	21 And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22 That being purified they might go into the tabernacle of the covenant to do their services before Aaron and his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses touching the Levites, so was it done.	22 And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting in attendance upon Aaron and his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:	23 And the LORD said to Moses,
24 This is the law of the Levites: From twenty-five years old and upwards, they shall go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.	24 "This is what pertains to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the work in the service of the tent of meeting;
25 And when they shall have accomplished the fiftieth year of their age, they shall cease to serve:	25 and from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the work of the service and serve no more,
26 And they shall be the ministers of their brethren in the tabernacle of the covenant, to keep the things that are committed to their care, but not to do the works. Thus shalt thou order the Levites touching their charge.	26 but minister to their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties."