Numbers 8

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	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 you shall say to him: When you place the seven lamps, let the lampstand be set up on the south side. Therefore, give this instruction: that the lamps should look out from the region opposite the north, toward the table of the bread of the presence; they shall give light opposite that area, toward the area that the lampstand faces.”	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 placed the lamps on the lampstand, just as the Lord had instructed 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 workmanship of the lampstand: it was of ductile gold, both the main shaft and all that originated from both sides of the branches. According to the example that the Lord revealed to Moses, so did he make the lampstand.	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 from the midst of the sons of Israel, and you shall purify them	6 "Take the Levites from among the people of Israel, and cleanse them.
7 according to this ritual: Let them be sprinkled with the water of illumination, and let them shave off all the hairs of their body. And when they have washed their garments and have been 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 from the herd, with its libation of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil; then you shall receive another ox from the herd for sin.	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 you shall bring forward the Levites before the tabernacle of the covenant, calling together all the multitude of the sons 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 sons of Israel shall place 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 sons of Israel, so 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 Likewise, the Levites shall place their hands upon the heads of the oxen; you shall make use of one of these for sin, and the other as a holocaust to the Lord, so that you may intercede 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 you shall set the Levites in the sight of Aaron and his sons, and you shall consecrate those 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 you shall separate them from the midst of the sons of Israel, so that they may be for me.	14 "Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
15 And after this, they shall enter the tabernacle of the covenant, in order to serve me. And so shall you purify and consecrate them as an oblation to the Lord. For they were given to me as a gift from the sons 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 accepted them in place of the firstborn which 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 sons of Israel, as much from men as from beasts, are mine. From the day when I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I have 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 in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel.	18 and I have taken the Levites instead of all the first-born among the people of Israel.
19 And I have delivered them as a gift to Aaron and his sons, from the midst of the people, in order to serve me, for Israel, in the tabernacle of the covenant, and in order to pray for them, lest there be a scourge among the people, if they were to dare to approach to 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 sons of Israel, accomplished all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.	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 they washed their garments. And Aaron lifted them up in the sight of the Lord, and he 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 so that, having been purified, they might enter to their duties in the tabernacle of the covenant before Aaron and his sons. Just as the Lord had instructed Moses about 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 and above, they shall enter 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 will have completed the fiftieth year of 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 brothers in the tabernacle of the covenant, in order to care for the things that have been commended to them, but not to perform the works themselves. So shall you assign the Levites in their duties.”	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."