ABP - Numbers - 8

8:1  And the lord spoke to Moses, saying,

8:2  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].

8:3  And [2did 3so 1Aaron]; in front of the lamp-stand he lit up its lamps as the lord gave orders to Moses.

8:4  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.

8:5  And the lord spoke to Moses, saying,

8:6  Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and you shall purify them.

8:7  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.

8:8  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.

8:9  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.

8:10  And you shall lead forward the Levites before the lord, and [4shall place 1the 2sons 3of Israel] their hands upon the Levites.

8:11  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.

8:12  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.

8:13  And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons; and you shall give them back as a gift to the lord.

8:14  And you shall draw apart the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and they shall be mine.

8:15  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.

8:16  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.

8:17  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.

8:18  And I took the Levites instead of every first-born among the sons of Israel.

8:19  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.

8:20  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].

8:21  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.

8:22  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.

8:23  And the lord spoke to Moses, saying,

8:24  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.

8:25  And from fifty years old he shall leave from the ministration, and shall not work any longer.

8:26  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.