Numbers

Tells about the Israelites' 40 years in the desert, including their travels and the census of their tribes.

Chapter 8

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.

*Tell Aaron, when you light the lamps, the seven lamps should shine towards the candlestick.

3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.

*And Aaron followed the instructions; he lit the lamps as directed by God through Moses.

4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

*The candlestick was made of hammered gold, from the stem to the branches, with intricate designs. It was created based on the pattern that God showed Moses, and that's how it was made.

5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

*And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

*Get the Levites, who are part of the Israel kids, and wash them.

7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.

*So, you should do this to make them clean: Spray purifying water on them, let them shave their whole body, wash their clothes, and then they will be clean.

8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.

*Then have them get a young bull for a sacrifice, along with some bread mixed with oil. Also, get another young bull as a sin offering.

9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:

*"You will bring the Levites in front of the meeting place for the people, and you will gather all the Israelite children there."

10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:

*You will bring the Levites to God, and the Israelite children will place their hands on them.

11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.

*Aaron will present the Levites to God as a gift from the people of Israel so they can do God's work.

12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.

*The Levites will place their hands on the bulls' heads. Then, you will offer one bull as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to God. This is done to forgive the Levites.

13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.

*You shall place the Levites in front of Aaron and his children, then present them as an offering to God.

14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.

*So, you must separate the Levites group from the other Israeli people, and they will belong to me.

15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.

*Then, the Levites will enter to serve the tent of the group. You must purify them and present them as a sacrifice.

16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.

*For they belong completely to me from the children of Israel; in place of those who open every womb, I have chosen them, instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel.

17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.

*All firstborn of Israel's children belong to me, humans and animals too. When I struck down all firstborn in Egypt, I made them holy for myself.

18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.

*I have chosen the Levites to be for all the firstborn of Israel's children.

19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.

*I have given the Levites to Aaron and his sons from the Israelite people. They will help with tasks in the tabernacle and make sacrifices for the people. This prevents disease when the people approach the sacred place.

20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.

*Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel followed what God told Moses about how to treat the Levites. The people of Israel did this too.

21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.

*The Levites got cleaned and washed their clothes. Aaron presented them to God as a sacrifice and cleansed them with atonement.

22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.

*Then, the Levites entered to perform their duties in the meeting place for the people, serving under Aaron and his sons, just as the Lord instructed Moses about the Levites; they followed these instructions closely.

23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

*And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:

*This belongs to the Levites: starting at age 25, they will help with tasks at the church tent.

25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:

*At age fifty, they stop serving and won't do it anymore.

26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.

*But they will help their fellow workers in the church's home, to maintain the responsibility, and won't do any extra tasks. This is how you should handle the Levites' duties.

read summary

Back to Chapters

Back to Books

* work in progress, there will be mistakes