Numbers 8
Open in the reader1Then He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out,
2“Speak to Aaron and tell him: ‘When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.’”
3And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps facing toward the front of the lampstand, just as He-Who-Is had commanded Drawn-Out.
4This is how the lampstand was constructed: it was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms, fashioned according to the pattern He-Who-Is had shown Drawn-Out.
5Again He-Who-Is spoke to Drawn-Out, saying,
6“Take the Joined-Ones from among the children of Strives-with-God and make them ceremonially clean.
7This is what you must do to cleanse them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
8Then have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.
9Bring the Joined-Ones before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Strives-with-God.
10You are to present the Joined-Ones before He-Who-Is and have the children of Strives-with-God lay their hands upon them.
11Aaron is to present the Joined-Ones before He-Who-Is as a wave offering from the sons of Strives-with-God, so that they may perform the service of He-Who-Is.
12And the Joined-Ones are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to He-Who-Is one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Joined-Ones.
13You are to have the Joined-Ones stand before Aaron and his sons and then present them before He-Who-Is as a wave offering.
14In this way you shall separate the Joined-Ones from the rest of the children of Strives-with-God, and the Joined-Ones will belong to Me.
15After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting.
16For the Levites have been wholly given to Me from among the sons of Strives-with-God. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Strives-with-God.
17For every firstborn male in Strives-with-God is Mine, both man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Two-Straits.
18But I have taken the Joined-Ones in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Strives-with-God.
19And I have given the Joined-Ones as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Strives-with-Godites, to perform the service for the Strives-with-Godites at the Tent of Meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Strives-with-Godites when they approach the sanctuary.”
20So Drawn-Out, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Strives-with-God did with the Joined-Ones everything that He-Who-Is had commanded Drawn-Out they should do.
21The Joined-Ones purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before He-Who-Is. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22After that, the Joined-Ones came to perform their service at the Tent of Meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. Thus they did with the Joined-Ones just as He-Who-Is had commanded Drawn-Out.
23And He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out,
24“This applies to the Joined-Ones: Men twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the service in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
25But at the age of fifty, they must retire from performing the work and no longer serve.
26After that, they may assist their brothers in fulfilling their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves are not to do the work. This is how you are to assign responsibilities to the Joined-Ones.”