Numbers 8

The Seven Lamps

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand." 3 And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 And i 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 that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing of the Levites

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 "Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the j water of purification upon them, and k let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then let them take a bull from the herd and l its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, m and you shall take another bull from the herd for a sin offering. 9 n And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting o and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel. 10 When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel p shall lay their hands on the Levites, 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord. 12 Then the Levites q shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer r 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 before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as s a wave offering to the Lord.

14 "Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and t the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a s wave offering. 16 For they are u wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. v Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself. 17 w For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, 18 and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. 19 u 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 x to make atonement for the people of Israel, y that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary."

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 z the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and a Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement of the Levites

23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 "This applies to the Levites: b from twenty-five years old and upward they 1 shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. 25 And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. 26 They minister 2 to their brothers in the tent of meeting c by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties."

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 25:31
    You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.
  2. Cross References
    Numbers 19:9
    And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering.
    Numbers 19:17
    For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh water shall be added in a vessel.
    Leviticus 8:6
    And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
  3. Cross References
    Leviticus 14:8 - 9
    And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days.
  4. Cross References
    Leviticus 2:1
    When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it
    Exodus 29:41
    The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
  5. Cross References
    Numbers 8:12
    Then the Levites shall lay their hands on 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.
  6. Cross References
    Exodus 29:4
    You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
    Exodus 40:12
    Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water
  7. Cross References
    Leviticus 8:3
    And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
  8. Cross References
    Leviticus 1:4
    He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 29:10
    Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
  10. Cross References
    Numbers 8:8
    Then let them take a bull from the herd and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another bull from the herd for a sin offering.
  11. Cross References
    Numbers 8:11
    And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord.
    Numbers 8:21
    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.
  12. Cross References
    Numbers 3:45
    Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.
    Numbers 16:9
    Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them.
  13. Cross References
    Numbers 8:13
    And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the Lord.
  14. Cross References
    Numbers 3:9
    And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel.
  15. Cross References
    Numbers 3:12
    Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine.
    Numbers 3:45
    Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.
  16. Cross References
    Exodus 13:2
    "Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine."
  17. Cross References
    Numbers 8:16
    For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself.
  18. Cross References
    Numbers 25:11
    Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
    Numbers 25:13
    And it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.'
  19. Cross References
    Numbers 1:53
    But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.
  20. Cross References
    Numbers 8:7
    Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.
  21. Cross References
    Numbers 8:11 - 12
    And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord.
    Numbers 8:13
    And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the Lord.
    Numbers 8:15
    And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering.
  22. Cross References
    Numbers 4:3
    From thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.
    1 Chronicles 23:3
    The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men.
    1 Chronicles 23:24
    These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, the heads of fathers' houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord.
    1 Chronicles 23:27
    For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward.
  23. Cross References
    Numbers 1:53
    But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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