Numbers 8:5-14

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. Cross References
    Leviticus 8:3
    And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.