Numbers 8:25

Contemporary English Version

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more,

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

Lexham English Bible
and those fifty years old will return from the service of the work and will serve no longer.

New Century Version
At the age of fifty, they must retire from their jobs and not work again.

New English Translation
and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work.

Amplified Bible
but at the age of fifty years, they shall retire from the service of the [tabernacle] work and serve no longer.

New American Standard Bible
"But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work anymore.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And after the age of fiftie yeere, they shall cease from executing the office, and shall serue no more:

Legacy Standard Bible
But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from their duty in the service and not serve anymore.

Complete Jewish Bible
and when they reach the age of fifty, they are to stop performing this work and not serve any longer.

Darby Translation
And from fifty years old he shall retire from the labour of the service, and shall serve no more;

Easy-to-Read Version
But when a man is 50 years old, he will retire from this hard work.

English Standard Version
And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more.

George Lamsa Translation
And from the age of fifty years they shall cease from the service and shall serve no more,

Good News Translation
and at the age of fifty he shall retire.

Christian Standard Bible®
But at fifty years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve.

Literal Translation
And from a son of fifty years they shall return from the service of the work, and shall not serve any more.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But fro fyftie yeare forth, they shal ceasse from the waitinge of the seruyce therof, and shall mynister nomore,

American Standard Version
and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the work, and shall serve no more,

Bible in Basic English
But after they are fifty years old, they are to give up their work and do no more;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And from the age of fiftie yeres, they shall ceasse waytyng vpon the seruice therof, and shall serue no more:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
and from the age of fifty years they shall return from the service of the work, and shall serve no more;

King James Version (1611)
And from the age of fiftie yeeres they shall cease waiting vpon the seruice thereof, and shall serue no more:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And from fifty years old the Levites shall cease from the ministry, and shall not work any longer.

English Revised Version
and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the work, and shall serve no more;

Berean Standard Bible
But at the age of fifty, they must retire from performing the work and no longer serve.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and whanne thei han fillid the fiftithe yeer of age, thei schulen ceesse to serue.

Young's Literal Translation
and from a son of fifty years he doth return from the host of the service, and doth not serve any more,

Update Bible Version
and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more,

Webster's Bible Translation
And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service [of it], and shall serve no more:

World English Bible
and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more,

New King James Version
and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more.

New Living Translation
and they must retire at the age of fifty.

New Life Bible
But when they are fifty years old they will stop these duties and not work any more.

New Revised Standard
and from the age of fifty years they shall retire from the duty of the service and serve no more.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
but from the age of fifty years, shall they retire from taking rank in the labour, and shall do laborious work no more;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when they shall have accomplished the fiftieth year of their age, they shall cease to serve:

Revised Standard Version
and from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the work of the service and serve no more,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work any more.

Contextual Overview

⁵ The Lord said to Moses: ⁶ The Levites must be acceptable to me before they begin working at the sacred tent. So separate them from the rest of the Israelites ⁷ and sprinkle them with the water that washes away their sins. Then have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes. ⁸ They are to bring a bull and its proper grain sacrifice of flour mixed with olive oil. And they must bring a second bull as a sacrifice for sin. ⁹ Then you, Moses, will call together all the people of Israel and have the Levites go to my sacred tent, ¹⁰ where the people will place their hands on them. ¹¹ Aaron will present the Levites to me as a gift from the people, so that the Levites will do my work. ¹² After this, the Levites are to place their hands on the heads of the bulls. Then one of the bulls will be sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin, and the other to make sure that I am pleased. ¹³ The Levites will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will then dedicate the Levites to me. ¹⁴ This ceremony will show that the Levites are different from the other Israelites and belong to me in a special way.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cease waiting upon the service thereof: Heb. return from the warfare of the service, Numbers 4:23, 2 Timothy 4:7, The Levites, above fifty years of age, might superintend and assist their junior brethren in the ordinary offices, and give them and the people counsel and instruction; but they were exempted from carrying the tabernacle and from other laborious services. It is remarkable, that no law was made concerning the age at which the priests should begin to officiate, and though various blemishes disqualified them for the service of the sanctuary, yet they continued their ministrations till death, if capable. On the other hand, nothing is said concerning any bodily defects or blemishes disqualifying the Levites; but the time of their service is expressly settled. Their work was far more laborious than that of the priests; it is therefore likely that the priests would not begin very early to officiate; and the wisdom and experience of age would increase, rather than diminish, their fitness for the sacred duties of their office.

Reciprocal: Nehemiah 12:44 - Judah rejoiced

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service [thereof],.... The heavy service of it:

and shall serve no more; by bearing and carrying the vessels of the sanctuary upon their shoulders, as Jarchi interprets it; this, according to the Jewish writers, was only in force while the tabernacle was in the wilderness, and was moved from place to place: but when it had a fixed habitation, and that laborious service of bearing and carrying the vessels of it ceased, years made no difference in the Levites, or disqualified them for service; for it is said x, that the Levites were not bound by this law, but in the time of the tabernacle; but when it was at Shiloh, and at Jerusalem, where there was no bearing and carrying upon the shoulder, the Levites were not rejected on account of years, only for their voice, when they had lost that, and could not sing.

x Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Cholin, c. 1. sect. 6.