Numbers 8:25

Easy-to-Read Version

But when a man is 50 years old, he will retire from this hard work.

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;

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 "Separate the Levites from the other Israelites. Make these Levites clean. ⁷ This is what you should do to make them clean: Sprinkle the special water from the sin offering on them. This water will make them clean. Then they must shave their bodies and wash their clothes. This will make their bodies clean. ⁸ "They must take a young bull and the grain offering that must be offered with it. This grain offering will be flour mixed with oil. Then take another young bull for a sin offering. ⁹ Bring the Levites to the area in front of the Meeting Tent. Then bring all the Israelites together at that place. ¹⁰ Bring the Levites before the Lord . The Israelites will put their hands on them. ¹¹ Aaron will give the Levites to the Lord as an offering from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do their special work for the Lord . ¹² "Tell the Levites to put their hands on the heads of the bulls. One bull will be a sin offering and the other bull will be used as a burnt offering to the Lord . These offerings will make the Levites pure. ¹³ Tell the Levites to stand in front of Aaron and his sons. Then give the Levites to the Lord . They will be like an offering. ¹⁴ This will make the Levites holy. They will be different from the other Israelites. The Levites will belong to me.

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.