Numbers 18

1 The Lord told Aaron, “You and your sons and the other Levites bear the responsibility for sins relating to the sanctuary. You and your sons alone bear the responsibility for sins relating to your priesthood.

And Jehovah said to Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy fathers' house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

2 Have your brothers from the tribe of Levi, your father's tribe, join you to help you and your sons with your service in the Tent of the Testimony.

And thy brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with thee, that they may be joined to thee, and minister to thee, but thou and thy sons with thee shall be before the tent of the testimony.

3 They will take care of your responsibilities and those relating to the Tent, but they must not come too close to the sacred objects of the sanctuary or the altar, otherwise they will die, and you will too.

And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tent. Only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they, nor ye.

4 They are to help you and take care of the responsibilities of the Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent, but they are not allowed to be with you during your priestly ministry.

And they shall be joined to thee, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent, and a stranger shall not come near to you.

5 You are to carry out the responsibilities relating to the sanctuary and the altar, so that my anger will not fall on the Israelites again.

And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, that there be no more wrath upon the sons of Israel.

6 Look, I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from the Israelites as my gift to you, dedicated to the Lord to do the work that relates the Tent of Meeting.

And I, behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the sons of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to Jehovah, to do the service of the tent of meeting.

7 But only you and your sons are responsible for your priesthood, doing all that concerns the altar and is behind the veil. Only you are to perform that service. I am giving you the gift of your priesthood, but anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be executed.”

And thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil, and ye shall serve. I give you the priesthood as a service of gift. And the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.

8 The Lord told Aaron, “Listen, I have put you in charge of officiating at my offerings. All the holy contributions of the Israelites that they bring are reserved for you, and this is a permanent rule.

And Jehovah spoke to Aaron, And I, behold, I have given thee the charge of my heave offerings, even all the hallowed things of the sons of Israel. I have given them to thee by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, as a portion forever.

9 Part of the most holy offerings taken from the burnt offerings are yours. Part of all the offerings they give me as most holy offerings, whether it's grain offerings or sin offerings or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons.

This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, even every meal offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render to me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.

10 You shall eat it in a most holy place. Every male is allowed to eat it. You are to regard it as something holy.

As the most holy things thou shall eat of it; every male shall eat of it. It shall be holy to thee.

11 The following also belongs to you: the voluntary gifts as well as all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given this to you and your sons and daughters as a permanent rule. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean is allowed to eat it.

And this is thine: the heave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel. I have given them to thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, as a portion forever. Everyone who is clean in thy house shall eat of it.

12 I am giving you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain that the Israelites give as firstfruits to the Lord.

All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first-fruits of them which they give to Jehovah, I have given them to thee.

13 The firstfruits of all the crops they produce in their land that they bring to the Lord are yours. Everyone in your family who is ceremonially clean is allowed to eat them.

The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to Jehovah, shall be thine. Everyone who is clean in thy house shall eat of it.

14 Everything in Israel that is dedicated to the Lord is yours.

Everything devoted in Israel shall be thine.

15 Every firstborn, whether human or animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must buy back every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.

Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Jehovah, both of man and beast shall be thine. Nevertheless the firstborn of man thou shall surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts thou shall redeem.

16 When they are one month old you shall pay the redemption price of five shekels of silver, (using the sanctuary shekel standard), equivalent to twenty gerahs.

And those that are to be redeemed of them from a month old shall thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs).

17 But you are not allowed to redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat because they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as a burnt offering accepted by the Lord.

But the firstling of an ox, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shall not redeem. They are holy. Thou shall sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savor to Jehovah.

18 Their meat is yours, in the same way that the breast and right thigh of the wave offering are yours.

And the flesh of them shall be thine. As the wave-breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine.

19 I am giving all the voluntary gifts that the Israelites present to the Lord to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent rule. It is a permanent agreement of salt before the Lord for you and your descendants.”

All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the sons of Israel offer to Jehovah, I have given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a portion forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before Jehovah to thee and to thy seed with thee.

20 “You won't possess property in their country, and you won't have a share in their land. I am your share and your possession among the Israelites.

And Jehovah said to Aaron, Thou shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall thou have any portion among them. I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the sons of Israel.

21 Instead I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel as compensation for the service they provide in doing the work in the Tent of Meeting.

And to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the tent of meeting.

22 The Israelites are no longer allowed to approach the Tent of Meeting, or they will commit an offense and die.

And henceforth the sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.

23 The Levites are to carry out the work in the Tent of Meeting, and they must take responsibility for any sins involved. This is a permanent rule for all future generations. The Levites won't receive a share of land among the Israelites.

But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. And among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

24 Instead I have given to the Levites as their compensation the tithe that the Israelites give to the Lord as a contribution. That's why I told them that they wouldn't receive a share of land among the Israelites.”

For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering to Jehovah, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said to them, Among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

25 The Lord told Moses,

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

26 “Talk to the Levites and explain to them, ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you as your compensation, you must return part of it as an offering to the Lord: a tithe of the tithe.

Moreover thou shall speak to the Levites, and say to them, When ye take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up a heave offering of it for Jehovah, a tithe of the tithe.

27 Your offering will be considered as if it were the firstfruits of grain from your threshing floor or grape juice from the winepress.

And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing-floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.

28 In this way you are to contribute an offering to the Lord from every tithe you receive from the Israelites, giving the Lord's offering to Aaron the priest.

Thus ye also shall offer a heave offering to Jehovah of all your tithes, which ye receive of the sons of Israel. And from it ye shall give Jehovah's heave offering to Aaron the priest.

29 From all the gifts you receive you are to contribute as the Lord's offering the very best, the holiest part of every gift.’

Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of Jehovah, of all the best of it, even the hallowed part of it out of it.

30 So tell the Levites, ‘When you have presented the best part, it will be considered as your contribution produced by your threshing floor or winepress.

Therefore thou shall say to them, When ye heave the best of it from it, then it shall be reckoned to the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the wine-press.

31 You and your families may eat it anywhere because it's compensation for your service in the Tent of Meeting.

And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting.

32 You will not be considered to have sinned if you have presented the best part of it. But if you treat the sacred offerings of the Israelites with disrespect you will die.’”

And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it. And ye shall not profane the holy things of the sons of Israel, that ye not die.