Numbers 18

1 And Yahweh said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and the house of thy father with thee, shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, —and, thou, and thy sons with thee, shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

The LORD said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your fathers' house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

2 Therefore also thy brethren of the tribe of Levi the stem of thy father, bring thou near with thee, and let them be joined unto thee, and let them wait upon thee, —both on thee and on thy sons with thee, before the tent of the testimony.

Your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you: but you and your sons with you shall be before the tent of the testimony.

3 So shall they keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tent, —only, unto the vessels of the sanctuary, and unto the altar, shall they not come near, lest they die—both they, and ye.

They shall keep your commands, and the duty 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 you.

4 So shall they be joined unto thee, and shall keep the charge of the tent of meeting, as to all the laborious work of the tent, —but a stranger, shall not come near unto you.

They shall be joined to you, and keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come near to you.

5 So shall ye keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, —that there no more be wrath against the sons of Israel.

"You shall perform the duty of the sanctuary, and the duty of the altar; that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel.

6 I, therefore, lo! I have taken your brethren the Levites, out of the midst of the sons of Israel, —unto you, as a gift are they given, unto Yahweh, to do the laborious work of the tent of meeting.

And as for me, look, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting.

7 But thou and thy sons with thee, shall keep the charge of your priesthood, as to every matter of the altar and as to the interior of the veil, and shall do the laborious work, as a laborious service of gifts, do I give your priesthood, and, the stranger who cometh near shall be put to death.

You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything concerning the altar, and for that inside the veil; and you shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death."

8 And Yahweh spake unto Aaron, I, therefore, lo! I have given unto thee the charge of my heave-offerings, —as to all the hallowed things of the sons of Israel—unto thee, have I given them. as pertaining to the anointing, and unto thy sons. for a statute age-abiding,

The LORD spoke to Aaron, "I, look, I have given you the command of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of the children of Israel; to you have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, as a portion forever.

9 This, shall be thine, out of the things most holy, out of the fire, —their every oblation—to the extent of their every meal-offering, and their every sin-bearer, and their every guilt-bearer wherewith they make amends unto me, most holy unto thee, shall it be and unto thy sons.

This shall be yours of the most holy things from the fire: every offering 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 you and for your sons.

10 As something most holy, shall ye eat it, —every male, shall eat it, holy, shall it be unto thee.

You shall eat of it like the most holy things. Every male shall eat of it. It shall be holy to you.

11 This, therefore, shall be thine—the heave-offering of their gift even all the wave-offerings of the sons of Israel, unto thee, have I given them and unto thy sons and unto thy daughters with thee by a statute age-abiding, —every one that is clean in thy house, shall eat it.

"This is yours, too: the wave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a portion forever. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

12 All the best of oil, and all the best of new-wine and corn, —the firstfruits thereof which they shall give unto Yahweh, unto thee, have I given them.

"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 the LORD, to you have I given them.

13 The firstfruits of all that is in their land which they shall bring in unto Yahweh, thine, shall it be, —every one that is clean in thy house, shall eat it:

The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

14 every devoted thing in Israel, thine, shall it be:

"Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours.

15 every thing that is born first of all flesh that may be offered unto Yahweh among men and among beasts, shall be thine, —only thou shalt, redeem, the firstborn of men, and the firstborn of unclean beasts, shalt thou redeem.

Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to the LORD, both of man and animal shall be yours: nevertheless you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals.

16 And, as to the redemption price thereof, from a month old, shalt thou redeem, by thine estimate five shekels of silver by the shekel of the sanctuary, —twenty gerahs, it is.

You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.

17 Only a firstling ox or a firstling sheep or a firstling goat, shalt thou not redeem, hallowed, they are, —their blood, shalt thou dash against the altar and of their fat, shalt thou make a perfume, an altar-flame, for a satisfying odour unto Yahweh:

"But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

18 and their flesh, shall be thine, —as the wave-breast and as the right leg, thine, shall it be:

Their flesh shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours.

19 all the heave-offerings of the holy things which the sons of Israel shall heave up unto Yahweh, have I given unto thee and unto thy sons and unto thy daughters with thee by a statute age-abiding, —an age-abiding covenant of salt, it is before Yahweh, for thee and for thy seed with thee.

All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, have I given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever: it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD to you and to your descendants with you."

20 Then said Yahweh unto Aaron: In their land, thou shalt have no inheritance, and no allotted portion, shalt thou have in their midst, —I, am thine allotted portion and thine inheritance in the midst of the sons of Israel.

The LORD said to Aaron, "You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

21 And unto the sons of Levi, lo! I have given all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, —the allotted portion for their laborious work which, they are performing, the laborious work of the tent of meeting:

"To the descendants of Levi, look, 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 that the sons of Israel come near no more, unto the tent of meeting, —to bear sin, to die.

Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.

23 So shall the Levites themselves perform the laborious work of the tent of meeting, and, they, shall bear their iniquity, a statute age-abiding, unto your generations, and in the midst of the sons of Israel, shall they take no inheritance.

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 children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

24 Because the tenth of the sons of Israel which they shall offer up unto Yahweh as a heave-offering, have I given unto the Levites as an inheritance, —for this cause, said I regarding them, In the midst of the sons of Israel, shall they take no inheritance.

For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a wave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: therefore I have said to them, 'Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.'"

25 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

26 Unto the Levites, therefore shalt thou speak and shalt say unto them, When ye shall take of the sons of Israel the tenth which I have given unto you from them as your inheritance, then shall ye offer up therefrom the heave-offering of Yahweh, a tenth of the tenth.

"Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, 'When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for the LORD, a tithe of the tithe.

27 So shall your heave-offering be reckoned your own, —as corn out of the threshing-floor, and as the abundance out of the wine-press.

Your wave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.

28 Thus, shall ye also, offer up the heave-offering of Yahweh, out of all your tenths which ye shall take from the sons of Israel, —and give therefrom the heave-offering of Yahweh, unto Aaron the priest.

Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to the LORD of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and of it you shall give the LORD's wave offering to Aaron the priest.

29 Out of all your gifts, shall ye offer up every heave-offering of Yahweh, —out of all the best thereof, the hallowed pert thereof out of it.

Out of all your gifts you shall offer every wave offering of the LORD, of all its best, even the holy part of it out of it.'

30 And thou shalt say unto them, —When ye offer the best thereof out of it, then shall it be reckoned to belong unto the Levites, as the increase of the threshing-floor and as the increase of the wine-press,

"Therefore you shall tell them, 'When you heave its best from it, then it shall be reckoned to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the winepress.

31 And ye shall eat it in any place, ye, and your household, —for a reward, it is unto you, the allotted portion for your laborious work in the tent of meeting.

You shall eat it in every place, you and your households: for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting.

32 And ye shall not by reason of it bear sin, when ye offer up the best thereof, out of it; and the hallowed things of the sons of Israel, shall ye not profane neither shall ye die.

You shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have heaved from it its best: and you shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that you not die.'"