Numbers 18

1 And he said Yahweh to Aaron you and sons your and [the] house of ancestor your with you you will bear [the] guilt of the sanctuary and you and sons your with you you will bear [the] guilt of priesthood your.

Yahweh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and the other members of your father’s family are the ones (who will be punished/whom I will punish) [if anything bad happens to the things] inside the Sacred Tent. But only you and your sons will be punished if the priests do something bad.

2 And also brothers your [the] tribe of Levi [the] tribe of ancestor your bring near with you so they may join themselves to you so they may serve you and you and sons your with you [will be] before [the] tent of the testimony.

Require that those who belong to your tribe, the tribe of Levi, must assist you and your sons while you perform your work at the Sacred Tent.

3 And they will keep service your and [the] service of all the tent only to [the] equipment of the holy place and to the altar not they will draw near and not they will die both they as well as you.

But while they do that work, they must not go near the sacred items inside the tent or near the altar. If they do that, they will die, and you will die, too!

4 And they will join themselves to you and they will keep [the] duty of [the] tent of meeting to all [the] service of the tent and a stranger not he will draw near to you.

They may assist you in doing all the work to take care of the Sacred Tent, but no one else is permitted to come near the place where you are working.

5 And you will keep [the] service of the holy place and [the] service of the altar and not it will be again wrath towards [the] people of Israel.

“You are the ones who will do the sacred work inside the Sacred Tent and at the altar. If you obey these instructions, I will not become very angry with the Israeli people again.

6 And I here! I have taken brothers your the Levites from among [the] people of Israel to you a gift assigned to Yahweh to serve [the] service of [the] tent of meeting.

I myself have chosen the descendants of Levi from the other Israelis in order that they may be your special helpers. They are like a gift that I have given you to work at the Sacred Tent.

7 And you and sons your with you you will keep priesthood your to every matter of the altar and to from inside to the curtain and you will serve a service of a gift I give priesthood your and the stranger approaching he will be put to death.

But it is you and your sons, who are the priests, who must perform all the rituals concerning the altar and with what happens inside the Very Holy Place. I am giving to you this work of serving as priests. So anyone else who tries to do that work must be executed.”

8 And he spoke Yahweh to Aaron and I here! I give to you [the] charge of contributions my to all [the] holy gifts of [the] people of Israel to you I give them to a portion and to sons your to a prescribed portion of perpetuity.

Yahweh also said to Aaron, “I myself have appointed you to take care of all the sacred offerings that the Israeli people bring to me. I have given all these sacred offerings to you and to your sons. You and your descendants will get a share of these offerings permanently.

9 This it will belong to you from [the] holy thing of the holy things from the fire every offering their to every grain offering their and to every sin offering their and to every guilt offering their which they will give back to me [will be] a holy thing of holy things for you it and for sons your.

The parts of the offerings that are not completely burned on the altar belong to you. Those parts of the sacred offerings, including the offerings of grain, the offerings for sins and for the people to be forgiven for not giving me what they are required to give, are set apart, and are to be given to you and your sons.

10 [the] holy thing of The holy things you will eat it every male he will eat it a holy thing it will be for you.

You must eat those offerings in a sacred place, [near the Sacred Tent]. You and all of the other males [in your clan] may eat them, but you must consider those offerings to be holy/dedicated to me.

11 And this [will belong] to you [the] contribution of gift their to all [the] wave-offerings of [the] people of Israel to you I give them and to sons your and to daughters your with you to a prescribed portion of perpetuity every clean [person] among household your he will eat it.

“The priests lift up high the sacred offerings while they are standing in front of the altar. All of those offerings that the Israelis offer to me belong to you and your sons and daughters. They will always be your share. All the members of your family who [have performed the rituals to cause them to] be acceptable to me are permitted to eat from these offerings.

12 All [the] best of [the] fresh oil and all [the] best of [the] new wine and grain first [fruit] their which they will give to Yahweh to you I give them.

“am [also] giving to you the first food that people harvest each year and bring to me—the best [olive] oil and new wine and grain.

13 [the] first-fruits of All that [is] in land their which they will bring to Yahweh to you it will belong every clean [person] among household your he will eat it.

All of the first crops that people harvest and bring to me belong to you. Anyone in your family who has [performed the ritual to] become acceptable to me is permitted to eat that food.

14 Every devoted thing in Israel to you it will belong.

“Everything in Israel that is set apart to belong to me also belongs to you.

15 Every firstborn of a womb of all flesh which they will bring near to Yahweh among humankind and among animal[s] it will belong to you only - certainly you will redeem [the] firstborn of humankind and [the] firstborn of animal[s] unclean you will redeem.

The firstborn males, both humans and domestic animals, that are offered to me, will be yours. But people must buy back their firstborn sons and the firstborn animals that may not be used for sacrifices.

16 And redemption price its from a son of a month you will redeem [it] by valuation your [will be] silver five shekels by [the] shekel of the holy place [is] twenty gerah[s] it.

They must buy them back when they are one month old. The price that they must pay [for each one] is five pieces of silver. They must weigh the silver on the scales that are in the Sacred Tent.

17 Only [the] firstborn of a cow or [the] firstborn of a sheep or [the] firstborn of a goat not you will redeem [are] holy thing[s] they blood their you will sprinkle on the altar and fat their you will make smoke a fire offering to an odor of soothing to Yahweh.

“But they are not permitted to buy back the firstborn cattle or sheep or goats. They are holy and have been set apart for me. [Slaughter them and] sprinkle their blood on the altar. Then completely burn the fat of those animals [on the altar] to be an offering to me. The smell as they burn will be very pleasing to me.

18 And meat their it will belong to you like [the] breast of the wave-offering and like [the] thigh of the right to you it will belong.

The meat from those offerings will be yours, just like the breast and right thigh of animals that are presented to me to maintain fellowship with me as the priest lifts them up high in front of the altar are yours.

19 All - [the] contributions of the holy gifts which they will offer up [the] people of Israel to Yahweh I give to you and to sons your and to daughters your with you to a prescribed portion of perpetuity [is] a covenant of salt of perpetuity it before Yahweh to you and to offspring your with you.

Anything that the Israeli people present to me as holy/sacred gifts, I am giving to you. They are for you and your sons and daughters [to eat]. They will always be your share. This is an agreement that I am making with you, an agreement that will (last forever/never be changed). I am also making this agreement with your descendants.”

20 And he said Yahweh to Aaron in land their not you will have an inheritance and a share not it will belong to you in midst of them I [am] share your and inheritance your in among [the] people of Israel.

Yahweh also said to Aaron, “You priests will not receive any of the land or the property like the [other] Israeli people will receive. I am what you will receive.

21 And to [the] descendants of Levi here! I give every tithe in Israel for an inheritance in return for service their which they [are] serving [the] service of [the] tent of meeting.

“Then the Israeli people bring to me a tenth of all [the crops and of their newborn animals], I will give that to you descendants of Levi. That will be your payment for the work you do at the Sacred Tent.

22 And not they will draw near again [the] people of Israel to [the] tent of meeting to bear sin to die.

The other Israelis must not go near that tent. If they go near it, [I will consider that their doing that is a sin, and] they will die for committing that sin.

23 And he will serve the Levite[s] he [the] service of [the] tent of meeting and they they will bear iniquity their a statute of perpetuity to generations your and in among [the] people of Israel not they will inherit an inheritance.

Only the descendants of Levi are permitted to work at the Sacred Tent, and they will be punished if anything bad happens to it. That is a law that will never be changed. You descendants of Levi will not receive any land among the other Israeli people,

24 For [the] tithe of [the] people of Israel which they will offer up to Yahweh a contribution I give to the Levites for an inheritance there-fore I have said of them in among [the] people of Israel not they will inherit an inheritance.

because I will give you one tenth of all the [crops and animals] that the Israelis bring to be offerings to me. That is why I said that you will not receive any land like the other Israelis will receive.”

25 And he spoke Yahweh to Moses saying.

Yahweh said to Moses/me,

26 And to the Levites you will speak and you will say to them if you will take from with [the] people of Israel the tithe which I give to you from with them inheritance your and you will offer up from it [the] contribution of Yahweh a tithe of the tithe.

“Tell this to the descendants of Levi: ‘When you receive one tenth of all [the crops and animals] from the Israeli people, you must give one tenth of all that to me to be a sacred offering.

27 And it will be reckoned to you contribution your like the grain from the threshing floor and like the full produce from the wine-press.

Just like the other Israelis give one tenth of the grain and wine that they produce,

28 Thus you will offer up also you contribution of Yahweh from all tithes your which you will take from with [the] people of Israel and you will give from it [the] contribution of Yahweh to Aaron the priest.

you must give to me one tenth of all that you receive from them. That will be your sacred offering to me. You must present it to Aaron.

29 From all gifts your you will offer up every contribution of Yahweh some of all best its sacred part of its from it.

Select the best parts of the things that are given to you to give them to me.’

30 And you will say to them when offer up you best of its from it and it will be reckoned to the Levites like [the] produce of a threshing floor and like [the] produce of a wine-press.

“Also, tell this to the descendants of Levi: ‘When you present those best portions of grain and wine as your offering to me, I will consider that those gifts are as though they came from your own grain fields and vineyards.

31 And you will eat it in any place you and household your for [is] wage[s] it of you in return for service your in [the] tent of meeting.

You descendants of Levi and your families are permitted to eat [the rest of] that food, and you may eat it wherever [you want to], because it is your payment for the work that you do at the Sacred Tent.

32 And not you will bear on it sin when offer up you best of its from it and [the] holy gifts of [the] people of Israel not you will profane and not you will die.

If you give to the priests the best portions of what you receive, you will not be punished [by me] for accepting one tenth of the gifts that the people bring to me. But you must consider those gifts to be sacred/holy. If you sin [by eating those things in ways that are contrary to these regulations that I have given to you], you will be executed.’”