Liber Numeri 18
1 Dixitque Dominus ad Aaron: Tu, et filii tui, et domus patris tui tecum portabitis iniquitatem Sanctuarii: et tu et filii tui simul sustinebitis peccata sacerdotii vestri.
Yahweh said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your ancestor's clan will be responsible for all sins committed against the sanctuary. But only you and your sons with you will be responsible for all sins committed by anyone in the priesthood.
2 Sed et fratres tuos de tribu Levi, et sceptrum patris tui sume tecum, præstoque sint, et ministrent tibi: tu autem et filii tui ministrabitis in tabernaculo testimonii.
As for your fellow members of the tribe of Levi, your ancestors' tribe, you must bring them with you so they may join you and help you when you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the covenant decrees.
3 Excubabuntque Levitæ ad præcepta tua, et ad cuncta opera tabernaculi: ita dumtaxat, ut ad vasa Sanctuarii et ad altare non accedant, ne et illi moriantur, et vos pereatis simul.
They must serve you and the whole tent. However, they must not come near to anything in the holy place or connected with the altar, or they and also you will die.
4 Sint autem tecum, et excubent in custodiis tabernaculi, et in omnibus cæremoniis eius. Alienigena non miscebitur vobis.
They must join you and take care of the tent of meeting, for all the work connected with the tent. A foreigner must not come near you.
5 Excubate in custodia Sanctuarii, et in ministerio altaris: ne oriatur indignatio super filios Israel.
You must take responsibility for the holy place and for the altar so that my anger does not come on the people of Israel again.
6 Ego dedi vobis fratres vestros Levitas de medio filiorum Israel, et tradidi donum Domino, ut serviant in ministeriis tabernaculi eius.
Look, I myself have chosen your fellow members of the Levites from among the descendants of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to me to do the work connected to the tent of meeting.
7 Tu autem et filii tui custodite sacerdotium vestrum: et omnia quæ ad cultum altaris pertinent, et intra velum sunt, per sacerdotes administrabuntur. Si quis externus accesserit, occidetur.
But only you and your sons may exercise the priesthood regarding everything connected with the altar and everything inside the curtain. You yourselves must fulfill those responsibilities. I am giving you the priesthood as a gift. Any foreigner who approaches must be put to death.”
8 Locutusque est Dominus ad Aaron: Ecce dedi tibi custodiam primitiarum mearum. Omnia quæ sanctificantur a filiis Israel, tradidi tibi et filiis tuis pro officio sacerdotali legitima sempiterna.
Then Yahweh said to Aaron, “Look, I have given you the duty of handling the offerings raised up to me, and all the holy offerings that the people of Israel give to me. I have given these offerings to you and your sons as your ongoing share.
9 Hæc ergo accipies de his, quæ sanctificantur et oblata sunt Domino. Omnis oblatio, et sacrificium, et quidquid pro peccato atque delicto redditur mihi, et cedit in Sancta sanctorum, tuum erit, et filiorum tuorum.
This will belong to you from the most holy things that is kept from the fire. From every offering of theirs—every grain offering, every sin offering, and every guilt offering—they are set apart to you and to your sons.
10 In Sanctuario comedes illud: mares tantum edent ex eo, quia consecratum est tibi.
These offerings are very holy; every male must eat it, for they are holy to you.
11 Primitias autem, quas voverint et obtulerint filii Israel, tibi dedi, et filiis tuis, ac filiabus tuis iure perpetuo. Qui mundus est in domo tua, vescetur eis.
These are the offerings that will belong to you, set apart out of all their gifts of the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, your sons, and your daughters, as your portion forever. Everyone who is ceremonially clean in your family may eat any of these offerings.
12 Omnem medullam olei, et vini, ac frumenti, quidquid offerunt primitiarum Domino, tibi dedi.
All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and grain, the firstfruits that the people give to me—all these things I have given to you.
13 Universa frugum initia, quas gignit humus, et Domino deportantur, cedent in usus tuos: qui mundus est in domo tua, vescetur eis.
The first ripe produce of all that is in their land, which they bring to me, will be yours. Everyone who is clean in your family may eat these things.
14 Omne quod ex voto reddiderint filii Israel, tuum erit.
Every devoted thing in Israel will be yours.
15 Quidquid primum erumpit e vulva cunctæ carnis, quam offerunt Domino, sive ex hominibus, sive de pecoribus fuerit, tui iuris erit: ita dumtaxat, ut pro hominis primogenito pretium accipias, et omne animal quod immundum est, redimi facias,
Everything that opens the womb, all the firstborn which the people offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal, will be yours. Nevertheless, the people must certainly buy back every firstborn son, and they must buy back the firstborn male of unclean animals.
16 cuius redemptio erit post unum mensem, siclis argenti quinque, pondere Sanctuarii. Siclus viginti obolos habet.
Those that are to be bought back by the people must be bought back after becoming one month old. Then the people may buy them back, for the price of five shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.
17 Primogenitum autem bovis et ovis et capræ non facies redimi, quia sanctificata sunt Domino. Sanguinem tantum eorum fundes super altare, et adipes adolebis in suavissimum odorem Domino.
But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat—you must not buy back these animals; they are set apart to me. You must sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to Yahweh.
18 Carnes vero in usum tuum cedent, sicut pectusculum consecratum, et armus dexter, tua erunt.
Their meat will be yours. Like the raised breast and the right thigh, their meat will be yours.
19 Omnes primitias Sanctuarii, quas offerunt filii Israel Domino, tibi dedi et filiis, ac filiabus tuis iure perpetuo. Pactum salis est sempiternum coram Domino, tibi ac filiis tuis.
All the holy offerings that the people of Israel present to Yahweh, I have given to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a continual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt, a binding covenant forever, before Yahweh for both you and your descendants with you.”
20 Dixitque Dominus ad Aaron: In terra eorum nihil possidebitis, nec habebitis partem inter eos: ego pars et hereditas tua in medio filiorum Israel.
Yahweh said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in the people's land, nor will you have any share of property among the people. I am your share and inheritance among the people of Israel.
21 Filiis autem Levi dedi omnes decimas Israelis in possessionem pro ministerio quo serviunt mihi in tabernaculo fœderis:
To the descendants of Levi, look, I have given all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the service that they provide in working at the tent of meeting.
22 ut non accedant ultra filii Israel ad tabernaculum, nec committant peccatum mortiferum:
From now on the people of Israel must not come near the tent of meeting, or they will be responsible for this sin and die.
23 solis filiis Levi mihi in tabernaculo servientibus, et portantibus peccata populi. Legitimum sempiternum erit in generationibus vestris. Nihil aliud possidebunt,
The Levites must do the work connected to the tent of meeting. They will be responsible for any sin regarding it. This will be a permanent law throughout your people's generations. Among the people of Israel they must have no inheritance.
24 decimarum oblatione contenti, quas in usus eorum et necessaria separavi.
For the tithes of the people of Israel, which they offer as a contribution to me—it is these that I have given to the Levites as their inheritance. That is why I said to them, 'They must have no inheritance among the people of Israel.'”
25 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
26 Præcipe Levitis, atque denuncia: Cum acceperitis a filiis Israel decimas, quas dedi vobis, primitias earum offerte Domino, id est, decimam partem decimæ,
“You must speak to the Levites and say to them, 'When you receive from the people of Israel the tenth that I have given to you from them for your inheritance, you will present a contribution from it to Yahweh, a tenth of the tithe.
27 ut reputetur vobis in oblationem primitivorum, tam de areis quam de torcularibus:
Your contribution must be considered by you as if it were a tenth of the grain from the threshing floor or of the production from the winepress.
28 et universis quorum accipitis primitias, offerte Domino, et date Aaron sacerdoti.
So you also must make a contribution to Yahweh from all the tithes that you receive from the people of Israel. From them you must give his contribution to Aaron the priest.
29 Omnia quæ offeretis ex decimis, et in donaria Domini separabitis, optima et electa erunt.
Out of all the gifts you receive, you must make every contribution to Yahweh. You must do this from all the best and the holiest things that have been given to you.'
30 Dicesque ad eos: Si præclara et meliora quæque obtuleritis ex decimis, reputabitur vobis quasi de area et torculari dederitis primitias:
Therefore you must say to them, 'When you present the best of it, then it must be credited to the Levites as the product from the threshing floor and the winepress.
31 et comedetis eas in omnibus locis vestris, tam vos quam familiæ vestræ: quia pretium est pro ministerio, quo servitis in tabernaculo testimonii.
You may eat the rest of your gifts in any place, you and your families, because it is your pay in return for your work in the tent of meeting.
32 Et non peccabitis super hoc, egregia vobis et pinguia reservantes ne polluatis oblationes filiorum Israel, et moriamini.
You will not incur any guilt by eating and drinking it, if you have presented to Yahweh the best of what you have received. But you must not profane the holy offerings of the people of Israel, or you will die.'”
