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.
So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood.
2 sed et fratres tuos de tribu Levi, et sceptrum patris tui sume tecum, praestoque sint, et ministrent tibi: tu autem et filii tui ministrabitis in tabernaculo testimonii.
But bring with you also your brothers from the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and assist you and your sons before the Tent of the Testimony.
3 Excubabuntque Levitae ad praecepta 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.
And they shall attend to your duties and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die.
4 sint autem tecum, et excubent in custodiis tabernaculi, et in omnibus ceremoniis eius. Alienigena non miscebitur vobis.
They are to join you and attend to the duties of the Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent; but no outsider may come near you.
5 Excubate in custodia Sanctuarii, et in ministerio altaris: ne oriatur indignatio super filios Israel.
And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and of the altar, so that wrath may not fall on the Israelites again.
6 Ego dedi vobis fratres vestros Levitas de medio filiorum Israel, et tradidi donum Domino, ut serviant in ministeriis tabernaculi eius.
Behold, I Myself have selected your fellow Levites from the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to perform the service for the Tent of Meeting.
7 Tu autem et filii tui custodite sacerdotium vestrum: et omnia quae ad cultum altaris pertinent, et intra velum sunt, per sacerdotes administrabuntur. si quis externus accesserit, occidetur.
But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
8 Locutusque est Dominus ad Aaron: Ecce dedi tibi custodiam primitiarum mearum. Omnia quae sanctificantur a filiis Israel, tradidi tibi et filiis tuis pro officio sacerdotali legitima sempiterna.
Then the LORD said to Aaron, “Behold, I have put you in charge of My offerings. As for all the sacred offerings of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute.
9 Haec ergo accipies de his, quae 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.
A portion of the most holy offerings reserved from the fire will be yours. From all the offerings they render to Me as most holy offerings, whether grain offerings or sin offerings or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons.
10 In Sanctuario comedes illud: mares tantum edent ex eo, quia consecratum est tibi.
You are to eat it as a most holy offering, and every male may eat it. You shall regard it as holy.
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.
And this is yours as well: the offering of their gifts, along with all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given this to you and your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. Every ceremonially clean person in your household may eat it.
12 Omnem medullam olei, et vini, ac frumenti, quidquid offerunt primitiarum Domino, tibi dedi.
I give you all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Israelites give to the LORD as their firstfruits.
13 Universa frugum initia, quae gignit humus, et Domino deportantur, cedent in usus tuos: qui mundus est in domo tua, vescetur eis.
The firstfruits of everything in their land that they bring to the LORD will belong to you. Every ceremonially clean person in your household may eat them.
14 Omne quod ex voto reddiderint filii Israel, tuum erit.
Every devoted thing in Israel belongs to you.
15 Quidquid primum erumpit e vulva cunctae 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,
The firstborn of every womb, whether man or beast, that is offered to the LORD belongs to you. But you must surely redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.
16 cuius redemptio erit post unum mensem, siclis argenti quinque, pondere Sanctuarii. Siclus viginti obolos habet.
You are to pay the redemption price for a month-old male according to your valuation: five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs.
17 Primogenitum autem bovis et ovis et caprae non facies redimi, quia sanctificata sunt Domino. sanguinem tantum eorum fundes super altare, et adipes adolebis in suavissimum odorem Domino.
But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
18 Carnes vero in usum tuum cedent, sicut pectusculum consecratum, et armus dexter, tua erunt.
And their meat belongs to you, just as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering belong to you.
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 Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt before the LORD for you and your offspring.”
20 Dixitque Dominus ad Aaron: In terra eorum nihil possidebitis, nec habebitis partem inter eos: ego pars et hereditas tua in medio filiorum Israel.
Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.
21 Filiis autem Levi dedi omnes decimas Israelis in possessionem pro ministerio quo serviunt mihi in tabernaculo foederis:
Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting.
22 ut non accedant ultra filii Israel ad tabernaculum, nec committant peccatum mortiferum,
No longer may the Israelites come near to the Tent of Meeting, or they will incur guilt 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 are to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting, and they must bear their iniquity. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.
24 decimarum oblatione contenti, quas in usus eorum et necessaria separavi.
For I have given to the Levites as their inheritance the tithe that the Israelites present to the LORD as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”
25 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
And the LORD instructed Moses,
26 Praecipe Levitis, atque denuncia: Cum acceperitis a filiis Israel decimas, quas dedi vobis, primitias earum offerte Domino, id est, decimam partem decimae,
“Speak to the Levites and tell them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the LORD—a tithe of the tithe.
27 ut reputetur vobis in oblationem primitivorum, tam de areis quam de torcularibus:
Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress.
28 et universis quorum accipitis primitias, offerte Domino, et date ea Aaron sacerdoti.
So you are to present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites, and from these you are to give the LORD’s offering to Aaron the priest.
29 Omnia quae offeretis ex decimis, et in donaria Domini separabitis, optima et electa erunt cuncta.
You must present the offering due the LORD from all the best of every gift, the holiest part of it.’
30 Dicesque ad eos: Si praeclara et meliora quaeque obtuleritis ex decimis, reputabitur vobis quasi de area et torculari dederitis primitias:
Therefore say to the Levites, ‘When you have presented the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the produce of the threshing floor or winepress.
31 et comedetis eas in omnibus locis vestris, tam vos quam familiae vestrae: quia pretium est pro ministerio, quo servitis in tabernaculo testimonii.
And you and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere; it is the compensation for your work at the Tent of Meeting.
32 Et non peccabitis super hoc, egregia vobis et pinguia reservantes ne polluatis oblationes filiorum Israel, et moriamini.
Once you have presented the best part of it, you will not incur guilt because of it. But you must not defile the sacred offerings of the Israelites, or else you will die.’”
