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 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 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.
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 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.
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 sint autem tecum, et excubent in custodiis tabernaculi, et in omnibus ceremoniis eius. Alienigena non miscebitur vobis.
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 Excubate in custodia Sanctuarii, et in ministerio altaris: ne oriatur indignatio super filios 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 Ego dedi vobis fratres vestros Levitas de medio filiorum Israel, et tradidi donum Domino, ut serviant in ministeriis tabernaculi eius.
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 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 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 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.
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 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.
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 In Sanctuario comedes illud: mares tantum edent ex eo, quia consecratum est tibi.
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 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.
“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 Omnem medullam olei, et vini, ac frumenti, quidquid offerunt primitiarum Domino, tibi dedi.
“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 Universa frugum initia, quae gignit humus, et Domino deportantur, cedent in usus tuos: qui mundus est in domo tua, vescetur eis.
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 Omne quod ex voto reddiderint filii Israel, tuum erit.
“Everything in Israel that is set apart to belong to me also 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 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 cuius redemptio erit post unum mensem, siclis argenti quinque, pondere Sanctuarii. Siclus viginti obolos habet.
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 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 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 Carnes vero in usum tuum cedent, sicut pectusculum consecratum, et armus dexter, tua erunt.
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 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.
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 Dixitque Dominus ad Aaron: In terra eorum nihil possidebitis, nec habebitis partem inter eos: ego pars et hereditas tua in medio filiorum 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 Filiis autem Levi dedi omnes decimas Israelis in possessionem pro ministerio quo serviunt mihi in tabernaculo foederis:
“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 ut non accedant ultra filii Israel ad tabernaculum, nec committant peccatum mortiferum,
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 solis filiis Levi mihi in tabernaculo servientibus, et portantibus peccata populi. legitimum sempiternum erit in generationibus vestris. Nihil aliud possidebunt,
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 decimarum oblatione contenti, quas in usus eorum et necessaria separavi.
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 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
Yahweh said to Moses/me,
26 Praecipe Levitis, atque denuncia: Cum acceperitis a filiis Israel decimas, quas dedi vobis, primitias earum offerte Domino, id est, decimam partem decimae,
“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 ut reputetur vobis in oblationem primitivorum, tam de areis quam de torcularibus:
Just like the other Israelis give one tenth of the grain and wine that they produce,
28 et universis quorum accipitis primitias, offerte Domino, et date ea Aaron sacerdoti.
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 Omnia quae offeretis ex decimis, et in donaria Domini separabitis, optima et electa erunt cuncta.
Select the best parts of the things that are given to you to give them to me.’
30 Dicesque ad eos: Si praeclara et meliora quaeque obtuleritis ex decimis, reputabitur vobis quasi de area et torculari dederitis primitias:
“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 et comedetis eas in omnibus locis vestris, tam vos quam familiae vestrae: quia pretium est pro ministerio, quo servitis in tabernaculo testimonii.
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 Et non peccabitis super hoc, egregia vobis et pinguia reservantes ne polluatis oblationes filiorum Israel, et moriamini.
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.’”
