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

And the Lord said to Aaron: “You, and your sons, and the house of your father with you, shall carry the iniquity of the Sanctuary. And you and your sons together shall bear the sins of your priesthood.

2 sed et fratres tuos de tribu Levi et sceptro patris tui sume tecum praestoque sint et ministrent tibi tu autem et filii tui ministrabitis in tabernaculo testimonii

But take to yourselves also your brothers from the tribe of Levi, and the scepter of your father, and may they be prepared, and may they minister to you. Then you and your sons shall minister in the tabernacle of the testimony.

3 excubabuntque Levitae ad praecepta tua et ad cuncta opera tabernaculi ita dumtaxat ut ad vasa sanctuarii et altare non accedant ne et illi moriantur et vos pereatis simul

And the Levites shall stand watch by your precepts, and for all the works of the tabernacle; yet in such a manner that they shall not approach the vessels of the Sanctuary and of the altar, lest both they die, and you perish, at the same time.

4 sint autem tecum et excubent in custodiis tabernaculi et in omnibus caerimoniis eius alienigena non miscebitur vobis

But they may be with you, and they may watch over the care of the tabernacle and all its ceremonies. A foreigner shall not be mixed with you.

5 excubate in custodia sanctuarii et in ministerio altaris ne oriatur indignatio super filios Israhel

Watch over the care of the Sanctuary, and over the ministry of the altar, lest an indignation may rise over the sons of Israel.

6 ego dedi vobis fratres vestros Levitas de medio filiorum Israhel et tradidi donum Domino ut serviant in ministeriis tabernaculi eius

I have given your brothers, the Levites, to you from the midst of the sons of Israel, and I have delivered them as a gift to the Lord, in order to serve in the ministries of his tabernacle.

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 as for you and your sons: guard the priesthood. For all that pertains to the service of the altar and of what is beyond the veil shall be exercised by the priests. If any outsider will approach, he shall be killed.”

8 locutus est Dominus ad Aaron ecce dedi tibi custodiam primitiarum mearum omnia quae sanctificantur a filiis Israhel tibi tradidi et filiis tuis pro officio sacerdotali legitima sempiterna

And the Lord said to Aaron: “Behold, I have given you custody of my first-fruits. Everything that is sanctified by the sons of Israel I have delivered to you and your sons, for the office of the priesthood, by everlasting ordinances.

9 haec ergo accipies de his quae sanctificantur et oblata sunt Domino omnis oblatio et sacrificium et quicquid pro peccato atque delicto redditur mihi et cedet in sancta sanctorum tuum erit et filiorum tuorum

Therefore, you shall receive these, from the things that are sanctified and offered to the Lord. Every offering, and sacrifice, and whatever is repaid to me, on behalf of sin and also for offenses, and which becomes the Holy of holies, shall be for you and for your sons.

10 in sanctuario comedes illud mares tantum edent ex eo quia consecratum est tibi

You shall eat it in the Sanctuary. Only the males shall eat from it, because it has been consecrated for you.

11 primitias autem quas voverint et obtulerint filii Israhel tibi dedi et filiis ac filiabus tuis iure perpetuo qui mundus est in domo tua vescetur eis

But the first-fruits, which the sons of Israel shall vow and offer, I have given to you, and to your sons, as well as to your daughters, by a perpetual right. Whoever is clean in your house shall eat them.

12 omnem medullam olei et vini ac frumenti quicquid offerunt primitiarum Domino tibi dedi

All the innermost of the oil, and of the wine, and of the grain, whatever first-fruits they offer to the Lord, 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

All the first of the crops, which the soil produces and which are carried to the Lord, shall fall to your use. Whoever is clean in your house shall eat them.

14 omne quod ex voto reddiderint filii Israhel tuum erit

All that the sons of Israel shall repay by vow shall be yours.

15 quicquid primum erumpet 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 inmundum est redimi facias

Whatever goes out first from the womb, of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether from men or from cattle, shall be your right; yet only in so far as, for the firstborn of man, you shall accept a price. And every animal that is unclean you shall cause to be redeemed.

16 cuius redemptio erit post unum mensem siclis argenti quinque pondere sanctuarii siclus viginti obolos habet

And its redemption shall be, after one month, five shekels of silver, by the weight of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

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 the firstborn of a cow, or of a sheep, or of a goat, you shall not cause to be redeemed, because they have been sanctified to the Lord. Thus, their blood you shall pour out upon the altar, and their fat you shall burn as a most sweet odor to the Lord.

18 carnes vero in usum tuum cedent sicut pectusculum consecratum et armus dexter tua erunt

Yet truly, the flesh shall fall to your use, just as the consecrated breast and the right shoulder shall be yours.

19 omnes primitias sanctuarii quas offerunt filii Israhel Domino tibi dedi et filiis ac filiabus tuis iure perpetuo pactum salis est sempiternum coram Domino tibi ac filiis tuis

All the first-fruits of the Sanctuary, which the sons of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and to your sons as well as to your daughters, as a perpetual right. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord, for you and for your sons.”

20 dixitque Dominus ad Aaron in terra eorum nihil possidebitis nec habebitis partem inter eos ego pars et hereditas tua in medio filiorum Israhel

And the Lord said to Aaron: “In their land, you shall possess nothing; neither shall you have a portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the sons of Israel.

21 filiis autem Levi dedi omnes decimas Israhelis in possessionem pro ministerio quo serviunt mihi in tabernaculo foederis

But I have given, to the sons of Levi, all the tithes of Israel as a possession, for the ministry by which they serve me in the tabernacle of the covenant,

22 ut non accedant ultra filii Israhel ad tabernaculum nec committant peccatum mortiferum

so that the sons of Israel may no longer approach to the tabernacle, nor commit deadly sin.

23 solis filiis Levi mihi in tabernaculo servientibus et portantibus peccata populi legitimum sempiternum erit in generationibus vestris nihil aliud possidebunt

Only the sons of Levi may serve me in the tabernacle and may carry the sins of the people. It shall be an everlasting ordinance in your generations. They shall possess nothing else;

24 decimarum oblatione contenti quas in usus eorum et necessaria separavi

being content with the oblation of tithes, which I have separated for their uses and necessities.”

25 locutusque est Dominus ad Mosen dicens

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

26 praecipe Levitis atque denuntia cum acceperitis a filiis Israhel decimas quas dedi vobis primitias earum offerte Domino id est decimam partem decimae

“Instruct the Levites, and also declare to them: When you will receive, from the sons of Israel, the tithes, which I have given to you, offer their first-fruits to the Lord, that is, the tenth part of a tenth,

27 ut reputetur vobis in oblationem primitivorum tam de areis quam de torcularibus

so that it may be accounted to you as an oblation of the first-fruits, as much from the threshing floors as from the oil and wine presses.

28 et universis quorum accipitis primitias offerte Domino et date Aaron sacerdoti

And offer the first-fruits of everything, from which you receive tithes, to the Lord, and give them to Aaron the priest.

29 omnia quae offertis ex decimis et in donaria Domini separatis optima et electa erunt

Everything which you shall offer from the tithes, and which you shall separate as gifts to the Lord, shall be the finest and most select.

30 dicesque ad eos si praeclara et meliora quaeque obtuleritis ex decimis reputabitur vobis quasi de area et torculari dederitis primitias

And you shall say to them: ‘If you offer the noble and the better of the tithes, it shall be accounted to you as if you had given from the first-fruits of the threshing floor and of the oil and wine presses.’

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 shall eat these in all your places, both you and your families, because it is your price for the ministry, by which you serve in the tabernacle of the testimony.

32 et non peccabitis super hoc egregia vobis et pinguia reservantes ne polluatis oblationes filiorum Israhel et moriamini

And you shall not sin in this way: by reserving the excellent and fat things for yourselves, lest you pollute the oblations of the sons of Israel, and lest you die.”