The Work of the Priests and Levites
18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your family are now responsible for any wrongs done against the Holy Place; you and your sons are responsible for any wrongs done against the priests. 2 Bring with you your fellow Levites from your tribe, and they will help you and your sons serve in the Tent of the Agreement. 3 They are under your control, to do all the work that needs to be done in the Tent. But they must not go near the things in the Holy Place or near the altar. If they do, both you and they will die. 4 They will join you in taking care of the Meeting Tent. They must do the work at the Tent, and no one else may come near you.
5 “You must take care of the Holy Place and the altar so that I won’t become angry with the Israelites again. 6 I myself chose your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift given for you to the Lord, to work at the Meeting Tent. 7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests. Only you may serve at the altar or go behind the curtain. I am giving you this gift of serving as a priest, and anyone else who comes near the Holy Place will be put to death.”
8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself make you responsible for the offerings given to me. All the holy offerings that the Israelites give to me, I give to you and your sons as your share, your continual portion. 9 Your share of the holy offerings is that part which is not burned. When the people bring me gifts as most holy offerings, whether they are grain or sin or penalty offerings, they will be set apart for you and your sons. 10 You must eat the offering in a most holy place. Any male may eat it, but you must respect it as holy.
11 “I also give you the offerings the Israelites present to me. I give these to you and your sons and daughters as your continual share. Anyone in your family who is clean may eat it.
12 “And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. This is what the Israelites give to me, the Lord, from the first crops they harvest. 13 When they bring to the Lord all the first things they harvest, they will be yours. Anyone in your family who is clean may eat these things.
14 “Everything in Israel that is given to the Lord is yours. 15 The first one born to any family, whether people or animals, will be offered to the Lord. And that will be yours. But you must make a payment for every firstborn child and every firstborn animal that is unclean. 16 When they are one month old, you must make a payment for them of two ounces of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure.
17 “But you must not make a payment for the firstborn ox or sheep or goat. Those animals are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire. The smell is pleasing to the Lord. 18 But the meat will be yours, just as the breast that is presented and the right thigh will be yours. 19 Anything the Israelites present as holy gifts I, the Lord, give to you, your sons and daughters as your continual portion. This is a lasting agreement of salt before the Lord for you and your children forever.”
20 The Lord also said to Aaron, “You will not inherit any of the land, and you will not own any land among the other people. I will be yours. Out of all the Israelites, only you will inherit me.
21 “When the people of Israel give me a tenth of what they make, I will give that tenth to the Levites. This is their payment for the work they do serving at the Meeting Tent. 22 But the other Israelites must never go near the Meeting Tent, or they will die for their sin. 23 Only the Levites should work in the Meeting Tent and be responsible for any sins against it. This is a rule from now on. The Levites will not inherit any land among the other Israelites, 24 but when the Israelites give a tenth of everything they make to me, I will give that tenth to the Levites as a reward. That is why I said about the Levites: ‘They will not inherit any land among the Israelites.’”
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them: ‘You will receive a tenth of everything the Israelites make, which I will give to you. But you must give a tenth of that back to the Lord. 27 I will accept your offering just as much as I accept the offerings from others, who give new grain or new wine. 28 In this way you will present an offering to the Lord as the other Israelites do. When you receive a tenth from the Israelites, you will give a tenth of that to Aaron, the priest, as the Lord’s share. 29 Choose the best and holiest part from what you are given as the portion you must give to the Lord.’
30 “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best, it will be accepted as much as the grain and wine from the other people. 31 You and your families may eat all that is left anywhere, because it is your pay for your work in the Meeting Tent. 32 And if you always give the best part to the Lord, you will never be guilty. If you do not sin against the holy offerings of the Israelites, you will not die.’”
Footnotes
- 18:19
