The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Chapter 18 -

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Offerings for Priests and Levites

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.

These are the very holy things, kept from the fire: From every offering of theirs-every grain offering, every sin offering, and every guilt offering-they are very holy to you and to your sons.

These offerings are very holy; every male must eat it, for they are holy to you.

These are the offerings that will belong to you: their gifts, all the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, your sons, and your daughters, as your ongoing share. Everyone who is ritually clean in your family may eat any of these offerings.

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.

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.

Every devoted thing in Israel will be yours.

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.

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.

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.

Their meat will be yours. Like the raised breast and the right thigh, their meat will be yours.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.’”

Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

“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.

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.

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.

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.’

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.

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.

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.’”

The LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

Bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you; but you and your sons with you shall be before the Tent of the Testimony.

They shall keep your commands and the duty of the whole Tent; only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they nor you.

They shall be joined to you and keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent. A stranger shall not come near to you.

“You shall perform the duty of the sanctuary and the duty of the altar, that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel.

Behold, I myself have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel. They are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting.

You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil. You shall serve. I give you the service of the priesthood as a gift. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

Offerings for Priests and Levites

The LORD spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I myself have given you the command of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of the children of Israel. I have given them to you by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, as a portion forever.

This shall be yours of the most holy things from the fire: every offering of theirs, even every meal offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render to me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons.

You shall eat of it like the most holy things. Every male shall eat of it. It shall be holy to you.

“This is yours, too: the wave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a portion forever. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

“I have given to you all the best of the oil, all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first fruits of them which they give to the LORD.

The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

“Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours.

Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to the LORD, both of man and animal, shall be yours. Nevertheless, you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals.

You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, according to the shekel

(a)

of the sanctuary, which weighs twenty gerahs.(b)

“But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

Their meat shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours.

All the wave offerings of the holy things which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD to you and to your offspring with you.”

The LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

“To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting.

Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.

But the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. Among the children of Israel, they shall have no inheritance.

For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a wave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, ‘When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for the LORD, a tithe of the tithe.

Your wave offering shall be credited to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the wine press.

Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to the LORD of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and of it you shall give the LORD’s wave offering to Aaron the priest.

Out of all your gifts, you shall offer every wave offering to the LORD, of all its best parts, even the holy part of it.’

“Therefore you shall tell them, ‘When you heave its best from it, then it shall be credited to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the wine press.

You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting.

You shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have heaved from it its best. You shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that you not die.’”

Footnotes

(a)18:16 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.

(b)18:16 A gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains.