Numbers 18

1 And the Lord said to Aaron: Thou, and thy sons, and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the sins of your priesthood.

And Yahweh said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and the house of thy father with thee, shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, —and, thou, and thy sons with thee, shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

2 And take with thee thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, and the sceptre of thy father, and let them be ready in hand, and minister to thee: but thou and thy sons shall minister in the tabernacle of the testimony.

Therefore also thy brethren of the tribe of Levi the stem of thy father, bring thou near with thee, and let them be joined unto thee, and let them wait upon thee, —both on thee and on thy sons with thee, before the tent of the testimony.

3 And the Levites shall watch to do thy commands, and about all the works of the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary nor the altar, lest both they die, and you also perish with them.

So shall they keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tent, —only, unto the vessels of the sanctuary, and unto the altar, shall they not come near, lest they die—both they, and ye.

4 But let them be with thee, and watch in the charge of the tabernacle, and in all the ceremonies thereof. A stranger shall not join himself with you.

So shall they be joined unto thee, and shall keep the charge of the tent of meeting, as to all the laborious work of the tent, —but a stranger, shall not come near unto you.

5 Watch ye in the charge of the sanctuary, and in the ministry of the altar: lest indignation rise upon the children of Israel.

So shall ye keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, —that there no more be wrath against the sons of Israel.

6 I have given you your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel, and have delivered them for a gift to the Lord, to serve in the ministries of the tabernacle.

I, therefore, lo! I have taken your brethren the Levites, out of the midst of the sons of Israel, —unto you, as a gift are they given, unto Yahweh, to do the laborious work of the tent of meeting.

7 But thou and thy sons look ye to the priesthood: and all things that pertain to the service of the altar, and that are within the veil, shall be executed by the priests. If any stranger shall approach, he shall be slain.

But thou and thy sons with thee, shall keep the charge of your priesthood, as to every matter of the altar and as to the interior of the veil, and shall do the laborious work, as a laborious service of gifts, do I give your priesthood, and, the stranger who cometh near shall be put to death.

8 And the Lord said to Aaron: Behold I have given thee the charge of my firstfruits. All things that are sanctified by the children of Israel, I have delivered to thee and to thy sons for the priestly office, by everlasting ordinances.

And Yahweh spake unto Aaron, I, therefore, lo! I have given unto thee the charge of my heave-offerings, —as to all the hallowed things of the sons of Israel—unto thee, have I given them. as pertaining to the anointing, and unto thy sons. for a statute age-abiding,

9 These therefore shalt thou take of the things that are sanctified, and are offered to the Lord. Every offering, and sacrifice, and whatsoever is rendered to me for sin and for trespass, and becometh holy of holies, shall be for thee and thy sons.

This, shall be thine, out of the things most holy, out of the fire, —their every oblation—to the extent of their every meal-offering, and their every sin-bearer, and their every guilt-bearer wherewith they make amends unto me, most holy unto thee, shall it be and unto thy sons.

10 Thou shalt eat it in the sanctuary: the males only shall eat thereof, because it is a consecrated thing to thee.

As something most holy, shall ye eat it, —every male, shall eat it, holy, shall it be unto thee.

11 But the firstfruits, which the children of Israel shall vow and offer, I have given to thee, and to thy sons, and to thy daughters, by a perpetual law. He that is clean in thy house, shall eat them.

This, therefore, shall be thine—the heave-offering of their gift even all the wave-offerings of the sons of Israel, unto thee, have I given them and unto thy sons and unto thy daughters with thee by a statute age-abiding, —every one that is clean in thy house, shall eat it.

12 All the best of the oil, and of the wine, and of the corn, whatsoever firstfruits they offer to the Lord, I have given them to thee.

All the best of oil, and all the best of new-wine and corn, —the firstfruits thereof which they shall give unto Yahweh, unto thee, have I given them.

13 All the firstripe of the fruits, that the ground bringeth forth, and which are brought to the Lord, shall be for thy use: he that is clean in thy house, shall eat them.

The firstfruits of all that is in their land which they shall bring in unto Yahweh, thine, shall it be, —every one that is clean in thy house, shall eat it:

14 Every thing that the children of Israel shall give by vow, shall be thine.

every devoted thing in Israel, thine, shall it be:

15 Whatsoever is firstborn of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether it be of men, or of beasts, shall belong to thee: only for the firstborn of man thou shalt take a price, and every beast that is unclean thou shalt cause to be redeemed,

every thing that is born first of all flesh that may be offered unto Yahweh among men and among beasts, shall be thine, —only thou shalt, redeem, the firstborn of men, and the firstborn of unclean beasts, shalt thou redeem.

16 And the redemption of it shall be after one month, for five sicles of silver, by the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.

And, as to the redemption price thereof, from a month old, shalt thou redeem, by thine estimate five shekels of silver by the shekel of the sanctuary, —twenty gerahs, it is.

17 But the firstling of a cow and of a sheep and of a goat thou shalt not cause to be redeemed, because they are sanctified to the Lord. Their blood only thou shalt pour upon the altar, and their fat thou shalt burn for a most sweet odour to the Lord.

Only a firstling ox or a firstling sheep or a firstling goat, shalt thou not redeem, hallowed, they are, —their blood, shalt thou dash against the altar and of their fat, shalt thou make a perfume, an altar-flame, for a satisfying odour unto Yahweh:

18 But the flesh shall fall to thy use, as the consecrated breast, and the right shoulder shall be thine.

and their flesh, shall be thine, —as the wave-breast and as the right leg, thine, shall it be:

19 All the firstfruits of the sanctuary which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to thee and to thy sons and daughters, by a perpetual ordinance. It is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord, to thee and to thy sons.

all the heave-offerings of the holy things which the sons of Israel shall heave up unto Yahweh, have I given unto thee and unto thy sons and unto thy daughters with thee by a statute age-abiding, —an age-abiding covenant of salt, it is before Yahweh, for thee and for thy seed with thee.

20 And the Lord said to Aaron: You shall possess nothing in their land, neither shall you have a portion among them: I am thy portion and inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel.

Then said Yahweh unto Aaron: In their land, thou shalt have no inheritance, and no allotted portion, shalt thou have in their midst, —I, am thine allotted portion and thine inheritance in the midst of the sons of Israel.

21 And I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes of Israel for a possession for the ministry wherewith they serve me in the tabernacle of the covenant:

And unto the sons of Levi, lo! I have given all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, —the allotted portion for their laborious work which, they are performing, the laborious work of the tent of meeting:

22 That the children of Israel may not approach any more to the tabernacle, nor commit deadly sin,

that the sons of Israel come near no more, unto the tent of meeting, —to bear sin, to die.

23 But only the sons of Levi may serve me in the tabernacle, and bear the sins of the people. It shall be an everlasting ordinance in your generations. They shall not possess any other thing,

So shall the Levites themselves perform the laborious work of the tent of meeting, and, they, shall bear their iniquity, a statute age-abiding, unto your generations, and in the midst of the sons of Israel, shall they take no inheritance.

24 But be content with the oblation or tithes, which I have separated for their uses and necessities.

Because the tenth of the sons of Israel which they shall offer up unto Yahweh as a heave-offering, have I given unto the Levites as an inheritance, —for this cause, said I regarding them, In the midst of the sons of Israel, shall they take no inheritance.

25 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:

26 Command the Levites, and declare unto them: When you shall receive of the children of Israel the tithes, which I have given you, offer the firstfruits of them to the Lord, that is to say, the tenth part of the tenth:

Unto the Levites, therefore shalt thou speak and shalt say unto them, When ye shall take of the sons of Israel the tenth which I have given unto you from them as your inheritance, then shall ye offer up therefrom the heave-offering of Yahweh, a tenth of the tenth.

27 That it may be reckoned to you as an oblation of firstfruits, as well of the barnfloors as of the winepresses:

So shall your heave-offering be reckoned your own, —as corn out of the threshing-floor, and as the abundance out of the wine-press.

28 And of all the things of which you receive tithes, offer the firstfruits to the Lord, and give them to Aaron the priest.

Thus, shall ye also, offer up the heave-offering of Yahweh, out of all your tenths which ye shall take from the sons of Israel, —and give therefrom the heave-offering of Yahweh, unto Aaron the priest.

29 All the things that you shall offer of the tithes, and shall separate for the gifts of the Lord, shall be the best and choicest things.

Out of all your gifts, shall ye offer up every heave-offering of Yahweh, —out of all the best thereof, the hallowed pert thereof out of it.

30 And thou shalt say to them: If you offer all the goodly and the better things of the tithes, it shall be reckoned to you as if you had given the firstfruits of the barnfloor and the winepress:

And thou shalt say unto them, —When ye offer the best thereof out of it, then shall it be reckoned to belong unto the Levites, as the increase of the threshing-floor and as the increase of the wine-press,

31 And you shall eat them in all your places, both you and your families: because it is your reward for the ministry, wherewith you serve in the tabernacle of the testimony.

And ye shall eat it in any place, ye, and your household, —for a reward, it is unto you, the allotted portion for your laborious work in the tent of meeting.

32 And you shall not sin in this point, by reserving the choicest and fat things to yourselves, lest you profane the oblations of the children of Israel, and die.

And ye shall not by reason of it bear sin, when ye offer up the best thereof, out of it; and the hallowed things of the sons of Israel, shall ye not profane neither shall ye die.