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 unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy fathers’ house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

2 Sed et fratres tuos de tribu Levi, et sceptrum patris tui sume tecum, præstoque sint, et ministrent tibi: tu autem et filii tui ministrabitis in tabernaculo testimonii.

And thy brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall be before the tent of the testimony.

3 Excubabuntque Levitæ ad præcepta 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.

And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the Tent: only they shall not come nigh unto the vessels of the sanctuary and unto the altar, that they die not, neither they, nor ye.

4 Sint autem tecum, et excubent in custodiis tabernaculi, et in omnibus cæremoniis ejus. Alienigena non miscebitur vobis.

And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.

5 Excubate in custodia sanctuarii, et in ministerio altaris: ne oriatur indignatio super filios Israël.

And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel.

6 Ego dedi vobis fratres vestros Levitas de medio filiorum Israël, et tradidi donum Domino, ut serviant in ministeriis tabernaculi ejus.

And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are a gift, given unto the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting.

7 Tu autem et filii tui custodite sacerdotium vestrum: et omnia quæ ad cultum altaris pertinent, et intra velum sunt, per sacerdotes administrabuntur: si quis externus accesserit, occidetur.

And thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priesthood for every thing of the altar, and for that within the veil; and ye shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

8 Locutusque est Dominus ad Aaron: Ecce dedi tibi custodiam primitiarum mearum. Omnia quæ sanctificantur a filiis Israël, tradidi tibi et filiis tuis pro officio sacerdotali legitima sempiterna.

And the LORD spake unto Aaron, And I, behold, I have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings, even all the hallowed things of the children of Israel, unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, as a due for ever.

9 Hæc ergo accipies de his, quæ 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.

This shall be thine of the most holy things, [reserved] from the fire: every oblation of theirs, even every meal offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every guilt offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.

10 In sanctuario comedes illud: mares tantum edent ex eo, quia consecratum est tibi.

As the most holy things shalt thou eat thereof: every male shall eat thereof; it shall be holy unto thee.

11 Primitias autem, quas voverint et obtulerint filii Israël, tibi dedi, et filiis tuis, ac filiabus tuis, jure perpetuo: qui mundus est in domo tua, vescetur eis.

And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat thereof.

12 Omnem medullam olei, et vini, ac frumenti, quidquid offerunt primitiarum Domino, tibi dedi.

All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the corn, the firstfruits of them which they give unto the LORD, to thee have I given them.

13 Universa frugum initia, quas gignit humus, et Domino deportantur, cedent in usus tuos: qui mundus est in domo tua, vescetur eis.

The firstripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring unto the LORD, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thy house shall eat thereof.

14 Omne quod ex voto reddiderint filii Israël, tuum erit.

Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.

15 Quidquid primum erumpit e vulva cunctæ carnis, quam offerunt Domino, sive ex hominibus, sive de pecoribus fuerit, tui juris erit: ita dumtaxat ut pro hominis primogenito pretium accipias, et omne animal quod immundum est redimi facias,

Every thing that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto the LORD, both of man and beast, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

16 cujus redemptio erit post unum mensem, siclis argenti quinque, pondere sanctuarii. Siclus viginti obolos habet.

And those that are to be redeemed of them from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs).

17 Primogenitum autem bovis, et ovis, et capræ, non facies redimi, quia sanctificata sunt Domino. Sanguinem tantum eorum fundes super altare, et adipes adolebis in suavissimum odorem Domino.

But the firstling of an ox, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

18 Carnes vero in usum tuum cedent, sicut pectusculum consecratum, et armus dexter: tua erunt.

And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine.

19 Omnes primitias sanctuarii, quas offerunt filii Israël Domino, tibi dedi, et filiis, ac filiabus tuis, jure perpetuo. Pactum salis est sempiternum coram Domino, tibi ac filiis tuis.

All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

20 Dixitque Dominus ad Aaron: In terra eorum nihil possidebitis, nec habebitis partem inter eos: ego pars et hæreditas tua in medio filiorum Israël.

And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any portion among them: I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

21 Filiis autem Levi dedi omnes decimas Israëlis in possessionem, pro ministerio, quo serviunt mihi in tabernaculo fœderis:

And unto 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.

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

And henceforth the children of Israel shall not come nigh the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.

23 solis filiis Levi mihi in tabernaculo servientibus, et portantibus peccata populi. Legitimum sempiternum erit in generationibus vestris. Nihil aliud possidebunt,

But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

24 decimarum oblatione contenti, quas in usus eorum et necessaria separavi.

For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

25 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

26 Præcipe Levitis, atque denuntia: Cum acceperitis a filiis Israël decimas, quas dedi vobis, primitias earum offerte Domino, id est, decimam partem decimæ,

Moreover thou shalt speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, a tithe of the tithe.

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

And your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshing-floor, and as the fulness of the winepress.

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

Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and thereof ye shall give the LORD’S heave offering to Aaron the priest.

29 Omnia quæ offeretis ex decimis, et in donaria Domini separabitis, optima et electa erunt.

Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.

30 Dicesque ad eos: Si præclara et meliora quæque obtuleritis ex decimis, reputabitur vobis quasi de area, et torculari dederitis primitias:

Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye heave the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the winepress.

31 et comedetis eas in omnibus locis vestris, tam vos quam familiæ vestræ: quia pretium est pro ministerio, quo servitis in tabernaculo testimonii.

And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting.

32 Et non peccabitis super hoc, egregia vobis et pinguia reservantes, ne polluatis oblationes filiorum Israël, et moriamini.

And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best thereof: and ye shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that ye die not.