Numbers 18
1 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and the other members of your father’s family are the ones (who will be punished/whom I will punish) [if anything bad happens to the things] inside the Sacred Tent. But only you and your sons will be punished if the priests do something bad.
Yehowa ƒo nu na Aron azɔ gblɔ be, “Enye wò kple viwò ŋutsuwo kple wò ƒometɔwo ƒe dɔdeasi be miakpɔ egbɔ be, nu kɔkɔe aɖeke mezu nu makɔmakɔ o, eye anye miawo ƒe vodada ne kpɔtsɔtsɔ aɖe ava miaƒe nunɔladɔwo wɔwɔ ŋuti.
2 Require that those who belong to your tribe, the tribe of Levi, must assist you and your sons while you perform your work at the Sacred Tent.
Kplɔ nɔviwò, Levi ƒe viwo, tso Levi ƒe to la me vɛ be woakpe ɖe ŋuwò, ne wò kple viwò ŋutsuwo miele subɔsubɔm le agbadɔ la ŋgɔ.
3 But while they do that work, they must not go near the sacred items inside the tent or near the altar. If they do that, they will die, and you will die, too!
Woawɔ dɔ le wò kpɔkplɔ te, eye woawɔ dɔ siwo katã ku ɖe agbadɔ la ŋu, gake womate ɖe agbadɔ la me nuwo alo vɔsamlekpui la ŋu o, ne wowɔe la, woawo kple wò siaa miaku.
4 They may assist you in doing all the work to take care of the Sacred Tent, but no one else is permitted to come near the place where you are working.
Woanɔ ŋuwò awɔ dɔ, siwo katã le Mawu ƒe agbadɔ la ŋu. Ame sia ame si menye Levi ƒe vi o la mekpɔ mɔ akpe ɖe ŋuwò le mɔ aɖeke nu o.
5 “You are the ones who will do the sacred work inside the Sacred Tent and at the altar. If you obey these instructions, I will not become very angry with the Israeli people again.
“Ɖo ŋku edzi be, nunɔlawo koe awɔ dɔ kɔkɔewo le kɔkɔeƒe la kple vɔsamlekpui la dzi. Ne miewɔ se siawo dzi la, Mawu ƒe dɔmedzoe magabi ɖe Israelviwo dometɔ aɖeke ŋu le se siawo dzi dada ta gbeɖegbeɖe o.
6 I myself have chosen the descendants of Levi from the other Israelis in order that they may be your special helpers. They are like a gift that I have given you to work at the Sacred Tent.
Megale egblɔm be, nye ŋutɔe tia nɔviwò Levi ƒe viwo tso Israelviwo dome na Yehowa ƒe dɔ be woanye wò kpeɖeŋutɔwo le agbadɔmedɔwɔwɔ me.
7 But it is you and your sons, who are the priests, who must perform all the rituals concerning the altar and with what happens inside the Very Holy Place. I am giving to you this work of serving as priests. So anyone else who tries to do that work must be executed.”
Ke wò kple viwò ŋutsuwo, nunɔlawo, miawoe awɔ dɔ kɔkɔeawo katã kple dɔ siwo le vɔsamlekpui la ŋu kple esiwo le xɔmetsovɔ la me, elabena nunɔlanyenye nye miaƒe dɔdeasi tɔxɛ. Ame bubu ɖe sia ɖe si ake atse awɔ dɔ siawo la aku.”
8 Yahweh also said to Aaron, “I myself have appointed you to take care of all the sacred offerings that the Israeli people bring to me. I have given all these sacred offerings to you and to your sons. You and your descendants will get a share of these offerings permanently.
Yehowa gade se siawo na Aron. “Metsɔ nunana siwo katã Israelviwo tsɔna vɛ na Yehowa la na nunɔlawo. Nunana siwo katã wotsɔna naa Yehowa to wo nyenye le vɔsamlekpui la ŋgɔ me la nye wò kple viwò ŋutsuwo tɔ le se mavɔ la nu.
9 The parts of the offerings that are not completely burned on the altar belong to you. Those parts of the sacred offerings, including the offerings of grain, the offerings for sins and for the people to be forgiven for not giving me what they are required to give, are set apart, and are to be given to you and your sons.
Nuɖuvɔsawo, nu vɔ̃ ŋuti vɔsawo kple fɔɖivɔsawo nye mia tɔ. Nu siwo wotsɔ vɛ abe kpɔɖeŋu ene be woame na Yehowa le vɔsamlekpui la dzi koe menye mia tɔ o. Nu siawo katã nye nunana kɔkɔewo.
10 You must eat those offerings in a sacred place, [near the Sacred Tent]. You and all of the other males [in your clan] may eat them, but you must consider those offerings to be holy/dedicated to me.
Ŋutsuwo koe aɖu wo, eye teƒe kɔkɔe aɖe ko woaɖu wo le.
11 “The priests lift up high the sacred offerings while they are standing in front of the altar. All of those offerings that the Israelis offer to me belong to you and your sons and daughters. They will always be your share. All the members of your family who [have performed the rituals to cause them to] be acceptable to me are permitted to eat from these offerings.
“Nunana bubuawo katã si Israelviwo anam to wo nyenye le vɔsamlekpui la ŋgɔ me la nye wò kple wò ƒometɔwo, viwò ŋutsuwo kple viwò nyɔnuwo siaa tɔ. Wò ƒometɔwo katã aɖu nu siawo negbe wo dometɔ si ŋu mekɔ le ɣe ma ɣi me o la ko.
12 “am [also] giving to you the first food that people harvest each year and bring to me—the best [olive] oil and new wine and grain.
“Nenema ke kutsetse gbãtɔ siwo ameawo atsɔ vɛ na Yehowa abe ami, wain kple lu nyuitɔwo
13 All of the first crops that people harvest and bring to me belong to you. Anyone in your family who has [performed the ritual to] become acceptable to me is permitted to eat that food.
kple nuɖuɖu ɖe sia ɖe ene la hã nye mia tɔ. Miaƒe ƒometɔwo aɖu esiawo negbe ɖeko wo ŋuti mekɔ le ɣe ma ɣi me o.
14 “Everything in Israel that is set apart to belong to me also belongs to you.
“Nu sia nu si le Israel, si ŋu wokɔ, ɖe ɖe aga na Yehowa la nye tɔwò.
15 The firstborn males, both humans and domestic animals, that are offered to me, will be yours. But people must buy back their firstborn sons and the firstborn animals that may not be used for sacrifices.
Vi gbãtɔ ɖe sia ɖe, amegbetɔ kple lã siaa si wotsɔ na Yehowa la nye tɔwò. Ke ele na wò be nàƒle viŋutsuvi gbãtɔ kple lã makɔmakɔ ɖe sia ɖe ƒe lãtsu gbãtɔ ta.
16 They must buy them back when they are one month old. The price that they must pay [for each one] is five pieces of silver. They must weigh the silver on the scales that are in the Sacred Tent.
Ne woxɔ ɣleti ɖeka la, ele na wò be nàƒle wo ta, eye wo taƒlegae nye klosalo gram blaade, le kɔkɔeƒe la ƒe nudanu nu.
17 “But they are not permitted to buy back the firstborn cattle or sheep or goats. They are holy and have been set apart for me. [Slaughter them and] sprinkle their blood on the altar. Then completely burn the fat of those animals [on the altar] to be an offering to me. The smell as they burn will be very pleasing to me.
“Ke womaxe fe ɖe nyiwo, alẽwo kple gbɔ̃wo ƒe ŋgɔgbeviwo ta o; elabena wole kɔkɔe. Nàhlẽ woƒe ʋu ɖe vɔsamlekpui la dzi, eye nàtɔ dzo ami la abe dzovɔsa si ʋẽna lĩlĩlĩ la ene na Yehowa.
18 The meat from those offerings will be yours, just like the breast and right thigh of animals that are presented to me to maintain fellowship with me as the priest lifts them up high in front of the altar are yours.
Lã siawo ƒe lã nye mia tɔ hekpe ɖe woƒe akɔ kple ɖusita, si wotsɔna naa Yehowa to wo nyenye le vɔsamlekpui la ŋgɔ me la ŋu.
19 Anything that the Israeli people present to me as holy/sacred gifts, I am giving to you. They are for you and your sons and daughters [to eat]. They will always be your share. This is an agreement that I am making with you, an agreement that will (last forever/never be changed). I am also making this agreement with your descendants.”
Ɛ̃, metsɔ nunana siwo katã Israelviwo va naa Yehowa, eye wonyena le yame la na mi. Wonye wò kple wò ƒometɔwo ƒe nuɖuɖu. Esia nye dze ƒe nubabla mavɔ le Yehowa kple wò kple wò dzidzimeviwo dome.”
20 Yahweh also said to Aaron, “You priests will not receive any of the land or the property like the [other] Israeli people will receive. I am what you will receive.
Yehowa gblɔ na Aron be, “Mianyi woƒe anyigba ƒe dome o, eye miakpɔ gome le wo dometɔ aɖeke me o, nyee nye miaƒe gome kple miaƒe domenyinu le Israelviwo dome.
21 “Then the Israeli people bring to me a tenth of all [the crops and of their newborn animals], I will give that to you descendants of Levi. That will be your payment for the work you do at the Sacred Tent.
“Metsɔ Israelviwo ƒe nuwo ƒe ewolia na Levi ƒe viwo abe woƒe domenyinu ene le woƒe dɔ si wowɔna le agbadɔ me la ta.
22 The other Israelis must not go near that tent. If they go near it, [I will consider that their doing that is a sin, and] they will die for committing that sin.
Tso azɔ dzi heyina la, Israelvi siwo menye nunɔlawo kple Levi ƒe viwo o la mekpɔ mɔ age ɖe agbadɔ la me o. Ne woge ɖee la, woaɖi fɔ, eye woaku.
23 Only the descendants of Levi are permitted to work at the Sacred Tent, and they will be punished if anything bad happens to it. That is a law that will never be changed. You descendants of Levi will not receive any land among the other Israeli people,
Levi ƒe viwo koe awɔ dɔ le agbadɔ la ŋu. Woaɖi fɔ ne wogbe dɔ wɔwɔ le afi ma. Esia nye se na mi tegbetegbe be nunɔamesi aɖeke manɔ Levi ƒe vi aɖeke si le Israelnyigba dzi o,
24 because I will give you one tenth of all the [crops and animals] that the Israelis bring to be offerings to me. That is why I said that you will not receive any land like the other Israelis will receive.”
elabena Israelviwo ƒe nuwo ƒe ewolia si wotsɔ na Yehowa to wo nyenye le vɔsamlekpui la ŋgɔ me la anye Levi ƒe viwo tɔ. Eya ta megblɔ na wo be, ‘Domenyinu manɔ wo si le Israelviwo dome o.’”
25 Yahweh said to Moses/me,
Yehowa gblɔ na Mose be,
26 “Tell this to the descendants of Levi: ‘When you receive one tenth of all [the crops and animals] from the Israeli people, you must give one tenth of all that to me to be a sacred offering.
“Ƒo nu na Levi ƒe viwo, eye nàgblɔ na wo be, ‘Ne miexɔ nu ewolia si metsɔ na mi abe miaƒe domenyinu ene tso Israelviwo si la, ele na mi be miatsɔ nu ewolia mawo ƒe ewolia abe vɔsa na Yehowa ene.
27 Just like the other Israelis give one tenth of the grain and wine that they produce,
Yehowa axɔ nu sia na mi abe miaƒe lu kple waintsetse gbãtɔwo ƒe nunana ene, abe ɖe wotso miawo ŋutɔ miaƒe agblewo me ene.
28 you must give to me one tenth of all that you receive from them. That will be your sacred offering to me. You must present it to Aaron.
Ale miawo hã miana nu Yehowa tso nu ewolia siwo katã miexɔ tso Israelviwo gbɔ la me. Tso nu ewolia siawo me la, miatsɔ Yehowa ƒe ɖuƒe ana Aron, nunɔla la.
29 Select the best parts of the things that are given to you to give them to me.’
Ele be miatsɔ nu sia nu si wona la ƒe akpa nyuitɔ kple kɔkɔetɔ ana Yehowa abe eƒe ɖuƒe ene.’
30 “Also, tell this to the descendants of Levi: ‘When you present those best portions of grain and wine as your offering to me, I will consider that those gifts are as though they came from your own grain fields and vineyards.
“Gblɔ na Levi ƒe viwo be, ‘Ne mieɖe nyuitɔwo na adzɔe la, woabui na mi abe ɖe wotso miawo ŋutɔ miaƒe lugbɔƒe alo miaƒe wainfiaƒe ene.
31 You descendants of Levi and your families are permitted to eat [the rest of] that food, and you may eat it wherever [you want to], because it is your payment for the work that you do at the Sacred Tent.
Aron kple via ŋutsuwo kple eƒe ƒometɔwo aɖui le woƒe aƒewo me alo le teƒe ɖe sia ɖe si adze wo ŋu, elabena eyae nye woƒe fetu ɖe woƒe dɔwɔwɔ le agbadɔ la me ta.
32 If you give to the priests the best portions of what you receive, you will not be punished [by me] for accepting one tenth of the gifts that the people bring to me. But you must consider those gifts to be sacred/holy. If you sin [by eating those things in ways that are contrary to these regulations that I have given to you], you will be executed.’”
Mi, Levi ƒe viwo la, miada vo o, ne miexɔ ameawo ƒe nuwo ƒe akpa ewolia ƒe ɖeka na Yehowa, eye mietsɔ nu siawo ƒe nyuitɔwo ƒe akpa ewolia ƒe ɖeka na nunɔlawo. Ke mikpɔ nyuie be miabu Israelviwo ƒe nunana kɔkɔewo abe nu dzodzrowo wonye ene o. Ne miewɔ esia la, miaku.’”
