The Assistance of the Levites |
Numbers 18:1-32 The Fourth Book of Moses Called Numbers |
The Lord said to Aaron, You, your sons & your father’s house with you, shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary. You & you sons shall bear the iniquity [of the sins related to] your priesthood. |
Also, bring your brethren, of the tribe of Levi, your [forefather,] with you, [so] they may [join with] you [to assist you in ministering.] But you & your sons shall minister before the tabernacle of witness. |
They shall [be responsible for] all of the tabernacle, only they shall not go [near] the vessels of the sanctuary & the altar, [so] neither they, nor you die, also. They shall [join with] you & be [responsible for the care] of the tabernacle of the congregation & the service of the tabernacle & strangers shall not come [near] you. |
You shall be [responsible] for the sanctuary & the altar, [so] no more [anger comes] upon the children [people] of Israel. [Look,] I have taken your brethren, the Levites, from among the [people] of Israel. They are given as a gift for the Lord, to [do] the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. |
[So,] you & your sons [shall be responsible] for the priest’s office & for everything [related to] the altar & within the veil, [where] you shall serve. As a gift, I have given you the priest’s office [for] your service. I have given you, as a gift, your service [in the] priest’s office. The stranger [who] comes near [these holy places] will be put to death. |
The Lord [spoke] to Aaron, [Look,] I have also [put you in] charge of My heave offerings of all the [holy] things [from] the [people] of Israel. I have given them to you & your sons [because] of [your] anointing, [as a rule] forever. |
Of the things most holy, these shall be yours & your sons [portion,]: reserved from the fire. Every [offering] of theirs: every [meat/grain] offering, sin offering, trespass offering, heave [offerings,] with all the wave offerings of the children [people] of Israel, which they shall [give] to Me, shall be most holy for you & for your sons. |
Every male shall eat it in the Most Holy Place. It shall be holy to you. I have given these [portions] to you, your sons & your daughters with you, by a [mandate] forever. Everyone [who] is clean in your house, shall eat of it. |
I have also given to you: all the best of the oil, the best of the wine, the wheat & the first fruits [of what] they shall offer to the Lord. I have given them [to] you. [Whatever] is the first of [what is] ripe in the land, [that] they bring to the Lord, shall be yours & everyone [who] is clean in your house shall eat of it. |
Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. Every [first born] of all flesh: whether of men or [animals,] shall be yours. Surely, you shall redeem the first born of [men] & the [first born] of unclean [animals.] |
Those [who] are to be redeemed from 1 month old [& above,] you shall redeem according to your estimation [& pay] 5 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is [equal to] 20 gerahs. The [first born of animals:] cow, sheep, or a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. |
You shall sprinkle their blood upon the altar & shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet [aroma] to the Lord. The [meat from] them shall be yours, [like] the wave breast & the right shoulder are yours. |
All the heave offerings of the holy things, the [people] of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you & your sons & daughters with you, by a [mandate] forever. [It’s] a salt covenant forever between the Lord to you & your [descendants] with you. |
The Lord [spoke] to Aaron, You shall not have an inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any [portion] among them. I Am your [portion] & your inheritance among the children [people] of Israel. |
[Look,] I have given all the [Levites,] 1/10th [tithe portion] in Israel for an inheritance, for their service [for] the tabernacle of the congregation. [From now on] the [people] of Israel shall not come [near] the tabernacle of the congregations, lest they bear [their] sin & die. |
But, the Levites shall [perform] the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. They shall bear their [sin related to it.] It shall be a [mandate] forever throughout your generations. That [the Levites] have no inheritance among the [people] of Israel. |
But I have given to the Levites, to inherit the [10%] tithes of the [people] of Israel, which they offered [like] a heave offering to the Lord. [That’s why] have said to [the Levites,] they have no inheritance among the [people] of Israel. |
And the Lord [spoke] to Moses saying, [Say] this to the Levites, When you take the [10%] tithes [from] the [people] of Israel, which I have given [to] you from them, for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it, for the Lord, a 1/10th part of the tithe. And your heave offering of this, shall be [accounted] to you, as [if] it were the [grain] of the threshing floor & [like] the fullness of the wine press. |
You shall also offer a heave offering [1/10th portion] of all your tithes, you receive from the children [people] of Israel & you shall give of the Lord’s heave offering [portion] to Aaron, the priest. |
Out of all your gifts, you shall offer every heave offering [to] the Lord, of all the best [of it] & even the [holy portion] out of it. You shall say to the [Levites,] When you have heaved the best [portion] from it, then it shall be [considered for] the Levites, [like] the increase of the threshing floor & the winepress. |
You & your households shall eat it in every place, for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation. When you have heaved from the best [part] of it, you shall bear no sin, [because] of it. Neither shall you [defile] the holy things of the [people] of Israel & lest you die. |