Numbers 18 - Prayer Tents

Duties of Priests and Levites

18Then the LORD said to Aaron: "You, your sons, and your relatives from the tribe of Levi will be held responsible for any offenses related to the sanctuary. But you and your sons alone will be held responsible for violations connected with the priesthood.H3068H559H175H1121H1H1004H5375H5771H4720H1121H5375H5771H3550 2"Bring your relatives of the tribe of Levi—your ancestral tribe—to assist you and your sons as you perform the sacred duties in front of the Tabernacle of the Covenant.H251H4294H3878H7626H1H7126H3867H8334H1121H6440H168H5715 3But as the Levites go about all their assigned duties at the Tabernacle, they must be careful not to go near any of the sacred objects or the altar. If they do, both you and they will die.H8104H4931H4931H168H7126H3627H6944H4196H4191 4The Levites must join you in fulfilling their responsibilities for the care and maintenance of the Tabernacle, but no unauthorized person may assist you.H3867H8104H4931H168H4150H5656H168H2114H7126 5"You yourselves must perform the sacred duties inside the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, the LORD's anger will never again blaze against the people of Israel.H8104H4931H6944H4931H4196H7110H1121H3478 6I myself have chosen your fellow Levites from among the Israelites to be your special assistants. They are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD for service in the Tabernacle.H3947H251H3881H8432H1121H3478H5414H4979H3068H5647H5656H168H4150 7But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death."H1121H8104H3550H1697H4196H1004H6532H5647H5414H3550H5656H4979H2114H7131H4191

Support for the Priests and Levites

8The LORD gave these further instructions to Aaron: "I myself have put you in charge of all the holy offerings that are brought to me by the people of Israel. I have given all these consecrated offerings to you and your sons as your permanent share.H3068H1696H175H5414H4931H8641H6944H1121H3478H5414H4888H1121H2706H5769 9You are allotted the portion of the most holy offerings that is not burned on the fire. This portion of all the most holy offerings—including the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings—will be most holy, and it belongs to you and your sons.H6944H6944H784H7133H4503H2403H817H7725H6944H6944H1121 10You must eat it as a most holy offering. All the males may eat of it, and you must treat it as most holy.H6944H6944H398H2145H398H6944 11"All the sacred offerings and special offerings presented to me when the Israelites lift them up before the altar also belong to you. I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters as your permanent share. Any member of your family who is ceremonially clean may eat of these offerings.H8641H4976H8573H1121H3478H5414H1121H1323H2706H5769H2889H1004H398 12"I also give you the harvest gifts brought by the people as offerings to the LORD—the best of the olive oil, new wine, and grain.H2459H3323H2459H8492H1715H7225H5414H3068H5414 13All the first crops of their land that the people present to the LORD belong to you. Any member of your family who is ceremonially clean may eat this food.H1061H776H935H3068H2889H1004H398 14"Everything in Israel that is specially set apart for the LORD also belongs to you.H2764H3478 15"The firstborn of every mother, whether human or animal, that is offered to the LORD will be yours. But you must always redeem your firstborn sons and the firstborn of ceremonially unclean animals.H6363H7358H1320H7126H3068H120H929H1060H120H6299H6299H1060H2931H929H6299 16Redeem them when they are one month old. The redemption price is five pieces of silver (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs).H6299H2320H1121H6299H6187H3701H2568H8255H8255H6944H6242H1626 17"However, you may not redeem the firstborn of cattle, sheep, or goats. They are holy and have been set apart for the LORD. Sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.H1060H7794H1060H3775H1060H5795H6299H6944H2236H1818H4196H6999H2459H801H5207H7381H3068 18The meat of these animals will be yours, just like the breast and right thigh that are presented by lifting them up as a special offering before the altar.H1320H8573H2373H3225H7785 19Yes, I am giving you all these holy offerings that the people of Israel bring to the LORD. They are for you and your sons and daughters, to be eaten as your permanent share. This is an eternal and unbreakable covenant between the LORD and you, and it also applies to your descendants."H8641H6944H1121H3478H7311H3068H5414H1121H1323H2706H5769H1285H4417H5769H6440H3068H2233 20And the LORD said to Aaron, "You priests will receive no allotment of land or share of property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment.H3068H559H175H5157H776H2506H8432H2506H5159H8432H1121H3478 21As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.H5414H1121H3878H4643H3478H5159H2500H5656H5647H5656H168H4150 22"From now on, no Israelites except priests or Levites may approach the Tabernacle. If they come too near, they will be judged guilty and will die.H1121H3478H5750H7126H168H4150H5375H2399H4191 23Only the Levites may serve at the Tabernacle, and they will be held responsible for any offenses against it. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. The Levites will receive no allotment of land among the Israelites,H3881H5647H5656H168H4150H5375H5771H2708H5769H1755H8432H1121H3478H5157H5159 24because I have given them the Israelites' tithes, which have been presented as sacred offerings to the LORD. This will be the Levites' share. That is why I said they would receive no allotment of land among the Israelites."H4643H1121H3478H7311H8641H3068H5414H3881H5159H559H8432H1121H3478H5157H5159 25The LORD also told Moses,H3068H1696H4872H559 26"Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to the LORD as a sacred offering.H1696H3881H559H3947H1121H3478H4643H5414H5159H7311H8641H3068H4643H4643 27The LORD will consider this offering to be your harvest offering, as though it were the first grain from your own threshing floor or wine from your own winepress.H8641H2803H1715H1637H4395H3342 28You must present one-tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to the LORD. This is the LORD's sacred portion, and you must present it to Aaron the priest.H7311H8641H3068H4643H3947H1121H3478H5414H3068H8641H175H3548 29Be sure to give to the LORD the best portions of the gifts given to you.H4979H7311H8641H3068H2459H4720 30"Also, give these instructions to the Levites: When you present the best part as your offering, it will be considered as though it came from your own threshing floor or winepress.H559H7311H2459H2803H3881H8393H1637H8393H3342 31You Levites and your families may eat this food anywhere you wish, for it is your compensation for serving in the Tabernacle.H398H4725H1004H7939H2500H5656H168H4150 32You will not be considered guilty for accepting the LORD's tithes if you give the best portion to the priests. But be careful not to treat the holy gifts of the people of Israel as though they were common. If you do, you will die."H5375H2399H7311H2459H2490H6944H1121H3478H4191