Numbers 18:21–32

The Share of the Levites

^21*The Lord said, “I have given to the Levites every tithe that the people of Israel present to me. This is in payment for their service in taking care of the Tent of my presence. ²²The other Israelites must no longer approach the Tent and in this way bring on themselves the penalty of death. ²³From now on only the Levites will take care of the Tent and bear the full responsibility for it. This is a permanent rule that applies also to your descendants. The Levites shall have no permanent property in Israel, ²⁴because I have given to them as their possession the tithe which the Israelites present to me as a special contribution. That is why I told them that they would have no permanent property in Israel.”

The Levites’ Tithe

²⁵The Lord commanded Moses ²⁶to say to the Levites: “When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that the Lord gives you as your possession, you must present a tenth of it as a special contribution to the Lord. ²⁷This special contribution will be considered as the equivalent of the offering which the farmer makes of new corn and new wine. ²⁸In this way you also will present the special contribution that belongs to the Lord from all the tithes which you receive from the Israelites. You are to give this special contribution for the Lord to Aaron the priest. ²⁹Give it from the best that you receive. ³⁰When you have presented the best part, you may keep the rest, just as the farmer keeps what is left after he makes his offering. ³¹You and your families may eat the rest anywhere, because it is your wages for your service in the Tent. ³²You will not become guilty when you eat it, as long as you have presented the best of it to the Lord. But be sure not to profane the sacred gifts of the Israelites by eating any of the gifts before the best part is offered; if you do, you will be put to death.”