Numbers 18:8–32

Support for the Priests and Levites

⁸Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Look, I have put you in charge of the contributions ^sbrought to Me. As for all the holy offerings ^tof the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute. ^u9A portion of the holiest offerings kept from the fire will be yours; every one of their offerings that they give Me, whether the grain offering, sin offering, or restitution offering will be most holy for you and your sons. ¹⁰You are to eat it as a most holy offering. ^vEvery male may eat it; it is to be holy to you.

¹¹“The contribution of their gifts also belongs to you. I have given all the Israelites’ presentation offerings ^wto you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. ^xEvery ceremonially clean person in your house may eat it. ¹²I am giving you all the best of the fresh olive oil, new wine, and grain, ^ywhich the Israelites give to the Lord as their firstfruits. ^z13The firstfruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, belong to you. Every clean person in your house may eat them.

¹⁴“Everything in Israel that is permanently dedicated to the Lord ^abelongs to you. ¹⁵The firstborn of every living thing, man or animal, presented to the Lord belongs to you. But you must certainly redeem the firstborn of man, ^band redeem the firstborn of an unclean animal. ¹⁶You will pay the redemption price for a month-old male according to your assessment: five shekels of silver by the standard sanctuary shekel, which is 20 gerahs. ^c

¹⁷“However, you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a fire offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁸But their meat belongs to you. It belongs to you like the breast of the presentation offering and the right thigh.

¹⁹“I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the Lord as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt ^dbefore the Lord for you as well as your offspring.”

²⁰The Lord told Aaron, “You will not have an inheritance in their land; there will be no portion among them for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites. ^e

²¹“Look, I have given the Levites every tenth ^fin Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the work of the tent of meeting. ²²The Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting, or they will incur guilt and die. ²³The Levites will do the work of the tent of meeting, and they will bear the consequences of their sin. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites; ^gthis is a permanent statute throughout your generations. ²⁴For I have given them the tenth that the Israelites present to the Lord as a contribution for their inheritance. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”

²⁵The Lord instructed Moses, ²⁶“Speak to the Levites and tell them: When you receive from the Israelites the tenth that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the Lord—a tenth of the tenth. ²⁷Your offering will be credited to you as if it were your grain from the threshing floor or the full harvest from the winepress. ²⁸You are to present an offering to the Lord from every tenth you receive from the Israelites. Give some of it to Aaron the priest as an offering to the Lord. ²⁹You must present the entire offering due the Lord from all your gifts. The best part of the tenth ^his to be consecrated.

³⁰“Tell them further: Once you have presented the best part of the tenth, and it is credited to you Levites as the produce of the threshing floor or the winepress, ³¹then you and your household may eat it anywhere. It is your wage in return for your work at the tent of meeting. ³²You will not incur guilt because of it once you have presented the best part of it, but you must not defile the Israelites’ holy offerings, so that you will not die.”