Numbers 18

God Puts Aaron & His Sons in Charge

1 The Lord told Aaron, You and your sons are responsible for anything that goes wrong at the Tabernacle. You and your Levite relatives are responsible for any mistakes made in serving as priests.

2 Bring in your fellow Levites from your tribe to help you when you and your sons serve in the Tabernacle.

3 They can assist you, but they must not go near the sacred items or the altar, or they will die, and so will you.

4 The Levites will work with you in the Tabernacle, but only you and your sons can go near the altar and behind the curtain.

5 Take this seriously, so My anger does not come down on the Israelites again.

6 I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites and given them to you as a gift to assist with Tabernacle duties.

7 Only you and your sons can serve as priests and approach the altar. Anyone else who tries must be put to death.

Priests Get the Holy Offerings

8 The Lord told Aaron, I am giving you the sacred offerings brought to Me. This is your share, a permanent law for you and your descendants.

9 You will get a portion of the most holy offerings, including the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. These are most holy and belong to you and your sons.

10 You must eat them in a holy place, and only males can eat them, because they are sacred.

11 You will also receive the contributions the Israelites bring as offerings. This includes the wave offerings. Your whole family, sons and daughters, can eat them as long as they are ceremonially clean.

12 I am giving you the first portion of the best oil, wine, and grain that the Israelites bring to Me.

13 Everything first produced in the land that is brought to the Lord belongs to you. Your whole family can eat it if they are clean.

14 Everything devoted to the Lord in Israel belongs to you.

15 Every firstborn male, human or animal, must be given to the Lord. But human firstborns and unclean animals must be redeemed (bought back).

16 The price to redeem a firstborn son is five shekels of silver, measured by the sanctuary standard.

17 But the firstborn of cows, sheep, or goats cannot be redeemed, they must be sacrificed. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

18 Their meat belongs to you, just like the breast and thigh from the peace offerings.

19 All the holy offerings the Israelites bring belong to you and your descendants as a permanent law. This is a lasting covenant of salt before the Lord for you and your family.

Priests & Levites Will Not Get Land

20 The Lord told Aaron, You will not get any land like the other tribes. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.

21 I am giving the Levites the tithes (10% of Israel’s produce and livestock) in exchange for their work in the Tabernacle.

22 The Israelites must never come near the Tabernacle, or they will bear their guilt and die.

23 Only the Levites are allowed to serve in the Tabernacle. This is a permanent law. They will receive the tithes as their inheritance, but they will not have land like the other tribes.

24 I have given the Levites the Israelites’ tithes as their inheritance. That is why they do not get land like the others.

Levites Must Also Give Tithes

25 The Lord told Moses.

26 Tell the Levites, when you receive the tithes from the Israelites, you must give a tenth of it as an offering to the Lord.

27 This will be considered your offering, just like the grain and wine offerings from the Israelites.

28 You must give the best portion of the tithes to Aaron the priest.

29 Make sure you set aside the best and holiest part for the Lord.

30 Tell them, when you give the best part, the rest will be yours, just like grain from the threshing floor or wine from the winepress.

31 You and your families can eat it anywhere, because it is your payment for serving in the Tabernacle.

32 But be careful not to treat the holy offerings disrespectfully, or you will be guilty and die.