Duties of Priests and Levites
Numbers 18, verse 1. Now the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, “You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the sins of the holy things, and you and your sons with you shall bear the sins of your priesthood. Numbers 18, verse 2. You shall also bring your brethren, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, to yourself, and they shall be joined and added to you, and minister liturgically with you and your sons with you before the tabernacle of testimony. Numbers 18, verse 3. They shall perform your guard duties and the duties of the tabernacle, but they shall not come near the holy vessels and the altar, lest they die—they and you also. Numbers 18, verse 4. They shall be joined to you and perform the guard duties of the tabernacle of testimony, and all the liturgical services of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you. Numbers 18, verse 5. Thus you shall perform the guard duties of the holy things and the altar, so there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. Numbers 18, verse 6. Behold, I took your brethren the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, as a gift given to the Lord, to minister liturgically in the tabernacle of testimony. Numbers 18, verse 7. Therefore you and your sons with you shall take care of your priesthood according to all the manner of the altar and within the veil; and you shall minister liturgically as the gift of your priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
Offerings to Support the Priests
Numbers 18, verse 8. Again the Lord spoke to Aaron, “I give you charge over the firstfruits from all the things sanctified to Me by the children of Israel; and I give these things to you and your sons with you as your share. This shall be an eternal ordinance. Numbers 18, verse 9. So let this be yours from the sanctified holy things of the offerings: from all their gifts, from all their sacrifices, from all their trespass offerings, and from all their sin offerings, and from whatever they return to Me—let all these holy things belong to you and your sons. Numbers 18, verse 10. In a most holy place you shall eat these things; every male shall eat these things. It shall be holy to you. Numbers 18, verse 11. “This also shall be a firstfruit for you from their gifts—from all the deposit offerings of the children of Israel—I give these things to you, and to your sons and daughters with you. This shall be an eternal ordinance. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat these things. Numbers 18, verse 12. The firstfruits of oil, wine, and grain, all their firstfruits, whatever they may offer to the Lord, I give these things to you. Numbers 18, verse 13. Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land which they bring to the Lord shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat these things. Numbers 18, verse 14. Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. Numbers 18, verse 15. “Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh which they bring to the Lord, from man to cattle, shall be yours; nevertheless, the firstborn of men you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean cattle you shall redeem. Numbers 18, verse 16. Now as for its redemption at the age of one month, the rate is five shekels according to the holy shekel (that is, twenty obols). Numbers 18, verse 17. But the firstborn of young bulls, the firstborn of sheep, or the firstborn of goats you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall pour out their blood towards the altar, and offer their fat as a burnt offering for a sweet aroma to the Lord. Numbers 18, verse 18. Their meat shall also be yours, just as the breast of the deposit offering and the right shoulder are yours. Numbers 18, verse 19. Every choice part of the holy things which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I give to you and your sons and daughters with you as an eternal ordinance; it is an eternal covenant of salt before the Lord with you and your seed with you.”
Tithes to Support the Levites
Numbers 18, verse 20. Moreover the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel. Numbers 18, verse 21. Behold, I give the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for their liturgical service, whatever they minister liturgically in the tabernacle of testimony. Numbers 18, verse 22. Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of testimony, lest they bear guilt and die. Numbers 18, verse 23. But the Levite himself shall minister liturgically in the tabernacle of testimony, and they shall bear their sins; it shall be an eternal ordinance throughout your generations, that in the midst of the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. Numbers 18, verse 24. For the tithes of the children of Israel, whatever they may offer as a choice portion to the Lord, I give to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I say to them, ‘In the midst of the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”
The Levites’ Tithe
Numbers 18, verse 25. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Numbers 18, verse 26. “Speak thus to the Levites and say to them, ‘If you receive from the children of Israel the tithe which I give you from them as your inheritance, then you shall remove from it the Lord's choice portion, a tenth of the tithe. Numbers 18, verse 27. Now your choice portions shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor and as the choice portion of the winepress. Numbers 18, verse 28. Thus you shall then remove the Lord's choice portions from all your tithes, whatever you might receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give from them the Lord's choice portion to Aaron the priest. Numbers 18, verse 29. From all your gifts you shall remove the choice portion for the Lord, or from all the firstfruits that which is sanctified from it.’ Numbers 18, verse 30. Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you remove the firstfruit from it, then all the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. Numbers 18, verse 31. You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your liturgical service in the tabernacle of testimony. Numbers 18, verse 32. Now you shall bear no guilt because of it, for you removed the firstfruit from it. But you shall not defile the holy things of the children of Israel, lest you die.’”