Chapter 18
1 The LORD said to Aaron, " You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary ; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood .
2 Bring your brothers also , the tribe of Levi , the tribe of your father , near with you , that they may be joined to you , and minister to you ; but you and your sons with you shall be before the Tent of the Testimony .
3 They shall keep your commands and the duty of the whole Tent; only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar , that they not die , neither they nor you .
4 They shall be joined to you and keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting , for all the service of the Tent. A stranger shall not come near to you .
5 " You shall perform the duty of the sanctuary and the duty of the altar , that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel .
6 Behold , I myself have taken your brothers the Levites from amongst the children of Israel . They are a gift to you , dedicated to the LORD , to do the service of the Tent of Meeting .
7 You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar , and for that within the veil . You shall serve . I give you the service of the priesthood as a gift . The stranger who comes near shall be put to death ."
8 The LORD spoke to Aaron, " Behold , I myself have given you the command of my wave offerings , even all the holy things of the children of Israel . I have given them to you by reason of the anointing , and to your sons , as a portion forever .
9 This shall be yours of the most holy things from the fire: every offering of theirs , even every meal offering of theirs , and every sin offering of theirs , and every trespass offering of theirs , which they shall give to me , shall be most holy for you and for your sons .
10 You shall eat of it like the most holy things . Every male shall eat of it . It shall be holy to you .
11 " This is yours , too: the wave offering of their gift , even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel . I have given them to you , and to your sons and to your daughters with you , as a portion forever . Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it .
12 " I have given to you all the best of the oil , all the best of the vintage, and of the grain , the first fruits of them which they give to the LORD .
13 The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD , shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it .
14 " Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours.
15 Everything that opens the womb , of all flesh which they offer to the LORD , both of man and animal , shall be yours. Nevertheless, you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man , and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals .
16 You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old , according to your estimation , for five shekels of money , according to the shekel of the sanctuary , which weighs twenty gerahs .
17 " But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow , or the firstborn of a sheep , or the firstborn of a goat . They are holy . You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar , and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to the LORD .
18 Their meat shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh , it shall be yours.
19 All the wave offerings of the holy things which the children of Israel offer to the LORD , I have given you and your sons and your daughters with you , as a portion forever . It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD to you and to your offspring with you ."
20 The LORD said to Aaron, " You shall have no inheritance in their land , neither shall you have any portion amongst them . I am your portion and your inheritance amongst the children of Israel .
21 " To the children of Levi , behold , I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance , in return for their service which they serve , even the service of the Tent of Meeting .
22 Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting , lest they bear sin , and die .
23 But the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting , and they shall bear their iniquity . It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations . Amongst the children of Israel , they shall have no inheritance .
24 For the tithe of the children of Israel , which they offer as a wave offering to the LORD , I have given to the Levites for an inheritance . Therefore I have said to them , ‘ Amongst the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance .’"
25 The LORD spoke to Moses , saying ,
26 " Moreover you shall speak to the Levites , and tell them , ‘ When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance , then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for the LORD , a tithe of the tithe .
27 Your wave offering shall be credited to you , as though it were the grain of the threshing floor , and as the fullness of the wine press .
28 Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to the LORD of all your tithes , which you receive of the children of Israel ; and of it you shall give the LORD ’s wave offering to Aaron the priest .
29 Out of all your gifts , you shall offer every wave offering to the LORD , of all its best parts, even the holy part of it .’
30 "Therefore you shall tell them , ‘ When you heave its best from it , then it shall be credited to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor , and as the increase of the wine press .
31 You may eat it anywhere , you and your households , for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting .
32 You shall bear no sin by reason of it , when you have heaved from it its best . You shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel , that you not die .’"