Numbers 18

1 So the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to Aaron, “You [as the high priest] and your sons [descendants, family] and your father’s house [family, lineage] must bear [lift, carry, be responsible for] the iniquity [moral evil, sin] involving [related to, concerning] the sanctuary [holy place, temple]. And you and your sons alone [exclusively, only] must bear [carry, be accountable for] the iniquity [guilt, wrongdoing] involving [connected to, pertaining to] your priesthood [office, position, spiritual leadership]. word study 2 But bring with you also [in addition to yourself] your brothers [male siblings, close relatives, or friends] from the tribe [a group of people with a common ancestry] of Levi [the son of Jacob and Leah], the tribe [family or clan] of your father [ancestor or patriarch], that they may join [be united with, lend support to] you and assist [serve, minister to] you and your sons [male descendants, heirs] before [in the presence of, facing] the Tent [a portable place of worship, a nomad’s home] of the Testimony [a witness, a reminder of God’s laws and instructions]. word study 3 And they shall attend to your duties [keep your charge, watch over your responsibilities] and to all [every aspect of] the duties of the Tent [tabernacle, sacred dwelling place]; but they must not come near [approach, draw close to] to the furnishings [vessels, utensils] of the sanctuary [Holy Place, set-apart area] or the altar [place of sacrifice, offering], or both they [the Levites] and you [as priests] will die [perish, meet death]. word study 4 They are to join [be united with, lend support to] you and attend to the duties [keep the charge, watch over] of the Tent [tabernacle, sacred dwelling] of Meeting [appointed gathering, sacred season], doing all the work [service, ministry] at the Tent; but no outsider [stranger, foreigner] may come near [approach, draw close to] you. word study 5 And you shall attend to [keep, watch over] the duties [charge, responsibilities] of the sanctuary [Holy Place, sacred area] and of the altar [place of sacrifice], so that wrath [anger, indignation] may not [never again] fall on the Israelites [children of Israel, descendants of Jacob] again [still, once more]. word study 6 Behold [look, see], I Myself [personally, as the Lord] have selected [chosen, taken] your fellow Levites [brothers, relatives] from the Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s people] as a gift [present, offering] to you, dedicated [given, set apart] to the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] to perform [do, accomplish] the service [work, ministry] for the Tent [tabernacle, dwelling place] of Meeting [assembly, congregation]. word study 7 But only you [as a priest, with your sons] and your sons shall attend to your priesthood [office of spiritual leadership] for everything concerning the altar [place of sacrifice] and what is inside the veil [the inner sanctuary], and you are to perform that service [spiritual work, act of worship]. I am giving you the work of the priesthood [ministry, divine calling] as a gift [free offering, unmerited favor], but any outsider [stranger, non-priest] who comes near the sanctuary [holy place] must be put to death [executed, suffer the ultimate penalty].” word study 8 Then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to Aaron, “Behold [look, take notice], I have put you in charge of My offerings [heave offerings, sacred contributions]. As for all the sacred [holy, set apart] offerings of the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob], I have given them to you and your sons [as a perpetual inheritance] as a portion [a share, an allotment] and a permanent [everlasting, age-during] statute [decree, law]. word study 9 A portion [a share, a part] of the most holy [set apart, sacred] offerings [sacrifices, gifts] reserved [kept, set aside] from the fire [the altar, the sacred flame] will be yours. From all [every, the entirety of] the offerings [sacrifices, oblations] they render [give, offer] to Me as most holy [highly sacred, consecrated] offerings [gifts, sacrifices], whether [including, such as] grain offerings [cereal offerings, meal offerings] or sin [purification, guilt] offerings or guilt [trespass, offense] offerings, that part [portion, share] belongs [is given, is assigned] to you and your sons [descendants, children]. word study 10 You are to eat it as a [most sacred, set-apart] most holy offering [in the Holy Place, sanctuary], and every male [man or boy] may eat it [as a consecrated thing]. You shall regard it as [sacred, dedicated to God] holy. word study 11 And this [the following, what is specified] is yours as well: the offering [gift, contribution] of their gifts [sacrifices, presents], along with all [every, the entirety of] the wave offerings [lifted up, held out] of the Israelites [the children of Israel, God’s chosen people]. I have given [granted, bestowed] this to you and your sons [descendants, male children] and daughters [female children, offspring] as a permanent [lasting, eternal] statute [law, decree]. Every [all, each] ceremonially clean [pure, righteous] person in your household [family, home] may eat [consume, partake of] it. word study 12 I give you [all the best of] all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine [freshly squeezed from grapes] and grain [a staple food] that the Israelites give to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] as their firstfruits [the beginning or first part of a harvest]. word study 13 The firstfruits [earliest produce, initial harvest] of everything [all, every aspect] in their land [country, territory] that they bring [offer, present] to the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] will belong to you [be yours to claim]. Every [all, each] ceremonially clean [pure] person in your household [family, house] may eat [consume, devour] them [these firstfruits]. word study 14 Every [all, everything] devoted thing [dedicated to the Lord, set apart] in Israel [the descendants of Jacob] belongs [shall be, is to be] to you [as a priestly portion]. word study 15 The firstborn [every firstling, the initial offspring] of every womb [matrix, place of birth], whether man [human, descendant of Adam] or beast [animal, living creature], that is offered [presented, brought near] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] belongs to you. But you must surely [certainly, without fail] redeem [pay a ransom, set free] every firstborn son [firstborn male, initial male child] and every firstborn male [firstling, initial offspring] of unclean [impure, ceremonially defiled] animals [beasts, living creatures]. word study 16 You are to pay the redemption price [to ransom, set free] for a month-old [new moon, lunar cycle] male according to your valuation [estimation, worth]: five [exactly five] shekels [units of weight or money] of silver [precious metal, wealth], according to the sanctuary [holy place, set-apart area] shekel [standard unit of weight], which is twenty [a multiple of ten and two] gerahs [small weights, coins]. word study 17 But you must not redeem [set free by payment] the firstborn [the first in order or rank] of an ox [cattle], a sheep [a young sheep], or a goat [a female goat]; they are holy [set apart for God’s purpose]. You are to sprinkle [scatter, pour out] their blood [the liquid that flows through the body] on the altar [a place of sacrifice] and burn their fat [the richest part] as an offering [a gift given to God] made by fire, a pleasing [soothing, fragrant] aroma [a sweet smell] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 18 And their meat [flesh, body] belongs to you, just as the breast [front of the animal, often referring to sacrifices] and right thigh [leg, lower limb] of the wave offering [a specific type of offering, where a portion is waved before God] belong to you. word study 19 All [every, the entirety of] the holy [set apart, consecrated] offerings [heave offerings, contributions] that the Israelites [the children of Israel] present [offer, give] to the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] I give [bestow, grant] to you and to your sons [descendants, male children] and daughters [female children, offspring] as a permanent [lasting, eternal] statute [decree, law]. It is a permanent [everlasting, perpetual] covenant [agreement, promise] of salt before the LORD [in the presence of God] for you and your offspring [seed, descendants].” word study 20 Then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to Aaron [the first high priest of the Israelites], “You will have no inheritance [possession, heritage] in their land [the promised land, Canaan], nor will you have any portion [share, allotment] among them. I am your portion [smoothness, flattering words] and your inheritance [something passed down, a family heirloom] among the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob, the chosen people of God]. word study 21 Behold [look, take notice], I have given to the Levites [descendants of Levi, the priestly tribe] all the tithes [a tenth part] in Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants] as an inheritance [a possession, a heritage] in return for the work [service, ministry] they do, the service [work, worship] of the Tent [tabernacle, ohel] of Meeting [assembly]. word study 22 No longer [henceforth, from this time on] may the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob] come near [approach, draw close] to the Tent [tabernacle, portable place of worship] of Meeting [appointed time, sacred gathering], or they will incur [bear, sustain] guilt [sin, offense] and die [experience physical or spiritual death]. word study 23 The Levites [descendants of Levi, the priestly tribe] are to perform the work [service, ministry] of the Tent [tabernacle, sacred dwelling] of Meeting [appointed gathering, sacred assembly], and they must bear [lift, carry] their iniquity [moral evil, sin]. This is a permanent [everlasting, eternal] statute [ordinance, divine law] for the generations [successive ages, descendants] to come. The Levites will not receive [inherit, possess] an inheritance [heritage, allotted portion] among the Israelites [God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob]. word study 24 For I have given to the Levites [as their compensation, to support them] as their inheritance [a lasting possession, a gift] the tithe [a tenth part, a portion] that the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] present to the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] as a contribution [a lifted offering, a willing gift]. That is why [for this reason, therefore] I told them that they would not receive [have no part, be excluded from] an inheritance [a share, a possession] among the Israelites [the people of God, the community of faith].” word study 25 And the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] instructed [spoke unto, said to] Moses [the Israelite leader, God’s chosen servant], word study 26 “Speak to the Levites [descendants of Levi, the priestly tribe] and tell them: ‘When you receive [take, get] from the Israelites [the children of Israel, God’s chosen people] the tithe [a tenth part] that I have given [bestowed, granted] you as your inheritance [heritage, possession], you must present [offer, give] part of it as an offering [contribution, tribute] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]—a tithe [one-tenth] of the tithe [the tenth part]. word study 27 Your [heave] offering [contribution, gift to God] will be reckoned [considered, thought of] to you as grain [corn, wheat] from the threshing floor [barnfloor, place of harvest] or juice [fulness, abundance] from the winepress [wine vat, press]. word study 28 So you are to present [offer, contribute] an offering [a heave offering, a contribution] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] from all [everything, the whole] the tithes [a tenth part] you receive [get, take] from the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people], and from these [the tithes, the offerings] you are to give [present, set apart] the LORD’s [Yehovah’s, God’s] offering [heave offering, contribution] to Aaron [the first high priest, Moses’ brother] the priest [the spiritual leader, mediator between God and man]. word study 29 You must present [as a lifted offering, to exalt] the offering [contribution, gift] due the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] from all [everything, the entirety] the best [fat, richest part] of every gift [present, sacrificial offering], the holiest [most sacred, set apart] part of it [the hallowed part, sanctuary].’ word study 30 Therefore say [speak, declare] to the Levites [descendants of Levi, the priestly tribe], ‘When you have presented [offered, lifted up] the best part [the fat, the choicest portion], it will be reckoned [counted, considered] to you as the produce [income, crops] of the threshing floor [the place of grain separation] or winepress [the container for holding wine, a trough or press]. word study 31 And you [ye, yourselves] and your households [families, those belonging to you] may eat [consume, devour] the rest of it anywhere [in every place, wherever you are]; it is the compensation [reward, wages] for your work [service, ministry] at the Tent [tabernacle, sacred dwelling] of Meeting [assembly, appointed time]. word study 32 Once you have presented [offered, lifted up] the best part [fat, choicest portion] of it, you will not incur [bear, be guilty of] guilt [sin, offense] because of it. But you must not defile [profane, pollute] the sacred [holy, set apart] offerings [oblations, gifts] of the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob], or else you will die [be executed, suffer death].’” word study