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staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will
finally put an end to the people’s murmuring
and complaining against you.”
6 So Moses gave the instructions to the people
of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders,
including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. 7 Moses
placed the staffs in the Lord’s presence in the
Tabernacle of the Covenant.* 8 When he went
into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next
day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing
the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!
9 When Moses brought all the staffs out from
the Lord’s presence, he showed them to the
people. Each man claimed his own staff. 10 And
the Lord said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff
permanently before the Ark of the Covenant* to
serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an
end to their complaints against me and prevent
any further deaths.” 11 So Moses did as the Lord
commanded him.
12 Then the people of Israel said to Moses,
“Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are
ruined! 13 Everyone who even comes close to the
Tabernacle of the Lord dies. Are we all doomed
to die?”
Duties of Priests and Levites
Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You, your
sons, and your relatives from the tribe of
Levi will be held responsible for any offenses
related to the sanctuary. But you and your sons
alone will be held responsible for violations
connected with the priesthood.
2 “Bring your relatives of the tribe of Levi—
your ancestral tribe—to assist you and your
sons as you perform the sacred duties in front
of the Tabernacle of the Covenant.* 3 But as the
Levites go about all their assigned duties at the
Tabernacle, they must be careful not to go near
any of the sacred objects or the altar. If they do,
both you and they will die. 4 The Levites must
join you in fulfilling their responsibilities for the
care and maintenance of the Tabernacle,* but
no unauthorized person may assist you.
5 “You yourselves must perform the sacred
duties inside the sanctuary and at the altar. If
you follow these instructions, the Lord’s anger
will never again blaze against the people of Israel. 6 I myself have chosen your fellow Levites
from among the Israelites to be your special assistants. They are a gift to you, dedicated to the
Lord for service in the Tabernacle. 7 But you and
your sons, the priests, must personally handle
all the priestly rituals associated with the altar
18
17:7 Or Tabernacle of the Testimony; also in 17:8. 17:10 Hebrew
before the Testimony; see note on 17:4. 18:2 Or Tabernacle
of the Testimony. 18:4 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting; also in
18:6, 21, 22, 23, 31. 18:14 The Hebrew term used here refers
to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord,
either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
18:16 Hebrew 5 shekels [2 ounces or 57 grams] of silver.
18:19 Hebrew a covenant of salt.
NUM B ER S 18
and with everything behind the inner curtain.
I am giving you the priesthood as your special
privilege of service. Any unauthorized person
who comes too near the sanctuary will be put
to death.”
Support for the Priests and Levites
8 The Lord gave these further instructions to
Aaron: “I myself have put you in charge of all
the holy offerings that are brought to me by the
people of Israel. I have given all these consecrated offerings to you and your sons as your
permanent share. 9 You are allotted the portion
of the most holy offerings that is not burned on
the fire. This portion of all the most holy offerings—including the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings—will be most holy, and
it belongs to you and your sons. 10 You must eat
it as a most holy offering. All the males may eat
of it, and you must treat it as most holy.
11 “All the sacred offerings and special offerings presented to me when the Israelites lift
them up before the altar also belong to you.
I have given them to you and to your sons and
daughters as your permanent share. Any member of your family who is ceremonially clean
may eat of these offerings.
12 “I also give you the harvest gifts brought by
the people as offerings to the Lord—the best of
the olive oil, new wine, and grain. 13 All the first
crops of their land that the people present to the
Lord belong to you. Any member of your family who is ceremonially clean may eat this food.
14 “Everything in Israel that is specially set
apart for the Lord* also belongs to you.
15 “The firstborn of every mother, whether
human or animal, that is offered to the Lord
will be yours. But you must always redeem your
firstborn sons and the firstborn of ceremonially
unclean animals. 16 Redeem them when they
are one month old. The redemption price is five
pieces of silver* (as measured by the weight
of the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty
gerahs).
17 “However, you may not redeem the firstborn of cattle, sheep, or goats. They are holy
and have been set apart for the Lord. Sprinkle
their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as a
special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 18 The
meat of these animals will be yours, just like
the breast and right thigh that are presented by
lifting them up as a special offering before the
altar. 19 Yes, I am giving you all these holy offerings that the people of Israel bring to the Lord.
They are for you and your sons and daughters,
to be eaten as your permanent share. This is an
eternal and unbreakable covenant* between
the Lord and you, and it also applies to your
descendants.”
20 And the Lord said to Aaron, “You priests
will receive no allotment of land or share of