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Numbers 16:41-18:32
New International Version

41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord’s people,” they said.

42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition(A) to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord(B) appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end(C) to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer(D) and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly(E) to make atonement(F) for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord;(G) the plague(H) has started.” 47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people,(I) but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.(J) 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.(K) 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.[a]

The Budding of Aaron’s Staff

17 [b]The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs(L) from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes.(M) Write the name of each man on his staff. 3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name,(N) for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place them in the tent of meeting(O) in front of the ark of the covenant law,(P) where I meet with you.(Q) 5 The staff belonging to the man I choose(R) will sprout,(S) and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling(T) against you by the Israelites.”

6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. 7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.(U)

8 The next day Moses entered the tent(V) and saw that Aaron’s staff,(W) which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.(X) 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs(Y) from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.

10 The Lord said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff(Z) in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious.(AA) This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” 11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.

12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!(AB) 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die.(AC) Are we all going to die?”

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary,(AD) and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood. 2 Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister(AE) before the tent of the covenant law. 3 They are to be responsible to you(AF) and are to perform all the duties of the tent,(AG) but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die.(AH) 4 They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are.(AI)

5 “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar,(AJ) so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6 I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you,(AK) dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting.(AL) 7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain.(AM) I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.(AN) Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.(AO)”

Offerings for Priests and Levites

8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion,(AP) your perpetual share.(AQ) 9 You are to have the part of the most holy offerings(AR) that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain(AS) or sin[c](AT) or guilt offerings,(AU) that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it.(AV) You must regard it as holy.(AW)

11 “This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings(AX) of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share.(AY) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean(AZ) may eat it.

12 “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain(BA) they give the Lord(BB) as the firstfruits of their harvest.(BC) 13 All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours.(BD) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.(BE)

14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted[d] to the Lord(BF) is yours. 15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours.(BG) But you must redeem(BH) every firstborn(BI) son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.(BJ) 16 When they are a month old,(BK) you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels[e](BL) of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel,(BM) which weighs twenty gerahs.(BN)

17 “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy.(BO) Splash their blood(BP) against the altar and burn their fat(BQ) as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(BR) 18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering(BS) and the right thigh are yours.(BT) 19 Whatever is set aside from the holy(BU) offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt(BV) before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”

20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them;(BW) I am your share and your inheritance(BX) among the Israelites.

21 “I give to the Levites all the tithes(BY) in Israel as their inheritance(BZ) in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.(CA) 22 From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.(CB) 23 It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance(CC) for the generations to come.(CD) They will receive no inheritance(CE) among the Israelites.(CF) 24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.(CG) That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you(CH) as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.(CI) 27 Your offering will be reckoned(CJ) to you as grain from the threshing floor(CK) or juice from the winepress.(CL) 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes(CM) you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’

30 “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.(CN) 31 You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting.(CO) 32 By presenting the best part(CP) of it you will not be guilty in this matter;(CQ) then you will not defile the holy offerings(CR) of the Israelites, and you will not die.’”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 16:50 In Hebrew texts 16:36-50 is numbered 17:1-15.
  2. Numbers 17:1 In Hebrew texts 17:1-13 is numbered 17:16-28.
  3. Numbers 18:9 Or purification
  4. Numbers 18:14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
  5. Numbers 18:16 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams
Listen to Numbers 16:41-18:32
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Numbers 16:41-18:32
New King James Version

Complaints of the People

41 On the next day (A)all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” 42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly (B)the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting.

44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”

And they fell on their faces.

46 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make [a]atonement for them; (C)for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun.” 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so (D)the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. 50 So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.

The Budding of Aaron’s Rod

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. 3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. 4 Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before (E)the Testimony, (F)where I meet with you. 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man (G)whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, (H)which they make against you.”

6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in (I)the tabernacle of witness.

8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the (J)rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.

10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring (K)Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept (L)as a sign against the rebels, (M)that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

12 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! 13 (N)Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?”

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 Then the Lord said to Aaron: (O)“You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall (P)bear the [b]iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. 2 Also bring with you your brethren of the (Q)tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be (R)joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of [c]witness. 3 They shall attend to your [d]needs and (S)all the needs of the tabernacle; (T)but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, (U)lest they die—they and you also. 4 They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; (V)but an outsider shall not come near you. 5 And you shall attend to (W)the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, (X)that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself have (Y)taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; (Z)they are a gift to you, given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 Therefore (AA)you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and (AB)behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a (AC)gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

Offerings for Support of the Priests

8 And the Lord spoke to Aaron: “Here, (AD)I Myself have also given you [e]charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them (AE)as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever. 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every (AF)grain offering and every (AG)sin offering and every (AH)trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. 10 (AI)In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.

11 “This also is yours: (AJ)the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. (AK)Everyone who is [f]clean in your house may eat it.

12 (AL)“All the [g]best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, (AM)their firstfruits which they offer to the Lord, I have given them to you. 13 Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, (AN)which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.

14 (AO)“Every [h]devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.

15 “Everything that first opens (AP)the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless (AQ)the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, (AR)according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is (AS)twenty gerahs. 17 (AT)But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. (AU)You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 18 And their flesh shall be yours, just as the (AV)wave[i] breast and the right thigh are yours.

19 “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; (AW)it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”

20 Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have (AX)no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; (AY)I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

Tithes for Support of the Levites

21 “Behold, (AZ)I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as [j]an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, (BA)the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 (BB)Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, (BC)lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites [k]as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ”

The Tithe of the Levites

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, (BD)a tenth of the tithe. 27 And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the (BE)threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. 29 Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the [l]best of them, the consecrated part of them.’ 30 Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. 31 You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is (BF)your [m]reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. 32 And you shall (BG)bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not (BH)profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 16:46 Lit. covering
  2. Numbers 18:1 guilt
  3. Numbers 18:2 testimony
  4. Numbers 18:3 service
  5. Numbers 18:8 custody
  6. Numbers 18:11 purified
  7. Numbers 18:12 Lit. fat
  8. Numbers 18:14 consecrated
  9. Numbers 18:18 breast of the wave offering
  10. Numbers 18:21 a possession
  11. Numbers 18:24 for a possession
  12. Numbers 18:29 Lit. fat
  13. Numbers 18:31 wages
Listen to Numbers 16:41-18:32
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Numbers 16:41-18:32
New American Standard Bible

Murmuring and Plague

41 But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel (A)grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people!” 42 It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and (B)the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “(C)Get away from among this congregation so that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces. 46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put fire in it from the altar, and place incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and (D)make atonement for them, for (E)wrath has gone out from the Lord, the plague has begun!” 47 Then Aaron took it just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly; and behold, the plague had begun among the people. (F)So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was brought to a halt. 49 (G)But those who died by the plague were 14,700 in number, besides those who (H)died on account of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, for the plague had been brought to a halt.

Aaron’s Staff Buds

17 [a]Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and obtain from them a staff for each father’s household: twelve staffs, from all their leaders for their fathers’ households. You shall write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi; for there is to be one staff for the head of each of their fathers’ households. 4 You shall then leave them in the tent of meeting in front of (I)the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it will come about that the staff of (J)the man whom I choose will sprout. So I will relieve Myself of the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.” 6 So Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader, for their fathers’ households, twelve staffs in all, with the staff of Aaron among their staffs. 7 Then Moses left the staffs before the Lord in (K)the tent of the testimony.

8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, (L)Aaron’s staff for the house of Levi had sprouted and produced buds and bloomed with blossoms, and it yielded ripe almonds. 9 Moses then brought out all the staffs from the presence of the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put the staff of Aaron (M)back in front of the testimony [b]to be kept as a sign against the [c](N)rebels, so that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me and they do not die.” 11 Moses did so; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

12 Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “(O)Behold, we are passing away, we are perishing, we are all perishing! 13 (P)Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die. Are we to perish completely?”

Duties of Levites

18 So the Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your father’s household with you shall (Q)bear the guilt [d]in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt [e]in connection with your priesthood. 2 But also bring your brothers with you, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, so that they may (R)join you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 And they shall perform duties for you and the duties of the whole tent, but (S)they shall not come near the furnishings of the sanctuary and (T)the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They shall join you and perform the duties of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but [f]an unauthorized person shall not come near you. 5 So you shall perform the (U)duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, (V)so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself (W)have taken your [g]fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are (X)a gift to you, [h]dedicated to the Lord, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you shall (Y)attend to your priesthood for everything that concerns the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as (Z)a [i]service that is a gift, and (AA)the [j]unauthorized person who comes near shall be put to death.”

The Priests’ Portion

8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have put you in charge of My [k](AB)offerings, all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given to you as a portion and to your sons as a permanent allotment. 9 This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, namely (AC)every grain offering, every (AD)sin offering, and every guilt offering, with which they shall make restitution to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10 As the most holy gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11 This also is yours, (AE)the offering of their gift, that is, all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have (AF)given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a permanent allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 12 (AG)All the [l]best of the fresh oil and all the [m]best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of what they give to the Lord, I have given them to you. 13 (AH)The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 14 (AI)Everything banned from secular use in Israel shall be yours. 15 [n](AJ)Every firstborn of the womb of all flesh, whether human or animal, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours; however you must redeem the human firstborn, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 As to [o]their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your assessment, five [p]shekels in silver by the [q]shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But (AK)the firstborn of an ox, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. (AL)You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the Lord. 18 However, their [r]meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the (AM)breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh. 19 (AN)All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a permanent allotment. It is (AO)a permanent covenant of salt before the Lord to you and your [s]descendants with you.” 20 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “(AP)You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; (AQ)I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.

21 “To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the (AR)tithe in Israel as an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting. 22 And (AS)the sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, or they will bring sin on themselves and die. 23 Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall (AT)bear their own guilt; it shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel (AU)they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘(AV)They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’”

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel (AW)the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the Lord, a (AX)tithe of the tithe. 27 Your offering shall be credited to you like the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat. 28 So you shall also present an offering to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the Lord’s offering to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the Lord, from all the [t]best of them, [u]the sacred part from them.’ 30 And you shall say to them, ‘When you have [v]offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be credited to the Levites like the product of the threshing floor, and like the product of the wine vat. 31 You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 And you will bring on yourselves no sin by reason of it when you have [w]offered the [x]best of it. But you shall not (AY)profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, so that you do not die.’”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 17:1 Ch 17:16 in Heb
  2. Numbers 17:10 Lit for preserving
  3. Numbers 17:10 Lit sons of rebellion
  4. Numbers 18:1 Lit of the sanctuary
  5. Numbers 18:1 Lit of your priesthood
  6. Numbers 18:4 Lit a stranger
  7. Numbers 18:6 Lit brothers the
  8. Numbers 18:6 Lit given
  9. Numbers 18:7 Lit service of a gift
  10. Numbers 18:7 Lit stranger
  11. Numbers 18:8 Or uplifted offerings, and so throughout the ch
  12. Numbers 18:12 Lit fat
  13. Numbers 18:12 Lit fat
  14. Numbers 18:15 Lit Everything that opens
  15. Numbers 18:16 Lit his being redeemed
  16. Numbers 18:16 A shekel is about 0.5 oz. or 14 gm
  17. Numbers 18:16 A shekel is about 0.5 oz. or 14 gm
  18. Numbers 18:18 Lit flesh
  19. Numbers 18:19 Lit seed
  20. Numbers 18:29 Lit fat
  21. Numbers 18:29 Lit its
  22. Numbers 18:30 Lit lifted
  23. Numbers 18:32 Lit lifted
  24. Numbers 18:32 Lit fat
Close NLT

Numbers 16:41-18:32
New Living Translation

41 But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!” 42 As the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the glorious presence of the Lord appeared.

43 Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.

46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with the Lord.[a] The Lord’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun.”

47 Aaron did as Moses told him and ran out among the people. The plague had already begun to strike down the people, but Aaron burned the incense and purified[b] the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped. 49 But 14,700 people died in that plague, in addition to those who had died in the affair involving Korah. 50 Then because the plague had stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

The Budding of Aaron’s Staff

17 [c]Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff. 3 Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant,[d] where I meet with you. 5 Buds will sprout on the 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.[e] 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[f] 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

18 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.[g] 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,[h] 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 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[i] 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[j] (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[k] 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 property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment. 21 As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.

22 “From now on, no Israelites except priests or Levites may approach the Tabernacle. If they come too near, they will be judged guilty and will die. 23 Only the Levites may serve at the Tabernacle, and they will be held responsible for any offenses against it. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. The Levites will receive no allotment of land among the Israelites, 24 because I have given them the Israelites’ tithes, which have been presented as sacred offerings to the Lord. This will be the Levites’ share. That is why I said they would receive no allotment of land among the Israelites.”

25 The Lord also told Moses, 26 “Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to the Lord as a sacred offering. 27 The Lord will consider this offering to be your harvest offering, as though it were the first grain from your own threshing floor or wine from your own winepress. 28 You must present one-tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to the Lord. This is the Lord’s sacred portion, and you must present it to Aaron the priest. 29 Be sure to give to the Lord the best portions of the gifts given to you.

30 “Also, give these instructions to the Levites: When you present the best part as your offering, it will be considered as though it came from your own threshing floor or winepress. 31 You Levites and your families may eat this food anywhere you wish, for it is your compensation for serving in the Tabernacle. 32 You will not be considered guilty for accepting the Lord’s tithes if you give the best portion to the priests. But be careful not to treat the holy gifts of the people of Israel as though they were common. If you do, you will die.”

Footnotes

  1. 16:46 Or to make atonement for them.
  2. 16:47 Or and made atonement for.
  3. 17:1 Verses 17:1-13 are numbered 17:16-28 in Hebrew text.
  4. 17:4 Hebrew in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony. The Hebrew word for “testimony” refers to the terms of the Lord’s covenant with Israel as written on stone tablets, which were kept in the Ark, and also to the covenant itself.
  5. 17:7 Or Tabernacle of the Testimony; also in 17:8.
  6. 17:10 Hebrew before the Testimony; see note on 17:4.
  7. 18:2 Or Tabernacle of the Testimony.
  8. 18:4 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting; also in 18:6, 21, 22, 23, 31.
  9. 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.
  10. 18:16 Hebrew 5 shekels [2 ounces or 57 grams] of silver.
  11. 18:19 Hebrew a covenant of salt.
Listen to Numbers 16:41-18:32
Close MSG

Numbers 16:41-18:32
The Message

41 Grumbling broke out the next day in the community of Israel, grumbling against Moses and Aaron: “You have killed God’s people!”

42 But it so happened that when the community got together against Moses and Aaron, they looked over at the Tent of Meeting and there was the Cloud—the Glory of God for all to see.

43-45 Moses and Aaron stood at the front of the Tent of Meeting. God spoke to Moses: “Back away from this congregation so that I can do away with them this very minute.”

They threw themselves facedown on the ground.

46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and fill it with incense, along with fire from the Altar. Get to the congregation as fast as you can: make atonement for them. Anger is pouring out from God—the plague has started!”

47-48 Aaron grabbed the censer, as directed by Moses, and ran into the midst of the congregation. The plague had already begun. He put burning incense into the censer and atoned for the people. He stood there between the living and the dead and stopped the plague.

49-50 Fourteen thousand seven hundred people died from the plague, not counting those who died in the affair of Korah. Aaron then went back to join Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The plague was stopped.

Aaron’s Staff

17 1-5 God spoke to Moses: “Speak to the People of Israel. Get staffs from them—twelve staffs in all, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write each man’s name on his staff. Start with Aaron; write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi and then proceed with the rest, a staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. Now lay them out in the Tent of Meeting in front of The Testimony where I keep appointments with you. What will happen next is this: The staff of the man I choose will sprout. I’m going to put a stop to this endless grumbling by the People of Israel against you.”

6-7 Moses spoke to the People of Israel. Their leaders handed over twelve staffs, one for the leader of each tribe. And Aaron’s staff was one of them. Moses laid out the staffs before God in the Tent of Testimony.

8-9 Moses walked into the Tent of Testimony the next day and saw that Aaron’s staff, the staff of the tribe of Levi, had in fact sprouted—buds, blossoms, and even ripe almonds! Moses brought out all the staffs from God’s presence and presented them to the People of Israel. They took a good look. Each leader took the staff with his name on it.

10 God said to Moses, “Return Aaron’s staff to the front of The Testimony. Keep it there as a sign to rebels. This will put a stop to the grumbling against me and save their lives.”

11 Moses did just as God commanded him.

12-13 The People of Israel said to Moses, “We’re as good as dead. This is our death sentence. Anyone who even gets close to The Dwelling of God is as good as dead. Are we all doomed?”

Duties in the Tent of Testimony

18 1-4 God said to Aaron, “You and your sons, along with your father’s family, are responsible for taking care of sins having to do with the Sanctuary; you and your sons are also responsible for sins involving the priesthood. So enlist your brothers of the tribe of Levi to join you and assist you and your sons in your duties in the Tent of Testimony. They will report to you as they go about their duties related to the Tent, but they must not have anything to do with the holy things of the Altar under penalty of death—both they and you will die! They are to work with you in taking care of the Tent of Meeting, whatever work is involved in the Tent. Outsiders are not allowed to help you.

5-7 “Your job is to take care of the Sanctuary and the Altar so that there will be no more outbreaks of anger on the People of Israel. I personally have picked your brothers, the Levites, from Israel as a whole. I’m giving them to you as a gift, a gift of God, to help with the work of the Tent of Meeting. But only you and your sons may serve as priests, working around the Altar and inside the curtain. The work of the priesthood is my exclusive gift to you; it cannot be delegated—anyone else who invades the Sanctuary will be executed.”

8-10 God spoke to Aaron, “I am personally putting you in charge of my contributions, all the holy gifts I get from the People of Israel. I am turning them over to you and your children for your personal use. This is the standing rule. You and your sons get what’s left from the offerings, whatever hasn’t been totally burned up on the Altar—the leftovers from Grain-Offerings, Absolution-Offerings, and Compensation-Offerings. Eat it reverently; it is most holy; every male may eat it. Treat it as holy.

11-13 “You also get the Wave-Offerings from the People of Israel. I present them to you and your sons and daughters as a gift. This is the standing rule. Anyone in your household who is ritually clean may eat it. I also give you all the best olive oil, the best new wine, and the grain that is offered to God as the firstfruits of their harvest—all the firstfruits they offer to God are yours. Anyone in your household who is ritually clean may eat it.

14-16 “You get every Totally-Devoted gift. Every firstborn that is offered to God, whether animal or person, is yours. Except you don’t get the firstborn itself, but its redemption price; firstborn humans and ritually unclean animals are bought back and you get the redemption price. When the firstborn is a month old it must be redeemed at the redemption price of five shekels of silver, using the standard of the Sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.

17-19 “On the other hand, you don’t redeem a firstborn ox, sheep, or goat—they are holy. Instead splash their blood on the Altar and burn their fat as a Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance to God. But you get the meat, just as you get the breast from the Wave-Offering and the right thigh. All the holy offerings that the People of Israel set aside for God, I’m turning over to you and your children. That’s the standard rule and includes both you and your children—a Covenant-of-Salt, eternal and unchangeable before God.”

20 God said to Aaron, “You won’t get any inheritance in land, not so much as a small plot of ground: I am your plot of ground, I am your inheritance among the People of Israel.

21-24 “I’m giving the Levites all the tithes of Israel as their pay for the work they do in the Tent of Meeting. Starting now, the rest of the People of Israel cannot wander in and out of the Tent of Meeting; they’ll be penalized for their sin and the penalty is death. It’s the Levites and only the Levites who are to work in the Tent of Meeting and they are responsible for anything that goes wrong. This is the regular rule for all time. They get no inheritance among the People of Israel; instead I turn over to them the tithes that the People of Israel present as an offering to God. That’s why I give the ruling: They are to receive no land-inheritance among the People of Israel.”

* * *

25-29 God spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Levites. Tell them, When you get the tithe from the People of Israel, the inheritance that I have assigned to you, you must tithe that tithe and present it as an offering to God. Your offerings will be treated the same as other people’s gifts of grain from the threshing floor or wine from the wine vat. This is your procedure for making offerings to God from all the tithes you get from the People of Israel: give God’s portion from these tithes to Aaron the priest. Make sure that God’s portion is the best and holiest of everything you get.

30-32 “Tell the Levites, When you offer the best part, the rest will be treated the same as grain from the threshing floor or wine from the wine vat that others give. You and your households are free to eat the rest of it anytime and anyplace—it’s your wages for your work at the Tent of Meeting. By offering the best part, you’ll avoid guilt, you won’t desecrate the holy offerings of the People of Israel, and you won’t die.”

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