² Then David said, “No one but the Levites^(A) may carry^(B) the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister^(C) before him forever.”

⁸ At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi^(A) to carry the ark of the covenant^(B) of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister^(C) and to pronounce blessings^(D) in his name, as they still do today.^(E)

Public Reading of the Law

⁹ So Moses wrote^(A) down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried^(B) the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail^(A) to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, ¹⁸ nor will the Levitical^(B) priests^(C) ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.^(D)’”

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day^(E) and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,^{(F) 21} then my covenant^(G) with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites^(H) who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.^{(I) 22} I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless^(J) as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

³ giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant^(A) of the Lord your God, and the Levitical^(B) priests^(C) carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.

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,^(A) 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^(B) before the tent of the covenant law. ³ They are to be responsible to you^(C) and are to perform all the duties of the tent,^(D) but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die.^{(E) 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.^(F)

⁵ “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar,^(G) 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,^(H) dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting.^{(I) 7} But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain.^(J) I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.^(K) Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.^(L)”

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,^(M) your perpetual share.^(N)

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.”^(A)

²⁴ “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more^(A) shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting,^{(B) 25} but at the age of fifty,^(C) they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. ²⁶ They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work.^(D) This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”

¹³ Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering^(A) to the Lord. ¹⁴ In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.^(B)