⁴ Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute ^(A)support^[a] for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to ^(B)the Law of the Lord.

Offerings for Support of the Priests

⁸ And the Lord spoke to Aaron: “Here, ^(A)I Myself have also given you ^[a]charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them ^(B)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 ^(C)grain offering and every ^(D)sin offering and every ^(E)trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. ^10 (F)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: ^(G)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. ^(H)Everyone who is ^[b]clean in your house may eat it.

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

^14 (L)“Every ^[d]devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.

¹⁵ “Everything that first opens ^(M)the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless ^(N)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, ^(O)according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is ^(P)twenty gerahs. ^17 (Q)But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. ^(R)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 ^(S)wave^[e] 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; ^(T)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 ^(U)no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; ^(V)I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

Tithes for Support of the Levites

²¹ “Behold, ^(W)I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as ^[f]an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, ^(X)the work of the tabernacle of meeting.

Be Generous and Do Good

^6 (A)Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

⁹ For it is written in the law of Moses, ^(A)“You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? ¹⁰ Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that ^(B)he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. ^11 (C)If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? ¹² If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?

^(D)Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things ^(E)lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. ^13 (F)Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the ^(G)temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴ Even so ^(H)the Lord has commanded ^(I)that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.