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)

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The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings(A) in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault.(B)

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for the Lord your God has chosen them(A) and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister(B) in the Lord’s name always.(C)

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15 “After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move,(A) only then are the Kohathites(B) to come and do the carrying.(C) But they must not touch the holy things(D) or they will die.(E) The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting.

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Isn’t it enough(A) for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?(B) 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.(C)

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23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless(A) the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “‘“The Lord bless you(B)
    and keep you;(C)
25 the Lord make his face shine on you(D)
    and be gracious to you;(E)
26 the Lord turn his face(F) toward you
    and give you peace.(G)”’

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“Bring the tribe of Levi(A) and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.(B)

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16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you(A) so that you might go and bear fruit(B)—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.(C)

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19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“If you repent, I will restore you
    that you may serve(A) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
    you will be my spokesman.(B)
Let this people turn to you,
    but you must not turn to them.

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27 The priests and the Levites stood to bless(A) the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place.

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26 Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams(A) were sacrificed.

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12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate(A) yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13 It was because you, the Levites,(B) did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us.(C) We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.(D) 14 So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded(E) in accordance with the word of the Lord.(F)

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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. 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. 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) 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)

“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. 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) 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

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) You are to have the part of the most holy offerings(O) that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain(P) or sin[a](Q) or guilt offerings,(R) that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it.(S) You must regard it as holy.(T)

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

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

14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted[b] to the Lord(AC) is yours. 15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours.(AD) But you must redeem(AE) every firstborn(AF) son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.(AG) 16 When they are a month old,(AH) you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels[c](AI) of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel,(AJ) which weighs twenty gerahs.(AK)

17 “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy.(AL) Splash their blood(AM) against the altar and burn their fat(AN) as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(AO) 18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering(AP) and the right thigh are yours.(AQ) 19 Whatever is set aside from the holy(AR) 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(AS) 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;(AT) I am your share and your inheritance(AU) among the Israelites.

21 “I give to the Levites all the tithes(AV) in Israel as their inheritance(AW) in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.(AX) 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.(AY) 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(AZ) for the generations to come.(BA) They will receive no inheritance(BB) among the Israelites.(BC) 24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.(BD) 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(BE) as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.(BF) 27 Your offering will be reckoned(BG) to you as grain from the threshing floor(BH) or juice from the winepress.(BI) 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes(BJ) 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.(BK) 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.(BL) 32 By presenting the best part(BM) of it you will not be guilty in this matter;(BN) then you will not defile the holy offerings(BO) of the Israelites, and you will not die.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 18:9 Or purification
  2. Numbers 18:14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
  3. Numbers 18:16 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams

47 The ancestral tribe of the Levites,(A) however, was not counted(B) along with the others. 48 The Lord had said to Moses: 49 “You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. 50 Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle(C) of the covenant law(D)—over all its furnishings(E) and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. 51 Whenever the tabernacle(F) is to move,(G) the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.(H) Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.(I) 52 The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard.(J) 53 The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle(K) of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall(L) on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.(M)

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22 Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.(A) And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

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15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb(A) and called me(B) by his grace, was pleased

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17 Therefore,

“Come out from them(A)
    and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
    and I will receive you.”[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 6:17 Isaiah 52:11; Ezek. 20:34,41

if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;(A)

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Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle(A) and set apart(B) for the gospel of God(C)

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While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,(A) “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work(B) to which I have called them.”(C)

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15 “‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok(A) and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat(B) and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.(C)

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11 They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings(A) and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them.(B)

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you who minister in the house(A) of the Lord,
    in the courts(B) of the house of our God.

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Lift up your hands(A) in the sanctuary(B)
    and praise the Lord.(C)

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11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him,(A) to minister(B) before him and to burn incense.”

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