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The Portion of the Levites

18 (A)The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat of the offerings to Yahweh by fire and of His inheritance. (B)And they shall have no inheritance among their brothers; Yahweh is their inheritance, as He [a]promised them.

(C)Now this shall be the legal judgment for the priests taken from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, either an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. You shall give him the (D)first fruits of your grain, your new wine and your oil and the first shearing of your sheep. (E)For Yahweh your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes, to (F)stand to minister in the name of Yahweh all the days.

“Now if a Levite comes from any of your gates of the towns throughout Israel where he (G)sojourns and comes [b]whenever he desires to the place which Yahweh chooses, then he shall minister in the name of Yahweh his God like all his brothers the Levites who stand there before Yahweh. (H)They shall eat [c]equal portions, except what they receive from the sale of their fathers’ estates.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 18:2 Lit spoke to
  2. Deuteronomy 18:6 Lit with all the desire of his soul
  3. Deuteronomy 18:8 Lit portion like portion

Provisions for the Levites

18 “The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, will have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They will eat the Lord’s fire offerings; that is their[a][b] inheritance. Although Levi has no inheritance among his brothers, the Lord is his inheritance, as He promised him.(A) This is the priests’ share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether it is an ox, a sheep, or a goat; the priests are to be given the shoulder, jaws, and stomach. You are to give him the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first sheared wool of your flock. For Yahweh your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes to stand and minister in His name from now on.[c] When a Levite leaves one of your towns where he lives in Israel and wants to go to the place the Lord chooses, he may serve in the name of Yahweh his God like all his fellow Levites who minister there in the presence of the Lord. They will eat equal portions besides what he has received from the sale of the family estate.[d](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 18:1 LXX; MT reads his
  2. Deuteronomy 18:1 Or His
  3. Deuteronomy 18:5 Lit name all the days
  4. Deuteronomy 18:8 Hb obscure