Deuteronomy 18:1-8

New American Standard Bible

Portion for the Levites

18 “^(A)The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall not have a portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the Lord’s offerings by fire and His ^[a]property. ²^(B)They shall not have an inheritance among their countrymen; the Lord is their inheritance, as He ^[b]promised them.

³“^(C)Now this shall be the priests’ portion from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, either an ox or a sheep: they shall give the priest the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the stomach. ⁴You shall give him the ^(D)first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep. ⁵^(E)For the Lord your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes, to ^(F)stand to serve in the name of the Lord always.

⁶“Now if a Levite comes from any of your ^[c]towns throughout Israel where he ^(G)resides, and he comes ^[d]whenever he desires to the place which the Lord chooses, ⁷then he shall serve in the name of the Lord his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the Lord. ⁸^(H)They shall eat ^[e]equal portions, except for what they receive from the sale of their fathers’ estates.

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Footnotes

Deuteronomy 18:1 Or inheritance
Deuteronomy 18:2 Lit spoke to
Deuteronomy 18:6 Lit gates
Deuteronomy 18:6 Lit with all the desire of his soul
Deuteronomy 18:8 Lit portion like portion

Deuteronomy 18:1-8

New King James Version

The Portion of the Priests and Levites

18 “The priests, the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have ^[a]no part nor ^(A)inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and His portion. ²Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as He said to them.

³“And this shall be the priest’s ^(B)due^[b] from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. ⁴^(C)The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. ⁵For ^(D)the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes ^(E)to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons forever.

⁶“So if a Levite comes from any of your ^[c]gates, from where he ^(F)dwells among all Israel, and comes with all the desire of his mind ^(G)to the place which the Lord chooses, ⁷then he may serve in the name of the Lord his God ^(H)as all his brethren the Levites do, who stand there before the Lord. ⁸They shall have equal ^(I)portions to eat, besides what comes from the sale of his inheritance.