²⁸ “‘I am to be the only inheritance^(A) the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession.

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.

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

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,^(G) your perpetual share.^(H)

⁷ “For the lips of a priest^(A) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger^(B) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.^(C)

⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built^(A) into a spiritual house^[a](B) to be a holy priesthood,^(C) offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.^(D)

⁹ But you are a chosen people,^(A) a royal priesthood,^(B) a holy nation,^(C) God’s special possession,^(D) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.^(E)

¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;^(A) once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.