⁵ And indeed ^(A)those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham;

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.

⁵ As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance ^(C)the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the ^(D)tithe of everything. ⁶ And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the ^(E)tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God they laid in heaps.

Tithes for Support of the Levites

²¹ “Behold, ^(A)I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as ^[a]an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, ^(B)the work of the tabernacle of meeting. ^22 (C)Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, ^(D)lest they bear sin and die. ²³ But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴ For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites ^[b]as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ”

The Tithe of the Levites

²⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁶ “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, ^(E)a tenth of the tithe. ²⁷ And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the ^(F)threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. ²⁸ Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. ²⁹ Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the ^[c]best of them, the consecrated part of them.’ ³⁰ Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. ³¹ You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is ^(G)your ^[d]reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. ³² And you shall ^(H)bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not ^(I)profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”

¹⁰ and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? ¹¹ Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. ^(A)And what is Aaron that you complain against him?”

³⁰ And ^(A)all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord. ^31 (B)If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. ³² And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever ^(C)passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. ³³ He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, ^(D)nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.’ ”

¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

¹⁰ I also realized that the portions for the Levites had ^(A)not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to ^(B)his field.

¹⁹ Nevertheless ^(A)you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’

⁷ Therefore ^(A)you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and ^(B)behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a ^(C)gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”