Numbers 18
Good News Translation
Duties of Priests and Levites
18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and the Levites must suffer the consequences of any guilt connected with serving in the Tent of my presence; but only you and your sons will suffer the consequences of service in the priesthood. 2 Bring in your relatives, the tribe of Levi, to work with you and help you while you and your sons are serving at the Tent. 3 They are to fulfill their duties to you and their responsibilities for the Tent, but they must not have any contact with sacred objects in the Holy Place or with the altar. If they do, both they and you will be put to death. 4 They are to work with you and fulfill their responsibilities for all the service in the Tent, but no unqualified person may work with you. 5 You and your sons alone must fulfill the responsibilities for the Holy Place and the altar, so that my anger will not again break out against the people of Israel. 6 I am the one who has chosen your relatives the Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you. They are dedicated to me, so that they can carry out their duties in the Tent. 7 But you and your sons alone shall fulfill all the responsibilities of the priesthood that concern the altar and what is in the Most Holy Place. These things are your responsibility, because I have given you the gift of the priesthood. Any unqualified person who comes near the sacred objects shall be put to death.”
The Share of the Priests
8 The Lord said to Aaron, “Remember that I am giving you all the special contributions made to me that are not burned as sacrifices. I am giving them to you and to your descendants as the part assigned to you forever. 9 Of the most sacred offerings not burned on the altar, the following belong to you: the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the repayment offerings. Everything that is presented to me as a sacred offering belongs to you and your sons. 10 You must eat these things in a holy place, and only males may eat them; consider them holy.
11 “In addition, any other special contributions that the Israelites present to me shall be yours. I am giving them to you, your sons, and your daughters for all time to come. Every member of your family who is ritually clean may eat them.
12 “I am giving you all the best of the first produce which the Israelites give me each year: olive oil, wine, and grain. 13 It all belongs to you. Every member of your family who is ritually clean may eat it.
14 (A)“Everything in Israel that has been unconditionally dedicated to me belongs to you.
15 “Every first-born child or animal that the Israelites present to me belongs to you. But you must accept payment to buy back every first-born child, and must also accept payment for every first-born animal that is ritually unclean. 16 Children shall be bought back at the age of one month for the fixed price of five pieces of silver, according to the official standard. 17 But the first-born of cows, sheep, and goats are not to be bought back; they belong completely to me and are to be sacrificed. Throw their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an odor pleasing to me. 18 The meat from them belongs to you, like the breast and the right hind leg of the special offering.
19 “I am giving to you, to your sons, and to your daughters, for all time to come, all the special contributions which the Israelites present to me. This is an unbreakable covenant that I have made with you and your descendants.”
20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will not receive any property that can be inherited, and no part of the land of Israel will be assigned to you. I, the Lord, am all you need.”
The Share of the Levites
21 (B)The Lord said, “I have given to the Levites every tithe that the people of Israel present to me. This is in payment for their service in taking care of the Tent of my presence. 22 The other Israelites must no longer approach the Tent and in this way bring on themselves the penalty of death. 23 From now on only the Levites will take care of the Tent and bear the full responsibility for it. This is a permanent rule that applies also to your descendants. The Levites shall have no permanent property in Israel, 24 because I have given to them as their possession the tithe which the Israelites present to me as a special contribution. That is why I told them that they would have no permanent property in Israel.”
The Levites' Tithe
25 The Lord commanded Moses 26 to say to the Levites: “When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that the Lord gives you as your possession, you must present a tenth of it as a special contribution to the Lord. 27 This special contribution will be considered as the equivalent of the offering which the farmer makes of new grain and new wine. 28 In this way you also will present the special contribution that belongs to the Lord from all the tithes which you receive from the Israelites. You are to give this special contribution for the Lord to Aaron the priest. 29 Give it from the best that you receive. 30 When you have presented the best part, you may keep the rest, just as the farmer keeps what is left after he makes his offering. 31 You and your families may eat the rest anywhere, because it is your wages for your service in the Tent. 32 You will not become guilty when you eat it, as long as you have presented the best of it to the Lord. But be sure not to profane the sacred gifts of the Israelites by eating any of the gifts before the best part is offered; if you do, you will be put to death.”
Numbers 18
King James Version
18 And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.
9 This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of their's, every meat offering of their's, and every sin offering of their's, and every trespass offering of their's which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.
10 In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
11 And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.
12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee.
13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it.
14 Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.
15 Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the Lord, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the Lord.
18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.
19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.
23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
25 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe.
27 And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.
28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord'S heave offering to Aaron the priest.
29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.
30 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.
31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.
32 And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.
Numbers 18
Expanded Bible
The Work of the Priests and Levites
18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your ·family [father’s house] are now responsible for any wrongs done against the Holy Place; you and your sons are responsible for any wrongs done against the priests. 2 Bring with you your ·fellow [brother] Levites from your tribe, and they will ·help [join; C the name Levi means “joined”] you and your sons serve in the Tent of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10]. 3 They are under your control, to do all the work that needs to be done in the Tent. But they must not go near the things in the Holy Place or near the altar. If they do, both you and they will die. 4 They will join you in taking care of the Meeting Tent. They must do the work at the Tent, and no ·one else [stranger; outsider] may come near you.
5 “You must take care of the Holy Place and the altar so that I won’t become angry with the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] again. 6 I myself chose your ·fellow [brother] Levites from among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] as a gift given for you to the Lord, to work at the Meeting Tent. 7 But only you and your sons may ·serve as priests [L guard the priesthood]. Only you may serve at the altar or go behind the curtain. I am giving you this gift of serving as a priest, and ·anyone else [any stranger/outsider] who comes near the Holy Place will be put to death.”
8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself make you responsible for the offerings given to me. All the holy offerings that the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] give to me, I give to you and your sons as your share, your ·continual [perpetual] portion. 9 Your share of the ·holy offerings [L holy of the holy things] is that part which is not burned. When the people bring me gifts as ·most holy offerings [L holy of the holy things], whether they are ·grain [L gift; tribute; Lev. 2:1] or ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] or ·penalty [guilt; reparation; Lev. 5:14—6:7] offerings, they will be set apart for you and your sons. 10 You must eat the offering in ·a most holy place [L the holy of holy places]. Any male may eat it, but you must respect it as holy.
11 “I also give you the offerings the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] present to me. I give these to you and your sons and daughters as your ·continual [perpetual] share. Anyone in your ·family [L house] who is clean [C in a ritual sense] may eat it.
12 “And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. This is what ·the Israelites [L they] give to me, the Lord, from the first crops they harvest. 13 When they bring to the Lord all the first things they harvest, they will be yours. Anyone in your ·family [L house] who is clean [C in a ritual sense] may eat these things.
14 “Everything in Israel that is ·given to the Lord [devoted; C set aside for God] is yours. 15 The ·first one born [L one that opens the womb] to any family, whether people or animals, will be offered to the Lord. And that will be yours. But you must ·make a payment for [ransom; redeem] every firstborn child and every firstborn animal that is unclean [C in a ritual sense]. 16 When they are one month old, you ·must make a payment for [ransom; redeem] them of ·two ounces [L five shekels, that is twenty gerahs] of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure [3:40–50; Ex. 13:2, 11–16].
17 “But you must not ·make a payment for [ransom; redeem] the firstborn ox or sheep or goat. Those animals are holy. ·Sprinkle [Dash] their blood on the altar and ·burn [turn into smoke] their fat as an offering made by fire. The smell is pleasing to the Lord. 18 But the meat will be yours, just as the breast that is presented and the right thigh will be yours. 19 Anything the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] present as holy gifts I, the Lord, give to you, your sons and daughters as your ·continual [perpetual] portion. This is a lasting ·agreement [treaty; covenant] of salt [C representing perpetual agreement because salt can survive fire; Lev. 2:13] before the Lord for you and your children forever.”
20 The Lord also said to Aaron, “You will not inherit any of the land, and you will not own any land among the other people [Gen. 49:5–7]. I will be yours. Out of all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], only you will inherit me.
21 “When the people of Israel give me a ·tenth [T tithe] of what they make, I will give that tenth to the ·Levites [L sons of Levi; Lev. 27:30–32; Deut. 12:17–19; 14:22–29]. This is their payment for the work they do serving at the Meeting Tent. 22 But the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] must never go near the Meeting Tent, or they will die for their sin. 23 Only the Levites should work in the Meeting Tent and be responsible for any sins against it. This is a ·rule from now on [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement throughout your generations]. The Levites will not inherit any land among the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], 24 but when the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] give a ·tenth [T tithe] of everything they make to me, I will give that ·tenth [T tithe] to the Levites as a reward. That is why I said about the Levites: ‘They will not inherit any land among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].’”
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them: ‘You will receive a ·tenth [T tithe] of everything the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] make, which I will give to you. But you must give a ·tenth of that [L tenth of a tenth; T tithe of a tithe] back to the Lord. 27 I will accept your offering just as much as I accept the offerings from others, who give ·new grain [L the grain of the threshing floor] or ·new wine [L the fullness of the winepress]. 28 In this way you will present an offering to the Lord as the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] do. When you receive a ·tenth [T tithe] from the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], you will give a ·tenth [tithe] of that to Aaron, the priest, as the Lord’s share. 29 Choose the best and holiest part from what you are given as the portion you must give to the Lord.’
30 “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best, it will be accepted as much as the ·grain [L product of the threshing floor] and ·wine [L product of the wine press] from the other people. 31 You and your ·families [L house] may eat all that is left anywhere, because it is your pay for your work in the Meeting Tent. 32 And if you always give the best part to the Lord, you will never be guilty. If you do not ·sin against [profane] the holy offerings of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], you will not die.’”
4 Mosebok 18
Svenska Folkbibeln
Prästernas och leviternas plikter och rättigheter
18 Herren sade till Aron: "Du och dina söner och din fars hus med dig skall bära den missgärning som hör till helgedomen, och du och dina söner med dig skall bära den missgärning som hör till ert prästämbete. 2 Men också dina bröder av Levi stam, din fars stam, skall du låta få tillträde dit tillsammans med dig, och de skall hålla sig till dig och betjäna dig, medan du och dina söner med dig gör tjänst vid vittnesbördets tält. 3 De skall sköta vad du har att sköta och vad som hör till skötseln av tältet. Men de får inte komma nära de heliga redskapen eller altaret, för att inte både de och ni skall dö. 4 De skall hålla sig till dig och sköta vad som hör till uppenbarelsetältet, under all tjänstgöring vid tältet. Ingen främling får komma nära dig. 5 Ni skall iaktta vad som hör till skötseln av helgedomen och altaret, för att inte vrede åter skall komma över Israels barn. 6 Det är jag som har utvalt era bröder, leviterna, bland Israels barn. De är en gåva åt er, givna åt Herren till att förrätta tjänsten vid uppenbarelsetältet. 7 Men du och dina söner med dig skall sköta vad som hör till ert prästämbete, i allt som avser altaret och det som är innanför förlåten. Så skall ni göra tjänst. Jag ger er prästämbetet som en gåva. Om en obehörig inkräktar på det skall han dödas."
Prästernas andel
8 Herren sade till Aron: "Se, jag överlämnar åt dig att ta hand om det som offras åt mig. Av Israels barns alla heliga gåvor ger jag detta som en ämbetslott åt dig och dina söner, som en evig rätt. 9 Av det högheliga som inte lämnas åt elden skall detta tillhöra dig: Alla deras offergåvor, alla matoffer, syndoffer eller skuldoffer, som de offrar åt mig. Detta är högheligt och tillhör dig och dina söner. 10 På en höghelig plats skall du äta det. Alla av manligt kön skall äta det. Det skall vara heligt för dig. 11 Också Israels barns alla viftoffer som bärs fram som gåvor skall tillhöra dig. Som en evig rättighet ger jag dem åt dig och dina söner och döttrar med dig. Var och en i ditt hus som är ren må äta det.
12 Allt det bästa av oljan och det bästa av det nya vinet och av säden, det första av det som de ger åt Herren, ger jag åt dig. 13 De första frukterna av allt som växer i deras land och som de bär fram åt Herren skall tillhöra dig. Var och en i ditt hus som är ren må äta av det. 14 Allt i Israel som är givet till spillo skall tillhöra dig. 15 Allt som öppnar moderlivet, varje varelse, människa eller djur, som de för fram till Herren skall tillhöra dig. Men det förstfödda bland människor skall du friköpa. Även det förstfödda bland orena djur skall du friköpa. 16 När de är en månad gamla skall du friköpa dem med den lösensumma som är bestämd till fem siklar silver, efter helgedomssikelns vikt, som är tjugo gera. 17 Men det förstfödda bland nötboskap eller det förstfödda bland får eller det förstfödda bland getter skall du inte friköpa. Det är heligt. Deras blod skall du stänka på altaret, och deras fett skall du förbränna som ett eldsoffer till en ljuvlig doft för Herren. 18 Men deras kött skall tillhöra dig, liksom även viftoffersbringan och det högra lårstycket skall tillhöra dig. 19 Alla heliga gåvor som Israels barn offrar åt Herren ger jag åt dig och dina söner och döttrar med dig som en evig rätt. Detta skall vara ett evigt saltförbund inför Herrens ansikte, för dig och för dina avkomlingar."
Leviternas arvedel
20 Herren sade till Aron: "I deras land skall du inte ha någon arvedel, och du skall inte ha någon lott bland dem. Jag skall vara din lott och din arvedel bland Israels barn. 21 Se, jag ger åt Levi barn allt tionde i Israel till arvedel, som lön för den tjänst de utför, tjänsten vid uppenbarelsetältet. 22 Och Israels barn skall härefter inte komma nära uppenbarelsetältet, ty de kommer då att bära på synd och måste dö. 23 Det är leviterna som skall förrätta tjänsten vid uppenbarelsetältet, och de skall själva bära sina missgärningar. Det skall vara en evig stadga från släkte till släkte: Bland Israels barn skall de inte ha någon arvedel. 24 Ty det tionde som Israels barn offrar som gåva åt Herren ger jag som arvedel åt leviterna. Det är därför jag säger om dem: De skall inte ha någon arvedel bland Israels barn."
25 Och Herren talade till Mose. Han sade: 26 "Tala till leviterna och säg: När ni av Israels barn tar emot det tionde som jag har bestämt att ni skall få av dem som er arvedel, då skall ni av det ge en gåva åt Herren, ett tionde av tiondena. 27 Denna er gåva skall räknas som om det vore brödsäd från logen och den fulla avkastningen från vinpressen. 28 På detta sätt skall också ni ge en gåva åt Herren av allt tionde som ni tar emot av Israels barn. Denna Herrens gåva av tionden skall ni ge åt prästen Aron. 29 Av alla gåvor ni får skall ni offra åt Herren allt det som tillhör honom, det bästa av gåvorna, den del som är helig.
30 Du skall säga till dem: När ni ger som gåva det bästa, skall leviternas gåva räknas som om det vore vad loge och press avkastar. 31 Med ert husfolk får ni äta det var som helst, ty det är er lön för er tjänstgöring vid uppenbarelsetältet. 32 När ni offrar det bästa av det skall ni inte bära på synd. Då skall ni inte ohelga Israels barns heliga gåvor, så att ni måste dö."
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
1996, 1998 by Stiftelsen Svenska Folkbibeln