Numbers 18:1-7

Legacy Standard Bible

Responsibilities of the Levites

18 So Yahweh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall ^(A)bear the guilt ^[a]in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt ^[b]in connection with your priesthood. ² But bring near with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be ^(B)joined with you and minister to you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. ³ And they shall thus keep your responsibility and the responsibility of all the tent, but ^(C)they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and ^(D)the altar, so that neither they nor you will die. ⁴ And they shall be joined with you and keep the responsibility of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but ^[c]an outsider may not come near you. ⁵ So you shall keep the ^(E)responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, ^(F)so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. ⁶ And behold, I Myself ^(G)have taken your brothers the Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are ^(H)a gift to you, given to Yahweh, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. ⁷ But you and your sons with you shall ^(I)keep your priesthood in everything that concerns the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as ^(J)a ^[d]bestowed service, but ^(K)the ^[e]outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”