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20 And the Lord said to Aaron, “You priests will receive no allotment of land or share of property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment. 21 As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.

22 “From now on, no Israelites except priests or Levites may approach the Tabernacle. If they come too near, they will be judged guilty and will die. 23 Only the Levites may serve at the Tabernacle, and they will be held responsible for any offenses against it. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. The Levites will receive no allotment of land among the Israelites, 24 because I have given them the Israelites’ tithes, which have been presented as sacred offerings to the Lord. This will be the Levites’ share. That is why I said they would receive no allotment of land among the Israelites.”

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20 Then Yahweh said to Aaron, “You will not receive an inheritance in their land, and there will not be a plot of ground for you in the midst of the Israelites.[a]

21 “Behold, I have given to the descendants[b] of Levi every tithe in Israel as an inheritance in return for their service, which they are doing, the work of the tent of assembly. 22 The Israelites[c] will not come near again to the tent of assembly, or they will bear sin[d] and die. 23 The Levites[e] will perform the service of the tent of assembly, and they will bear their guilt, an eternal decree for all your generations. But they will not receive an inheritance in the midst of the Israelites[f] 24 because the tithes[g] of the Israelites[h] that are offered[i] to Yahweh as a contribution, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I said to them, ‘They will not receive an inheritance in the midst of the Israelites.’”[j]

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 18:20 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Numbers 18:21 Or “sons”
  3. Numbers 18:22 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  4. Numbers 18:22 The NRSV translates “they will incur guilt”
  5. Numbers 18:23 Hebrew “Levite”
  6. Numbers 18:23 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  7. Numbers 18:24 Hebrew “tithe”
  8. Numbers 18:24 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Numbers 18:24 Hebrew “raised up”
  10. Numbers 18:24 Literally “sons/children of Israel”