25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you(A) as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.(B) 27 Your offering will be reckoned(C) to you as grain from the threshing floor(D) or juice from the winepress.(E) 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes(F) you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’

30 “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.(G) 31 You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting.(H) 32 By presenting the best part(I) of it you will not be guilty in this matter;(J) then you will not defile the holy offerings(K) of the Israelites, and you will not die.’”

Read full chapter

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, (A)a tenth of the tithe. 27 And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the (B)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 [a]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 (C)your [b]reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. 32 And you shall (D)bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not (E)profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 18:29 Lit. fat
  2. Numbers 18:31 wages