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Portions for the Priests

Yahweh spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I myself have given to you the responsibility of my contributions for all the holy objects of the Israelites;[a] I have given them as a portion to you and your sons as an eternal decree. This will be for you from the sanctuary of the holy things from the fire; all of their offerings, from every grain offering, from every sin offering, and from every guilt offering which they will bring to me is a most holy thing[b] for you and your sons. 10 You will eat it in the most holy place;[c] every male will eat it. It will be a holy object to you. 11 This is also for you: the contribution of their gift of the wave offerings of the children Israel. I have given them to you and your sons and your daughters with you as an eternal decree; whoever is clean in your house may eat it. 12 All the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and their best grain that they have given to Yahweh, I have given them to you. 13 The firstfruits of all that is in their land that they present to Yahweh will be for you; whoever is clean in your house may eat it. 14 All consecrated possessions[d] in Israel will be for you. 15 All the first offspring of a womb of any creature that they offer to Yahweh, whether human or animal, will be yours; you will surely redeem the firstborn of the human and the unclean firstborn of the animal. 16 As to their price of redemption, from a one-month-old[e] you will redeem them according to your proper value, five shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerah. 17 Only the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat you will not redeem; they are holy. Their blood you will sprinkle over the altar, and their fat you will turn into smoke as an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. 18 But their flesh will be for you like the breast section of the wave offering, and it will be for you like the right upper thigh. 19 All the contributions of holiness that the Israelites[f] offer to Yahweh I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you as an eternal decree; it is an eternal covenant of salt before[g] Yahweh to you and your offspring with you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 18:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Numbers 18:9 Literally “a holy object of holiness”
  3. Numbers 18:10 Alternatively “as a holy object of holiness”
  4. Numbers 18:14 Hebrew “possession”
  5. Numbers 18:16 Literally “a son of a month”
  6. Numbers 18:19 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  7. Numbers 18:19 Literally “in the presence of”

Ownership for Offerings

Then the Lord told Aaron, “Look! I am indeed placing you in charge of my raised offerings and the holy things concerning the Israelis. Because of your anointing, I’m giving you and your sons a prescribed portion forever. This is what is to belong to you from consecrated offerings spared[a] from the fire: all of their offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings that they render to me. They’re to be considered most sacred to you and your sons. 10 You may eat them as consecrated gifts. Every male may eat them. They’re sacred for you. 11 The raised offering and wave offerings presented by the Israelis are yours, too. I’ve given them to you, to your sons, and to your daughters as a prescribed apportionment forever. Everyone who is clean in your household may eat it. 12 All the best[b] oil, wine, grain, and first fruits that they give to the Lord are to belong to you. Everyone who is clean in your household may eat it.

13 “The first ripe fruits of everything that the land produces and that they bring to the Lord are yours, too. Everyone who is clean in your household may eat it. 14 Every devoted thing in Israel is yours, too. 15 Everything that opens the womb, any living thing that they bring to the Lord—whether from human beings or animals—are for you. Just be sure that you redeem the firstborn of people and the firstborn of unclean animals. 16 Those that can be redeemed, you are to redeem at the age of one month, based on your estimate—for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, that is, for 20 gerahs. 17 But you are not to redeem the firstborn of a cow, sheep, or a female goat. They are holy. You are to sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat for an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 18 Their meat is to belong to you, just as the breast wave offering and the right thigh is yours. 19 I’m giving you, your sons, and your daughters as a prescribed portion forever all the raised offerings of the consecrated things that the Israelis offer to the Lord. It’s a salt covenant forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 18:9 The Heb. lacks spared
  2. Numbers 18:12 Lit. fat