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Numbers 18
And the Lord said to 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 sins of your priesthood.
And take with thee thy brethren also of the tribe of
Levi, and the sceptre of thy father, and let them be
ready in hand, and minister to thee: but thou and thy
sons shall minister in the tabernacle of the testimony.
And the Levites shall watch to do thy commands, and
about all the works of the tabernacle: only they shall
not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary nor the altar,
lest both they die, and you also perish with them.
But let them be with thee, and watch in the charge of
the tabernacle, and in all the ceremonies thereof. A
stranger shall not join himself with you.
Watch ye in the charge of the sanctuary, and in the
ministry of the altar: lest indignation rise upon the
children of Israel.
I have given you your brethren the Levites from among
the children of Israel, and have delivered them for
a gift to the Lord, to serve in the ministries of the
tabernacle.
But thou and thy sons look ye to the priesthood: and
all things that pertain to the service of the altar,
and that are within the veil, shall be executed by the
priests. If any stranger shall approach, he shall be
slain.
And the Lord said to Aaron: Behold I have given thee
the charge of my firstfruits. All things that are sanctified
by the children of Israel, I have delivered to thee
and to thy sons for the priestly office, by everlasting
ordinances.
These therefore shalt thou take of the things that are
sanctified, and are offered to the Lord. Every offering,
and sacrifice, and whatsoever is rendered to me for
sin and for trespass, and becometh holy of holies, shall
be for thee and thy sons.
Thou shalt eat it in the sanctuary: the males only shall
eat thereof, because it is a consecrated thing to thee.
But the firstfruits, which the children of Israel shall
vow and offer, I have given to thee, and to thy sons,
and to thy daughters, by a perpetual law. He that is
clean in thy house, shall eat them.
All the best of the oil, and of the wine, and of the
corn, whatsoever firstfruits they offer to the Lord,
I have given them to thee.
All the firstripe of the fruits, that the ground bringeth
forth, and which are brought to the Lord, shall be for
thy use: he that is clean in thy house, shall eat them.
Every thing that the children of Israel shall give by
vow, shall be thine.
Whatsoever is firstborn of all flesh, which they offer
to the Lord, whether it be of men, or of beasts, shall
belong to thee: only for the firstborn of man thou shalt
take a price, and every beast that is unclean thou shalt
cause to be redeemed,
And the redemption of it shall be after one month, for
five sicles of silver, by the weight of the sanctuary.
A sicle hath twenty obols.
But the firstling of a cow and of a sheep and of a goat
thou shalt not cause to be redeemed, because they are
sanctified to the Lord. Their blood only thou shalt
pour upon the altar, and their fat thou shalt burn for
a most sweet odour to the Lord.
But the flesh shall fall to thy use, as the consecrated
breast, and the right shoulder shall be thine.
All the firstfruits of the sanctuary which the children
of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to thee and
to thy sons and daughters, by a perpetual ordinance.
It is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord, to
thee and to thy sons.
And the Lord said to Aaron: You shall possess nothing
in their land, neither shall you have a portion among
them: I am thy portion and inheritance in the midst
of the children of Israel.
And I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes
of Israel for a possession for the ministry wherewith
they serve me in the tabernacle of the covenant:
That the children of Israel may not approach any more
to the tabernacle, nor commit deadly sin,
But only the sons of Levi may serve me in the tabernacle,
and bear the sins of the people. It shall be an everlasting
ordinance in your generations. They shall not possess
any other thing,
But be content with the oblation or tithes, which I
have separated for their uses and necessities.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Command the Levites, and declare unto them: When you
shall receive of the children of Israel the tithes,
which I have given you, offer the firstfruits of them
to the Lord, that is to say, the tenth part of the tenth:
That it may be reckoned to you as an oblation of firstfruits,
as well of the barnfloors as of the winepresses:
And of all the things of which you receive tithes, offer
the firstfruits to the Lord, and give them to Aaron
the priest.
All the things that you shall offer of the tithes, and
shall separate for the gifts of the Lord, shall be the
best and choicest things.
And thou shalt say to them: If you offer all the goodly
and the better things of the tithes, it shall be reckoned
to you as if you had given the firstfruits of the barnfloor
and the winepress:
And you shall eat them in all your places, both you
and your families: because it is your reward for the
ministry, wherewith you serve in the tabernacle of the
testimony.
And you shall not sin in this point, by reserving the
choicest and fat things to yourselves, lest you profane
the oblations of the children of Israel, and die. |