Numbers

And the LORD said unto 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 iniquity of your priesthood.

1God said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your family have a big job. If anything goes wrong at the holy tent, you must answer for it. You and your sons must answer for mistakes in your work as priests, the men who serve God there for everyone."

2And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.

2"Bring your relatives from the tribe of Levi, your father's family group. They will join you and help you with the work. But only you and your sons may serve in front of the holy tent that holds God's rules."

3And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.

3"They will do the work you give them and care for the whole tent. But they must not go near the holy things or the altar, the place where gifts were burned for God. If they do, they will die, and so will you."

4And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.

4"They will join you and take care of the tent and all its work. No one else may come near you."

5And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

5"You must take care of the holy place and the altar. Then God will not be angry with the people of Israel again."

6And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

6"I myself chose your relatives, the Levites, out of all the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, set apart for God, to work at the tent."

7Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for everything of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

7"Only you and your sons may do the priest's work. That means everything at the altar and behind the curtain. This work is my gift to you. Anyone else who comes near must be put to death."

8And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.

8God said to Aaron, "I am putting you in charge of the gifts people lift up and bring to me. All the holy gifts from Israel are yours. I give them to you and your sons, and this rule will never end."

9This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.

9"Part of the holiest gifts is yours, the part not burned in the fire. Grain gifts, sin gifts, and guilt gifts belong to you and your sons."

NoteThe KJV says "meat offering," but "meat" in 1611 meant food of any kind. This offering was made of grain, not meat.

10In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.

10"Eat it in a holy place. Every man in your family may eat it. Treat it as holy."

11And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.

11"This is yours too: the gifts people lift up and wave before God. I give them to you, your sons, and your daughters. This rule lasts forever. Anyone in your house who is clean, meaning ready to share in worship, may eat it."

12All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.

12"I give you the best olive oil, the best new wine, and the best grain. These are the first and best of the harvest that people bring to God."

13And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the LORD, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it.

13"The first ripe food from their land, brought to God, is yours. Anyone in your house who is clean may eat it."

14Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.

14"Everything in Israel that is given fully to God belongs to you."

15Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

15"Every firstborn, the first one born, belongs to you. That is true for people and animals. But you must buy back every firstborn son. You must also buy back the firstborn of animals that may not be offered."

16And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.

16"When a boy is one month old, you buy him back. The price is five pieces of silver, weighed by the holy weight. That weight is twenty gerahs."

NoteA shekel was a weight of silver, and a gerah was a much smaller weight. Five shekels was the set price for buying back a firstborn son.

17But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

17"But do not buy back the first calf, lamb, or young goat. They are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar. Burn their fat as a gift to God. The smell pleases him."

18And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.

18"Their meat is yours. It belongs to you, just like the breast and the right thigh of the waved gifts."

19All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

19"All the holy gifts Israel brings to God, I give to you and your sons and daughters. This rule lasts forever. It is a covenant of salt, a promise that will always hold."

Note"A covenant of salt" was a way of saying a promise that lasts. Salt kept food from spoiling, so it stood for something that would not change.

20And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

20God said to Aaron, "You will not get land in Israel. You will not get a share like the others. I am your share, and I am what you receive."

21And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

21"I give the Levites every tenth part that people in Israel bring. It is their pay for the work they do at the tent."

22Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.

22"From now on the people of Israel must not come near the tent. If they do, they carry the guilt and die."

23But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.

23"The Levites will do the work at the tent. They must answer for mistakes there. This rule lasts for all time. They will get no land among the people of Israel."

24But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

24"I give the Levites the tenth part that Israel lifts up and brings to God. That is why I said they get no land among the people."

25And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

25God spoke to Moses. He said:

26Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.

26"Tell the Levites this: When you take the tenth part from Israel, part of it goes to God. Give a tenth of that tenth."

27And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.

27"Your gift will count as if it were your own grain and your own wine, grown and gathered by you."

28Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD’s heave offering to Aaron the priest.

28"So give God a gift out of every tenth part you receive from Israel. Hand that gift to Aaron the priest."

29Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.

29"From all the gifts you get, give God the best part. That is the holy part."

30Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.

30"Tell them this: When you have given the best part, the rest is yours. It counts as if you had grown it yourselves."

31And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.

31"You and your families may eat it anywhere. It is your pay for your work at the tent."

32And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

32"When you give the best part, you carry no guilt. But do not treat Israel's holy gifts as common. If you do, you will die."