Numbers 18 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~1445 to 1407 BC, during the desert years, immediately after the priesthood was settled
Location
the tent of meeting in the wilderness camp, with rules anticipating settled life in Canaan
Audience
Aaron's priestly family and the wider tribe of Levi, along with the Israelites who would support them
Situation
With the people terrified that anyone approaching the sanctuary will die, God spells out exactly who guards what: Aaron's sons handle the altar and the inner holy things, the rest of the Levites assist but must not touch the sacred objects. Their pay is the offerings and a tenth of the nation's produce, since neither group will receive farmland.
Key Background
Every other tribe would receive a territory in Canaan, but the priests and Levites received income instead of land, which made them structurally dependent on the faithfulness of the other tribes rather than on their own harvests. The tenth, usually called the tithe, was a familiar tax rate across the ancient Near East for supporting temples and palaces, so the amount would have sounded normal even though its destination did not. The Levites in turn paid a tenth of what they received back to the priests, so the system carried the same obligation all the way up.
Yahweh said to Aaron, "You, your sons, and the rest of your father's tribe will the for connected to the for And you and your sons with you will the for connected to your priesthood."
"Bring your relatives from the of — your father's — along with you, so they can join you and serve alongside you while you and your sons minister before the of the
"They will carry out duties for you and for the whole tent. But they must not come near the that to or the altar, or both they and you will die."
"They will join with you and take care of the of — handling all the work connected to the No may come near you."
"You will take charge of the that to and of the altar, so that my against the Israelites again."
"Look, I myself have your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a to you, to to do the work of the Tent of Meeting."
"But you and your sons — only you — will handle the priestly duties at the altar and the I am giving you the as a of Any unauthorized person who comes near will be put to death."
Then Yahweh said to Aaron, "Look, I am putting you in charge of my Everything the Israelites bring that to me, I am giving to you and your sons as your
"This is what will be yours from the that to the part kept back from the fire: every offering they bring, whether grain or all of it belongs to and it belongs to you and your sons."
"You must eat it as something that to Every you may eat it. Treat it as belonging to
"This also belongs to you: the contribution portions from all the Israelites' I am giving them to you, your sons, and your daughters as a permanent provision. Everyone in your household who is may eat them."
"All the olive oil, the new wine, and the grain — the they give to Yahweh — I am giving them to you."
"The of everything in their land that they bring to Yahweh will be yours. Everyone in your household who is ritually clean may eat it."
"Everything in Israel that has been to belongs to you."
"Every of any creature — human or animal — that is presented to Yahweh will be yours. But you must always every human, and you must every of an unclean animal."
"The buy-back price for a month-old child is of measured by the at which is twenty gerahs per piece."
"But you must not buy back a firstborn cow, sheep, or goat. They to You will their on the and burn their fat as a fire offering, a to Yahweh."
"But the meat belongs to you, just like the of the and the right thigh — those are yours too."
"Every contribution the Israelites lift up to Yahweh from what to I am giving to you, your sons, and your daughters as a provision. This is a before Yahweh for you and your descendants."
Yahweh said to Aaron, "You will not receive any land among the Israelites, and you won't own any of land. I am and among the Israelites."
"As for the Levites — I am giving them every in Israel as their inheritance, in return for the work they do serving at the Tent of Meeting."
"From now on, the other Israelites must not come near the Tent of Meeting, or they will the of their
"The Levites themselves will do the work of the Tent of Meeting and bear responsibility for any violations connected to it. This is a for every the Levites will receive no land inheritance among the Israelites."
"Because I am giving the Levites the tenth portion that the Israelites up as a to Yahweh, that is their inheritance. That's why I told them they would not receive a land inheritance among the Israelites."
Yahweh said to Moses,
"Tell the Levites: 'When you receive the portion from the Israelites that I am giving you as your inheritance, you must lift out a of that as a contribution to Yahweh.'"
"Your contribution will be to you as if it were grain from the or juice from the winepress."
"In this same way, you too must out a to Yahweh from every tenth portion you receive from the Israelites. You will give Yahweh's from it to Aaron the priest."
"From everything given to you, you must lift out the full contribution due to Yahweh, taking it from the very the that to
"Tell them: 'Once you have out the of it, the remainder will be credited to the Levites as produce from the threshing floor and the winepress.'"
"You and households may eat the rest of it anywhere — it is in return for service at the Tent of Meeting."
"And once you have lifted out the best portion, you will not be of But do not what the Israelites have given God as if it were or you will die."