Numbers 18
(1) Priests Responsible for Sanctuary
The Existing One told Aaron,
“You, your sons, and everyone who descended from your patriarch will be held responsible for anything bad that happens regarding the sanctuary. But you and your sons will be the only ones held responsible for anything bad that happens regarding the priesthood.
“Bring your relatives (the Levites) so they can help you in the tent where My contract with Israel is stored. They’re allowed to help you fulfill your duties related to the tent, but make sure they don’t come near the sanctuary equipment or the altar. If they do, they’ll die—and you’ll die with them.
“The Levites are allowed to join you in servicing the tent, but no one else is allowed to come near you.
“Make sure you follow all these instructions when tending to the sanctuary and altar. That will keep Israel’s descendants clear from My anger.
“I Myself have taken your fellow Levites away from the rest of Israel’s descendants and gave them to you as a gift, dedicated to the Existing One, so they can service My meeting tent. But you and your sons need to use your priesthood for all things altar-related or inside the veil. You guys are the only ones allowed to perform those services. I’m giving you this priesthood service as a gift, but if anyone else gets too close, that person will be put to death.”
(8) God Gives Israel’s Offerings to the Priests
Then the Existing One told Aaron,
“I Myself put you in charge of My offerings. I even give you all the sacred gifts that Israel’s descendants give to Me. I give them to you as a portion dedicated exclusively to you and your sons. It’s your allotment that you’ll always be entitled to. It will be your portion of the gifts that are set apart and roasted on the altar.
“All the offerings the Israelites give back to Me will be set apart for you and your sons. That includes all the offerings they present for their offenses, as well as all their food offerings. Those gifts are set apart for you and your men. You guys can eat them. And I also give you all the wave offerings that Israel’s descendants offer Me. I pass them on them to you, your sons, and your daughters as your ongoing allotment. Everyone in your household who is clean is allowed to eat them.
“Israel gives Me all their best oil, grain, wine, and fruit, and then I pass them on to you. Every harvest, they bring Me their first crops from the entire region, and those are all yours. Everyone in your household who is clean is allowed to eat them.
“Everything in Israel that’s dedicated to Me will be yours. Whenever anyone (human or animal) has their first baby, and the baby is offered to Me, it will become yours. If it’s a person, you’ll have to redeem it, and if it’s an animal you’ll also have to redeem it.
“When they reach one month old, you’ll have to buy them back for 57 grams of silver.
“For a firstborn ox, sheep, or goat, you won’t need to buy them back, because those animals are already set apart for Me. You’ll just need to sprinkle their blood on the altar, cook their meat, and offer it to Me as a soothing fragrance. Then that meat will belong to you. It will belong to you just like the breast meat or meat from the right thigh used in the wave offerings. All the gifts that the Israelites offer Me, I give to you and your sons and daughters. Those gifts will always be your allotment. This will be an ongoing agreement between Me, you, and your descendants.”
(20) God will be the Priests’ Inheritance
Then the Existing One told Aaron,
“You won’t have any real estate inheritance or own any parcels of land, because I’ll be your parcel and your inheritance.
“I gave Levi’s descendants 10% of everything in Israel in return for servicing My meeting tent.
“Israel’s descendants need to stay away from My meeting tent, so they don’t become guilty and die. The Levites are the only ones allowed to service the meeting tent, and they’ll carry away everyone else’s corruption. That will be an ongoing rule throughout your generations, and they aren’t allowed to own any property. I take the 10% that Israel’s descendants offer Me and give it to the Levies as their property. That’s why I said they aren’t allowed to own any property.”
(25) Levites Must Tithe
Then the Existing One told Moses,
“Also tell the Levites that when they receive the 10% I’ve given them, they’ll need to offer Me 10% of that. (10% of the 10%.)
“The amount the Levites receive will be credited to them as if it were the grain that a farmer leaves on the barn floor for the needy or the wine that winemakers leave at the wine press.
“In that same way, when the Levites receive Israel’s offering of 10%, they’ll need to present 10% of their income to Me as an offering. They’ll give it to Me by bringing it to Aaron the priest. They need to evaluate all the income given to them, and offer Me the best part of each one.
“After they give the best part to Me, they can have the rest. It’s like how the farmers leave some food on the barn’s floor or some wine in the wine vat. They and their households are allowed to eat it wherever they want since it’s their compensation for serving My meeting tent. They won’t be held guilty for eating it as long as they’ve offered Me the best part of it. Just tell them not to defile the gifts that Israel’s descendants set apart for Me, or they’ll die.”