Duties of Priests and Levites

Numbers 18

1 Then the LORD said to Aaron: a "You and your sons and your father's house with you shall b bear the 1 iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. 2 "Also bring with you your brethren of the c tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be d joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of 2 witness. 3 "They shall attend to your 3 needs and e all the needs of the tabernacle; f but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, g lest they die - they and you also. 4 "They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; h but an outsider shall not come near you. 5 "And you shall attend to i the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, j that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. 6 "Behold, I Myself have k taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; l they are a gift to you, given by the LORD, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 "Therefore m you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and n behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a o gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death."

8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron: "Here, p I Myself have also given you 4 charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them q as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever. 9 "This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every r grain offering and every s sin offering and every t trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. 10 u "In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11 "This also is yours: v the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. w Everyone who is 5 clean in your house may eat it. 12 x "All the 6 best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, y their firstfruits which they offer to the LORD, I have given them to you. 13 "Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, z which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. 14 a "Every 7 devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15 "Everything that first opens b the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the LORD, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless c the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 "And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, d according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is e twenty gerahs. 17 f "But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. g You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the LORD. 18 "And their flesh shall be yours, just as the h wave 8 breast and the right thigh are yours. 19 "All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; i it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD with you and your descendants with you." 20 Then the LORD said to Aaron: "You shall have j no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; k I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

21 "Behold, l I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as 9 an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, m the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 n "Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, o lest they bear sin and die. 23 "But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 "For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites 10 as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, 'Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.' "

25 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26 "Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: 'When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, p a tenth of the tithe. 27 'And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the q threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 'Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the LORD from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the LORD's heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. 29 'Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the LORD, from all the 11 best of them, the consecrated part of them.' 30 "Therefore you shall say to them: 'When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. 31 'You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is r your 12 reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. 32 'And you shall s bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not t profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.' "

  1. Cross References
    Numbers 17:13
    "Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die. Shall we all utterly die?"
  2. Cross References
    Exodus 28:38
    So it shall be on Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
    Leviticus 10:17
    Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?
    Leviticus 22:16
    'or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the LORD sanctify them.'"
  3. Cross References
    Genesis 29:34
    She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.
    Numbers 1:47
    But the Levites were not numbered among them by their fathers' tribe.
  4. Cross References
    Numbers 3:5 - 10
    And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
  5. Cross References
    Numbers 3:25
    The duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
    Numbers 3:31
    Their duty included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the screen, and all the work relating to them.
    Numbers 3:36
    And the appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them.
  6. Cross References
    Numbers 16:40
    To be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the LORD had said to him through Moses.
  7. Cross References
    Numbers 4:15
    And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
  8. Cross References
    Numbers 3:10
    "So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death."
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 27:21
    In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.
    Exodus 30:7
    Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.
    Leviticus 24:3
    Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations.
  10. Cross References
    Numbers 8:19
    "And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary."
    Numbers 16:46
    So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun.
  11. Cross References
    Numbers 3:12
    Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine.
    Numbers 3:45
    Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the LORD.
  12. Cross References
    Numbers 3:9
    And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are given entirely to him from among the children of Israel.
  13. Cross References
    Numbers 3:10
    "So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death."
    Numbers 18:5
    And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel.
  14. Cross References
    Hebrews 9:3
    And behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All.
    Hebrews 9:6
    Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services.
  15. Cross References
    Matthew 10:8
    Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
    1 Peter 5:2
    Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly.
    1 Peter 5:3
    Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
  16. Cross References
    Leviticus 6:16
    And the remainder of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; with unleavened bread it shall be eaten in a holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of meeting they shall eat it.
    Leviticus 6:18
    'All the males among the children of Aaron may eat it. It shall be a statute forever in your generations concerning the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Everyone who touches them must be holy.'"
    Leviticus 7:28 - 34
    Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying.
    Numbers 5:9
    Every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.
  17. Cross References
    Exodus 29:29
    And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed in them and to be consecrated in them.
    Exodus 40:13
    You shall put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest.
    Exodus 40:15
    "You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations."
  18. Cross References
    Leviticus 2:2
    He shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
    Leviticus 2:3
    The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron's and his sons'. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.
    Leviticus 10:12
    And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left: "Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings made by fire to the LORD, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy.
    Leviticus 10:13
    You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons' due, of the sacrifices made by fire to the LORD; for so I have been commanded.
  19. Cross References
    Leviticus 6:25
    Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the LORD. It is most holy.
    Leviticus 6:26
    The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting.
  20. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:7
    The trespass offering is like the sin offering; there is one law for them both: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.
    Numbers 5:8 - 10
    But if the man has no relative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for the wrong must go to the LORD for the priest, in addition to the ram of the atonement with which atonement is made for him.
  21. Cross References
    Leviticus 6:16
    And the remainder of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; with unleavened bread it shall be eaten in a holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of meeting they shall eat it.
    Leviticus 6:26
    The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting.
  22. Cross References
    Exodus 29:27
    And from the ram of the consecration you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering which is raised, of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons.
    Exodus 29:28
    It shall be from the children of Israel for Aaron and his sons by a statute forever. For it is a heave offering; it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, that is, their heave offering to the LORD.
    Deuteronomy 18:3 - 5
    And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach.
  23. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:1 - 16
    Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying.
  24. Cross References
    Exodus 23:19
    The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
    Nehemiah 10:35
    And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD.
    Nehemiah 10:36
    To bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.
  25. Cross References
    Exodus 22:29
    You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.
    Leviticus 23:20
    The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
  26. Cross References
    Exodus 22:29
    You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.
    Exodus 23:19
    The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
    Exodus 34:26
    "The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."
  27. Cross References
    Leviticus 27:1 - 33
    Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying.
  28. Cross References
    Exodus 13:2
    "Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine."
  29. Cross References
    Exodus 13:12 - 15
    That you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD's.
    Numbers 3:46
    And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites.
    Luke 2:22 - 24
    Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
  30. Cross References
    Leviticus 27:6
    And if from a month old up to five years old, then your valuation for a male shall be five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.
  31. Cross References
    Exodus 30:13
    This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the LORD.
  32. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 15:19
    All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall sanctify to the LORD your God; you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.
  33. Cross References
    Leviticus 3:2
    And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar.
    Leviticus 3:5
    And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is on the wood that is on the fire, as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
  34. Cross References
    Exodus 29:26 - 28
    Then you shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion.
    Leviticus 7:31 - 36
    And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'.
  35. Cross References
    Leviticus 2:13
    And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
    2 Chronicles 13:5
    Should you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?
    Mark 9:49
    For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
    Mark 9:50
    "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."
  36. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 10:8
    At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Le...
    Deuteronomy 10:9
    Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance w...
    Deuteronomy 12:12
    And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God,...
    Deuteronomy 14:27 - 29
    You shall not forsake the Levite who is within ...
    Deuteronomy 18:1
    The priests, the Levites - all the tribe of Lev...
    Deuteronomy 18:2
    Therefore they shall have no inheritance among ...
    Joshua 13:14
    Only to the tribe of Levi he had given no inher...
    Joshua 13:33
    But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inh...
  37. Cross References
    Psalms 16:5
    O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.
    Ezekiel 44:28
    It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.
  38. Cross References
    Leviticus 27:30 - 33
    And all the tithe of the land, whether of the s...
    Deuteronomy 14:22 - 29
    You shall truly tithe all the increase of your ...
    Nehemiah 10:37
    To bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offe...
    Nehemiah 12:44
    And at the same time some were appointed over t...
    Malachi 3:8 - 10
    Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But...
    Hebrews 7:4 - 10
    Now consider how great this man was, to whom ev...
  39. Cross References
    Numbers 3:7
    And they shall attend to his needs and the needs of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of meeting, to do the work of the tabernacle.
    Numbers 3:8
    Also they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting, and to the needs of the children of Israel, to do the work of the tabernacle.
  40. Cross References
    Numbers 1:51
    And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death.
  41. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:9
    They shall therefore keep My ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they profane it: I the LORD sanctify them.
  42. Cross References
    Nehemiah 10:38
    And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse.
  43. Cross References
    Numbers 15:20
    You shall offer up a cake of the first of your ground meal as a heave offering; as a heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall you offer it up.
    2 Corinthians 8:12
    For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
  44. Cross References
    Matthew 10:10
    Nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
    Luke 10:7
    And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.
    1 Corinthians 9:13
    Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar?
    1 Timothy 5:18
    For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages.
  45. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:8
    Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from his people.
    Leviticus 22:16
    'or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the LORD sanctify them.'"
    Ezekiel 22:26
    Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
  46. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:2
    Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they do not profane My holy name by what they dedicate to Me: I am the LORD.
    Leviticus 22:15
    They shall not profane the holy offerings of the children of Israel, which they offer to the LORD.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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