Duties of Priests and Levites
1 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and the Levites must suffer the consequences of any guilt connected with serving in the Tent of my presence; but only you and your sons will suffer the consequences of service in the priesthood. 2 Bring in your relatives, the tribe of Levi, to work with you and help you while you and your sons are serving at the Tent. 3 They are to fulfill their duties to you and their responsibilities for the Tent, but they must not have any contact with sacred objects in the Holy Place or with the altar. If they do, both they and you will be put to death. 4 They are to work with you and fulfill their responsibilities for all the service in the Tent, but no unqualified person may work with you. 5 You and your sons alone must fulfill the responsibilities for the Holy Place and the altar, so that my anger will not again break out against the people of Israel. 6 I am the one who has chosen your relatives the Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you. They are dedicated to me, so that they can carry out their duties in the Tent. 7 But you and your sons alone shall fulfill all the responsibilities of the priesthood that concern the altar and what is in the Most Holy Place. These things are your responsibility, because I have given you the gift of the priesthood. Any unqualified person who comes near the sacred objects shall be put to death.”
The Share of the Priests
8 The Lord said to Aaron, “Remember that I am giving you all the special contributions made to me that are not burned as sacrifices. I am giving them to you and to your descendants as the part assigned to you forever. 9 Of the most sacred offerings not burned on the altar, the following belong to you: the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the repayment offerings. Everything that is presented to me as a sacred offering belongs to you and your sons. 10 You must eat these things in a holy place, and only males may eat them; consider them holy.
11 “In addition, any other special contributions that the Israelites present to me shall be yours. I am giving them to you, your sons, and your daughters for all time to come. Every member of your family who is ritually clean may eat them.
12 “I am giving you all the best of the first produce which the Israelites give me each year: olive oil, wine, and grain. 13 It all belongs to you. Every member of your family who is ritually clean may eat it.
14 “Everything in Israel that has been unconditionally dedicated to me belongs to you.
15 “Every first-born child or animal that the Israelites present to me belongs to you. But you must accept payment to buy back every first-born child, and must also accept payment for every first-born animal that is ritually unclean. 16 Children shall be bought back at the age of one month for the fixed price of five pieces of silver, according to the official standard. 17 But the first-born of cows, sheep, and goats are not to be bought back; they belong completely to me and are to be sacrificed. Throw their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an odor pleasing to me. 18 The meat from them belongs to you, like the breast and the right hind leg of the special offering.
19 “I am giving to you, to your sons, and to your daughters, for all time to come, all the special contributions which the Israelites present to me. This is an unbreakable covenant that I have made with you and your descendants.”
20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will not receive any property that can be inherited, and no part of the land of Israel will be assigned to you. I, the Lord, am all you need.”
The Share of the Levites
21 The Lord said, “I have given to the Levites every tithe that the people of Israel present to me. This is in payment for their service in taking care of the Tent of my presence. 22 The other Israelites must no longer approach the Tent and in this way bring on themselves the penalty of death. 23 From now on only the Levites will take care of the Tent and bear the full responsibility for it. This is a permanent rule that applies also to your descendants. The Levites shall have no permanent property in Israel, 24 because I have given to them as their possession the tithe which the Israelites present to me as a special contribution. That is why I told them that they would have no permanent property in Israel.”
The Levites' Tithe
25 The Lord commanded Moses 26 to say to the Levites: “When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that the Lord gives you as your possession, you must present a tenth of it as a special contribution to the Lord. 27 This special contribution will be considered as the equivalent of the offering which the farmer makes of new grain and new wine. 28 In this way you also will present the special contribution that belongs to the Lord from all the tithes which you receive from the Israelites. You are to give this special contribution for the Lord to Aaron the priest. 29 Give it from the best that you receive. 30 When you have presented the best part, you may keep the rest, just as the farmer keeps what is left after he makes his offering. 31 You and your families may eat the rest anywhere, because it is your wages for your service in the Tent. 32 You will not become guilty when you eat it, as long as you have presented the best of it to the Lord. But be sure not to profane the sacred gifts of the Israelites by eating any of the gifts before the best part is offered; if you do, you will be put to death.”
Priesteriem un levītiem uzliktā atbildība
1 Un Kungs teica Āronam: “Tu un tavi dēli, un tavs nams līdz ar tevi, jūs nesīsiet vainu par grēku pret svētvietu – tu un tavi dēli līdz ar tevi nesīs vainu par grēku pret savu priesterību! 2 Un ved sev līdzi arī savus brāļus, Levī cilti, tava tēva cilti, lai tie pievienojas tev un kalpo tev, un tu ar saviem dēliem kalpo Liecības telts priekšā. 3 Viņi lai piekalpo tev un lai kalpo teltī, taču svētvietas traukiem vai altārim lai netuvojas, ka nemirst – gan tie, gan jūs. 4 Lai tie nāk tev līdzi un kalpo Saiešanas teltī, lai dara visu, kas teltī jādara, bet svešinieks jums lai netuvojas. 5 Kalpojiet svētvietā un kalpojiet altārī – tad dusmas vairs nenāks pār Israēla dēliem. 6 Un es, redzi, esmu ņēmis jūsu brāļus levītus no Israēla dēliem jums par dāvanu – tie ir atdoti Kungam, lai kalpotu Saiešanas teltī. 7 Tu un tavi dēli lai savā priesterībā kalpo pie visām altāra lietām un pie tā, kas aiz priekškara, – tur jūs kalposiet! Es dodu jums priesterību kā dāvanu. Svešinieks, kas tur tuvojas, lai mirst!”
Priesteru daļa
8 Un Kungs sacīja Āronam: “Es, redzi, esmu atdevis tavā uzraudzībā visu, kas man upurēts, – no visiem Israēla dēlu svētumiem es esmu tev devis daļu, un tas ir mūžīgs likums taviem dēliem. 9 Tas tev tiks no svētumu svētumiem, no dedzināmajiem upuriem – visas viņu upurveltes, visas viņu labības dāvanas, visi grēku upuri un visi vainas upuri, ko tie dod man, – tas būs svētumu svētums tev un taviem dēliem! 10 Ēdiet to svētumu svētumā, ik vīrs lai ēd to! Tas tev svēts! 11 Arī šis ir tev – viņu cilājamā upurdāvana par visiem Israēla dēlu līgojamiem upuriem ir atdota tev un taviem dēliem, un tavām meitām ar mūžīgu likumu, – ikviens, kas tavā namā šķīsts, lai to ēd! 12 Labākais no eļļas un labākais no vīna un labības pirmā vākuma, ko tie dod Kungam, – tas tev! 13 Pirmie augļi, ko tie pienes Kungam no visa, kas viņu zemēs, tiks tev – ikviens, kas šķīsts tavā namā, lai tos ēd! 14 Viss, kas upurēts Israēlā, būs tavs! 15 Visi, kas pirmie no klēpja nākuši, ko tie no cilvēka vai lopa pienes Kungam, būs tev! – taču cilvēka pirmdzimtie tev ir jāizpērk, un nešķīsto lopu pirmdzimtie tev ir jāizpērk! 16 Šāds ir to izpirkums – mēneša laikā tu vari tos izpirkt ar sudrabu pēc tava vērtējuma, ar pieciem šekeļiem pēc svētvietas šekeļa, tas ir divdesmit geras. 17 Taču govs pirmdzimto vai avs pirmdzimto, vai kazas pirmdzimto tu neizpērc, tie ir svēti – slaki to asinis pār altāri un to taukus kvēpini kā dedzināmo upuri par tīkamu smaržu Kungam! 18 To gaļa tiks tev tāpat kā līgojamā upura krūts gabals un labā ciska. 19 Visus svētos cilājamos upurus, ko upurējuši Israēla dēli, es esmu devis tev un taviem dēliem, un tavām meitām par likumīgo daļu uz mūžiem – tā ir sāls derība uz mūžiem Kunga priekšā – tev un taviem pēcnācējiem!” 20 Un Kungs sacīja Āronam: “Viņu zemē tev nebūs ne mantojuma, ne kopīgas daļas ar tiem – es esmu tava daļa un tavs mantojums starp Israēla dēliem!
21 Un, redzi, Levī dēliem es esmu atdevis visas Israēla dēlu dotās desmitās tiesas par mantojumu, kā atlīdzību par viņu kalpošanu, ka tie kalpo Saiešanas teltī. 22 Israēla dēli Saiešanas teltij lai vairs netuvojas – jo tad tie būs grēkojuši un mirs! 23 Lai levīti dara Saiešanas telts darbus un nes savu vainu – tas jums ir mūžīgs likums uz paaudzēm. Lai tiem nav mantojuma kā citiem Israēla dēliem, 24 jo visas desmitās tiesas, ko dod Israēla dēli par cilājamo upuri Kungam, es esmu atdevis par mantojumu levītiem, tādēļ es tiem teicu: lai tiem nav mantojuma kā citiem Israēla dēliem!”
25 Un Kungs sacīja Mozum: 26 “Runā uz levītiem un saki tiem: kad jūs ņemat no Israēla dēliem desmitās tiesas, ko es jums no tiem esmu devis par mantojumu, tad pienesiet no tām cilājamo upuri Kungam – desmito tiesu no desmitās tiesas. 27 Un jūsu cilājamais upuris jums tiks atmaksāts kā labība no kuļamā klona un vīnspaida pārpilnība! 28 Tā upurējiet Kungam cilājamo upuri no visām jūsu desmitajām tiesām, ko ņemat no Israēla dēliem, dodiet no tām Kunga upurdāvanu priesterim Āronam. 29 No visām savām dāvanām upurējiet Kungam cilājamo upuri – tā treknumu, tā svētīto daļu! – 30 un saki tiem: kad jūs būsiet upurējuši tā treknumu, tad tas tiks atmaksāts jums kā labība no kuļamā klona un vīnspaida pārpilnība! 31 Jūs drīkstat to ēst visur, jūs un jūsu tēva nams, jo tā ir jūsu alga, atlīdzība par jūsu kalpošanu Saiešanas teltī. 32 Kad būsiet upurējuši tā treknumu, jums vairs nebūs grēka. Neapgāniet Israēla dēlu svētumus, tad jūs nemirsiet!”
