Study Desk

"To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the ^(C1)tithe in Israel as an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting.

"And ^(C1)the sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, or they will bring sin on themselves and die.

"Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall ^(C1)bear their own guilt; it shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel ^(C2)they shall have no inheritance.

"For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, '^(C1)They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.'"

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

"Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, 'When you take from the sons of Israel ^(C1)the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a ^(C2)tithe of the tithe.

'Your offering shall be credited to you like the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat.

'So you shall also present an offering to the LORD from all your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the LORD'S offering to Aaron the priest.

'Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the LORD, from all the ^(F1)best of them, ^(F2)the sacred part from them.'

"And you shall say to them, 'When you have ^(F1)offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be credited to the Levites like the product of the threshing floor, and like the product of the wine vat.

'You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting.

'And you will bring on yourselves no sin by reason of it when you have ^(F1)offered the ^(F2)best of it. But you shall not ^(C1)profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, so that you do not die.'"