Numbers 18:5

THE MESSAGE

"Your job is to take care of the Sanctuary and the Altar so that there will be no more outbreaks of anger on the People of Israel. I personally have picked your brothers, the Levites, from Israel as a whole. I'm giving them to you as a gift, a gift of God , to help with the work of the Tent of Meeting. But only you and your sons may serve as priests, working around the Altar and inside the curtain. The work of the priesthood is my exclusive gift to you; it cannot be delegated—anyone else who invades the Sanctuary will be executed."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
You shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be wrath no more on the children of Yisra'el.

King James Version
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

Lexham English Bible
You will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, and there will no longer be wrath on the Israelites.

New Century Version
"You must take care of the Holy Place and the altar so that I won't become angry with the Israelites again.

New English Translation
You will be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the care of the altar, so that there will be no more wrath on the Israelites.

Amplified Bible
"So you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar [of burnt offering and the altar of incense], so that there will no longer be wrath on the Israelites [as with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram].

New American Standard Bible
"So you shall perform the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore shall ye keepe the charge of the Sanctuarie, and the charge of the altar: so there shall fall no more wrath vpon the children of Israel.

Legacy Standard Bible
So you shall keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel.

Contemporary English Version
Follow these instructions, so I won't become angry and punish the Israelites ever again.

Complete Jewish Bible
You will take charge of all the holy things and the altar, so that there will no longer be anger against the people of Isra'el.

Darby Translation
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there come no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

Easy-to-Read Version
"You are responsible for caring for the holy place and the altar. I don't want to become angry with the Israelites again.

English Standard Version
And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel.

George Lamsa Translation
And you shall have charge of the sanctuary, and charge of the altar, that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

Good News Translation
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.

Christian Standard Bible®
“You are to guard the sanctuary and the altar so that wrath may not fall on the Israelites again.

Literal Translation
And you shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, and there shall be no more wrath against the sons of Israel.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore wayte now vpon the seruyce of the Sanctuary, and vpon the seruyce of the altare, that there come no more wrath vpon the children of Israel.

American Standard Version
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel.

Bible in Basic English
You are to be responsible for the holy place and the altar, so that wrath may never again come on the children of Israel.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore shall ye kepe the charge of the sanctuarie, and the charge of the aulter, that there fall no more wrath vpon the children of Israel:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And ye shall keep the charge of the holy things, and the charge of the altar, that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel.

King James Version (1611)
And yee shall keepe the charge of the Sanctuary, and the charge of the Altar, that there be no wrath any more vpon the children of Israel.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And ye shall keep the charges of the holy things, and the charges of the altar, and so there shall not be anger among the children of Israel.

English Revised Version
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel.

Berean Standard Bible
And you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and of the altar, that wrath may not fall on the Israelites again.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Wake ye in the kepyng of the seyntuarie, and in the seruyce of the auter, lest indignacioun rise on the sones of Israel.

Young's Literal Translation
and ye have kept the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, and there is no more wrath against the sons of Israel.

Update Bible Version
And you shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there will be no more wrath on the sons of Israel.

Webster's Bible Translation
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

World English Bible
You shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be wrath no more on the children of Israel.

New King James Version
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.

New Living Translation
"You yourselves must perform the sacred duties inside the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, the Lord 's anger will never again blaze against the people of Israel.

New Life Bible
You must do the work of the meeting tent and the work of the altar, so there will no longer be anger on the people of Israel.

New Revised Standard
You yourselves shall perform the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, so that wrath may never again come upon the Israelites.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So shall ye keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, - that there no more be wrath against the sons of Israel.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Watch ye in the charge of the sanctuary, and in the ministry of the altar: lest indignation rise upon the children of Israel.

Revised Standard Version
And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there be wrath no more upon the people of Israel.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel.

Contextual Overview

¹ God said to Aaron, "You and your sons, along with your father's family, are responsible for taking care of sins having to do with the Sanctuary; you and your sons are also responsible for sins involving the priesthood. So enlist your brothers of the tribe of Levi to join you and assist you and your sons in your duties in the Tent of Testimony. They will report to you as they go about their duties related to the Tent, but they must not have anything to do with the holy things of the Altar under penalty of death—both they and you will die! They are to work with you in taking care of the Tent of Meeting, whatever work is involved in the Tent. Outsiders are not allowed to help you. ⁵"Your job is to take care of the Sanctuary and the Altar so that there will be no more outbreaks of anger on the People of Israel. I personally have picked your brothers, the Levites, from Israel as a whole. I'm giving them to you as a gift, a gift of God , to help with the work of the Tent of Meeting. But only you and your sons may serve as priests, working around the Altar and inside the curtain. The work of the priesthood is my exclusive gift to you; it cannot be delegated—anyone else who invades the Sanctuary will be executed."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And ye: Numbers 8:2, Exodus 27:21, Exodus 30:7-10, Leviticus 24:3, 1 Chronicles 9:19, 1 Chronicles 9:23, 1 Chronicles 9:33, 1 Chronicles 24:5, 1 Timothy 1:18, 1 Timothy 3:15, 1 Timothy 5:21, 1 Timothy 6:20

no wrath: Numbers 8:19, Numbers 16:46, Jeremiah 23:15, Zechariah 10:3

Reciprocal: Numbers 1:53 - there be Numbers 4:18 - General Numbers 18:7 - Therefore thou 2 Chronicles 35:2 - charges Ezekiel 40:45 - the keepers Ezekiel 40:46 - the keepers Ezekiel 43:19 - which approach Colossians 4:17 - Take Hebrews 8:4 - he should

Cross-References

Genesis 33:10
Jacob said, "Please. If you can find it in your heart to welcome me, accept these gifts. When I saw your face, it was as the face of God smiling on me. Accept the gifts I have brought for you. God has been good to me and I have more than enough." Jacob urged the gifts on him and Esau accepted.

Judges 13:15
Manoah said to the angel of God, "Please, stay with us a little longer; we'll prepare a meal for you—a young goat."

Judges 19:5
On the fourth day, they got up at the crack of dawn and got ready to go. But the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a hearty breakfast and then you can go." So they sat down and ate breakfast together. The girl's father said to the man, "Come now, be my guest. Stay the night—make it a holiday." The man got up to go, but his father-in-law kept after him, so he ended up spending another night. On the fifth day, he was again up early, ready to go. The girl's father said, "You need some breakfast." They went back and forth, and the day slipped on as they ate and drank together. But the man and his concubine were finally ready to go. Then his father-in-law, the girl's father, said, "Look, the day's almost gone—why not stay the night? There's very little daylight left; stay another night and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get an early start and set off for your own place." But this time the man wasn't willing to spend another night. He got things ready, left, and went as far as Jebus (Jerusalem) with his pair of saddled donkeys, his concubine, and his servant. At Jebus, though, the day was nearly gone. The servant said to his master, "It's late; let's go into this Jebusite city and spend the night." But his master said, "We're not going into any city of foreigners. We'll go on to Gibeah." He directed his servant, "Keep going. Let's go on ahead. We'll spend the night either at Gibeah or Ramah." So they kept going. As they pressed on, the sun finally left them in the vicinity of Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They left the road there to spend the night at Gibeah. The Levite went and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them in to spend the night. Then, late in the evening, an old man came in from his day's work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim and lived temporarily in Gibeah where all the local citizens were Benjaminites. When the old man looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, he said, "Where are you going? And where are you from?" The Levite said, "We're just passing through. We're coming from Bethlehem on our way to a remote spot in the hills of Ephraim. I come from there. I've just made a trip to Bethlehem in Judah and I'm on my way back home, but no one has invited us in for the night. We wouldn't be any trouble: We have food and straw for the donkeys, and bread and wine for the woman, the young man, and me—we don't need anything." The old man said, "It's going to be all right; I'll take care of you. You aren't going to spend the night in the town square." He took them home and fed the donkeys. They washed up and sat down to a good meal. They were relaxed and enjoying themselves when the men of the city, a gang of local hell-raisers all, surrounded the house and started pounding on the door. They yelled for the owner of the house, the old man, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him." He went out and told them, "No, brothers! Don't be obscene—this man is my guest. Don't commit this outrage. Look, my virgin daughter and his concubine are here. I'll bring them out for you. Abuse them if you must, but don't do anything so senselessly vile to this man." But the men wouldn't listen to him. Finally, the Levite pushed his concubine out the door to them. They raped her repeatedly all night long. Just before dawn they let her go. The woman came back and fell at the door of the house where her master was sleeping. When the sun rose, there she was. It was morning. Her master got up and opened the door to continue his journey. There she was, his concubine, crumpled in a heap at the door, her hands on the threshold. "Get up," he said. "Let's get going." There was no answer. He lifted her onto his donkey and set out for home. When he got home he took a knife and dismembered his concubine—cut her into twelve pieces. He sent her, piece by piece, throughout the country of Israel. And he ordered the men he sent out, "Say to every man in Israel: ‘Has such a thing as this ever happened from the time the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until now? Think about it! Talk it over. Do something!'"

Psalms 104:15
class="poetry"> O my soul, bless God ! God , my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed, Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters; Then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst. Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard. You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water. You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plow the ground. Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, wine to make people happy, Their faces glowing with health, a people well-fed and hearty. God 's trees are well-watered— the Lebanon cedars he planted. Birds build their nests in those trees; look—the stork at home in the treetop. Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; badgers burrow among the rocks. The moon keeps track of the seasons, the sun is in charge of each day. When it's dark and night takes over, all the forest creatures come out. The young lions roar for their prey, clamoring to God for their supper. When the sun comes up, they vanish, lazily stretched out in their dens. Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, busy at their jobs until evening. What a wildly wonderful world, God ! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations. Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting, sardines and sharks and salmon. Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them. All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it. If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute— Take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud; Send out your Spirit and they spring to life— the whole countryside in bloom and blossom. The glory of God —let it last forever! Let God enjoy his creation! He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live! Oh, let my song please him; I'm so pleased to be singing to God . But clear the ground of sinners— no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God !

Isaiah 3:1
The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, is emptying Jerusalem and Judah Of all the basic necessities, plain bread and water to begin with. He's withdrawing police and protection, judges and courts, pastors and teachers, captains and generals, doctors and nurses, and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all-trades. He says, "I'll put little kids in charge of the city. Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around. People will be at each other's throats, stabbing one another in the back: Neighbor against neighbor, young against old, the no-account against the well-respected. One brother will grab another and say, ‘You look like you've got a head on your shoulders. Do something! Get us out of this mess.' And he'll say, ‘Me? Not me! I don't have a clue. Don't put me in charge of anything.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary,.... That is, the priests, Aaron and his sons; the high priest was to keep the charge of the most holy place particularly, and do what was to be done in that on the day of atonement; and the common priests to keep the charge of the holy place, and do everything relating to the altar of incense, the shewbread table, and candlestick:

and the charge of the altar; of burnt offering, which stood in the court of the tabernacle:

that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel: as had been upon Korah and his company, Numbers 16:32, and as afterwards came on Uzziah, 2 Chronicles 26:19.