Study Desk

If the animal is unclean, the person must buy it back for the price set by the priest, and the person must add one-fifth to that price. If it is not bought back, the priest must sell it for the price he had decided.

"‘If anyone is given for the purpose of being destroyed, he cannot be bought back; he must be put to death.

The owner should not pick out the good animals from the bad or exchange one animal for another. If that happens, both animals will become holy; they cannot be bought back.'"

These are the commands the Lord gave to Moses at Mount Sinai for the people of Israel.

They had 8,600 males one month old or older, and they were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place.

They were responsible for the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the tools of the Holy Place which they were to use, the curtain, and all the work connected with these items.

The main leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, who was in charge of all those responsible for the Holy Place.

The Merarites were responsible for the frames of the Holy Tent, the braces, the posts, the bases, and all the work connected with these items.

They were also responsible for the posts in the courtyard around the Holy Tent and their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.

Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped east of the Holy Tent, toward the sunrise, in front of the Meeting Tent. They were responsible for the Holy Place for the Israelites. Anyone else who came near the Holy Place was to be put to death.

Take the Levites for me instead of the firstborn sons of Israel; take the animals of the Levites instead of the firstborn animals from the rest of Israel. I am the Lord ."

collect two ounces of silver for each of the 273 sons. Use the measure as set by the Holy Place, which is two-fifths of an ounce.

Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the payment for the 273 Israelites."

So Moses collected the money for the people the Levites could not replace.

"The Kohathites are responsible for the most holy things in the Meeting Tent.

"Then they must spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread that shows a person is in God's presence. They must put the plates, pans, bowls, and the jars for drink offerings on the table; they must leave the bread that is always there on the table.

"With a blue cloth they must cover the lampstand, its lamps, its wick trimmers, its trays, and all the jars for the oil used in the lamps.

Then they must wrap everything in fine leather and put all these things on a frame for carrying them.

"They must gather all the things used for serving in the Holy Place and wrap them in a blue cloth. Then they must cover that with fine leather and put these things on a frame for carrying them.

They must gather all the things used for serving at the altar—the pans for carrying the fire, the meat forks, the shovels, and the bowls—and put them on the bronze altar. Then they must spread a covering of fine leather over it and put the poles in place.