Præsternes og levitternes tjeneste
1Da sagde Herren til Aron: „Jeg har overdraget tjenesten ved helligdommen til levitterne. Det er deres ansvar, hvis der sker et lovbrud under tjenesten. Men præstetjenesten er overdraget til dig og dine efterkommere, og sker der noget galt der, er det jer, der bliver krævet til ansvar. 2Levitterne skal hjælpe jer under præstetjenesten foran teltet med pagtens ark. 3Men når de udfører deres arbejde, må de under ingen omstændigheder røre direkte ved nogen af de hellige ting eller ved alteret. Gør de det, skal de dø—og det skal I også. 4Levitterne skal tage sig af åbenbaringsteltet og transportere det omkring, men ingen af de andre israelitter må hjælpe til med det arbejde.
5Det er jer præster, som skal udføre tjenesten i selve helligdommen og ved alteret, så Israels folk ikke igen skal rammes af min vrede ved ikke at respektere præstetjenesten. 6Jeg har udvalgt levitterne til at hjælpe jer under jeres præstetjeneste i åbenbaringsteltet. De er en gave til jer fra Herren. 7Men du og dine efterkommere, som er mine præster, skal alene varetage altertjenesten. Det er kun jer, som har tilladelse til at gå ind bag forhænget til helligdommen, for I er mine præster. Enhver anden, der trænger ind i helligdommen, skal dø.”
Præsternes og levitternes underhold
8Herren sagde videre til Aron: „Jeg giver jer præster jeres del af de offergaver, som folket bringer til mig. Denne ordning skal gælde for altid. 9I må få de dele af de hellige ofre, som ikke skal brændes på alteret, hvad enten det er afgrødeofre, syndofre eller skyldofre. 10I skal spise dem på et helligt sted, men kun mændene må spise dem. 11De offergaver, som svinges foran alteret, skal for altid tilhøre jer og jeres familier. Både mænd, kvinder og børn må spise af disse ofre—med undtagelse af dem, der er urene på det tidspunkt.
12Det samme gælder for de høstofre, som folket bringer til mig—det første og bedste af deres olivenolie, nylavede vin, korn 13og frugter. De ofre må alle jeres familiemedlemmer få del i—med undtagelse af dem, der er urene på det tidspunkt. 14Alt hvad der tilhører mig, tilhører også jer. 15Alt det førstefødte blandt mennesker og dyr tilhører mig, og skal derfor tilhøre jer. Dog skal israelitterne løskøbe de førstefødte sønner og det førstefødte blandt alle urene dyr. 16I stedet for at bringe disse førstefødte sønner og urene dyr som offergaver, skal de en måned efter fødslen løskøbe dem med fem sølvstykker for hver.
17Hvad de førstefødte blandt hornkvæget og småkvæget angår, kan de ikke løskøbes, men de skal ofres til mig. Deres blod skal stænkes på alteret, og deres fedt skal brændes som et lifligt offer til mig. 18Men kødet skal tilhøre jer—ligesom brystet og det højre lårstykke, der svinges foran alteret, tilhører jer. 19Alle de ofre, som folket bringer til mig ved at svinge dem foran alteret, skal tilhøre jer, og I og jeres familier må spise af dem. Dette er en permanent lov, en troskabspagt18,19 På hebraisk en „saltpagt”. mellem mig på den ene side og jer og jeres efterkommere på den anden side.”
20Herren sagde videre til Aron: „I præster må ikke eje jord eller anden ejendom i landet. Hvad der tilhører mig, tilhører også jer. 21Men hvad levitterne angår, skal de modtage betaling for deres arbejde ved åbenbaringsteltet i form af den tiende, Israels folk bringer. De får nemlig heller ikke jord eller ejendom i landet.
22Fra nu af skal israelitterne, med undtagelse af præsterne og levitterne, holde sig på afstand af åbenbaringsteltet. Gør de ikke det, skal de dø. 23Levitterne skal gøre tjeneste ved åbenbaringsteltet og hjælpe præsterne, men de må ikke få del i landets jord. Det skal være en fast ordning som varer fra slægt til slægt. 24I stedet for jord får de den tiende, som israelitterne bringer til mig.”
25Herren sagde videre til Moses: 26„Sig til levitterne, at en tiendedel af den tiende, de modtager fra israelitterne, skal de give videre til mig. 27-30Det bliver deres ‚høstoffer’ og skal i mine øjne regnes på lige fod med de øvrige israelitters høstofre, der betales af det første korn fra tærskepladsen og den første vin, de producerer. Den skal bestå af den bedste del af de tiendegaver, som de modtager fra folket og denne tiende skal de overdrage til Aron som repræsentant for præsterne. 31-32Så længe levitterne sørger for at bringe den bedste del af den tiende, de selv modtager, videre til præsterne, må de spise resten, hvor de vil, sammen med deres familier, uden derved at pådrage sig skyld. Det er deres løn for det arbejde, de udfører ved åbenbaringsteltet. Men hvis de overtræder denne lov, skal de dø.”
Duties of priests and Levites
1The Lord said to Aaron, ‘You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offences connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offences connected with the priesthood. 2Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law. 3They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die. 4They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting – all the work at the tent – and no-one else may come near where you are.
5‘You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting. 7But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.’
Offerings for priests and Levites
8Then the Lord said to Aaron, ‘I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion, your perpetual share. 9You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain or sin18:9 Or purification or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. 10Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy.
11‘This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
12‘I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give to the Lord as the firstfruits of their harvest. 13All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
14‘Everything in Israel that is devoted18:14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord. to the Lord is yours. 15The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. 16When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels18:16 That is, about 58 grams of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.
17‘But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Splash their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 18Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours. 19Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.’
20The Lord said to Aaron, ‘You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.
21‘I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. 22From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. 23It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offences they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. 24Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: “They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.” ’
25The Lord said to Moses, 26‘Speak to the Levites and say to them: “When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering. 27Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing-floor or juice from the winepress. 28In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.”
30‘Say to the Levites: “When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing-floor or the winepress. 31You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting. 32By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.” ’
