Duties of Priests and Levites
1The Lord spoke to Aaron. He said, “You, your sons and your family are in charge of the sacred tent. You will be responsible for sins connected with the tent. And you and your sons alone will be responsible for sins connected with the office of priest. 2Bring the Levites from your tribe to join you. They will help you when you and your sons serve at the tent of meeting. That is where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. 3The Levites will work for you. They must do everything that needs to be done at the tent. But they must not go near anything that belongs to the sacred tent. And they must not go near the altar. If they do, they and you will die. 4They will help you take care of the tent of meeting. They will join you in all the work at the tent. No one else can come near you there.
5“You will be responsible for taking care of the sacred tent and the altar. Then I will not be angry with the Israelites again. 6I myself have chosen the Levites. I have chosen them from among the Israelites. They are a gift to you. I have set them apart to do the work at the tent of meeting. 7But only you and your sons can serve as priests. Only you and your sons can work with everything at the altar and behind the curtain. I am letting you serve as priests. It is a gift from me. Anyone else who comes near the sacred tent must be put to death.”
Offerings for Priests and Levites
8Then the Lord spoke to Aaron. He said, “I have put you in charge of the offerings brought to me. The Israelites will give me holy offerings. I will give all their offerings to you and your sons. They are the part that belongs to you. They are your share for all time to come. 9You will have a part of the very holy offerings. It is the part not burned in the fire. That part belongs to you and your sons. You will have a part of all the gifts the people bring me as very holy offerings. It does not matter whether they are grain offerings or sin offerings or guilt offerings. 10Eat your part as something that is very holy. Every male will eat it. You must consider it holy.
11“Part of the gifts the Israelites bring as wave offerings will be set aside. That part will also belong to you. I will give it to you and your sons and daughters. It is your share for all time to come. Everyone in your home who is ‘clean’ can eat it.
12“I will give you all the finest olive oil and grain the people give me. And I will give you all the finest fresh wine they give me. They give all those things as the first share of their harvest. 13All the first shares of the harvest they bring me will belong to you. Everyone in your home who is ‘clean’ can eat it.
14“Everything in Israel that is set apart to me belongs to you. 15Offer to me every male born first to its mother. It belongs to you. That includes humans and animals alike. But you must buy back every oldest son. Suppose certain animals are ‘unclean.’ Then you must buy back every male born first to its mother. 16When they are a month old, you must buy them back. You must pay the price to buy them back. The price is set at two ounces of silver. It must be weighed out according to the standard weights used in the sacred tent.
17“But you must not buy back any male calf, sheep or goat born first. They are holy. Splash their blood against the altar. And burn their fat as a food offering. Its smell pleases me. 18The meat will belong to you. It is just like the breast and the right thigh of the wave offering. Those parts belong to you. 19Part of the holy offerings the Israelites bring to me will be set aside. No matter what it is, I will give it to you and your sons and daughters. It is your share for all time to come. It is a covenant of salt from me. The salt means that the covenant will last for all time to come for you and your children.”
20The Lord spoke to Aaron. He said, “You will not receive any part of the land I am giving to Israel. You will not have any share among them. I am your share. I am what you will receive among the Israelites.
21“The Israelites will give me a tenth of everything they produce. And I will give it to the Levites. They serve at the tent of meeting. I will give them the tenth for the work they do there. 22From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting. If they do, they will be punished for their sin. They will die. 23The Levites will do the work at the tent of meeting. They will be responsible for any sins connected with the tent. This is a law that will last for all time to come. The Levites will not receive any share among the Israelites. 24Instead, I will give the Levites the tenth as their share. It is the tenth that the Israelites bring me as an offering. That is why I said the Levites would not have any share of land among the Israelites.”
25The Lord said to Moses, 26“Speak to the Levites. Say to them, ‘You will receive the tenth from the Israelites. I will give it to you as your share. When I do, you must give a tenth of that tenth as an offering to the Lord. 27Your offering will be considered as if you gave grain from a threshing floor. It will be considered as juice from a winepress. 28In that way, you also will bring an offering to the Lord. You will bring it from the tenth you receive from the Israelites. You must give the Lord’s part to the priest Aaron. You must bring it from the tenth you receive. 29You must bring to the Lord a part of everything given to you. It must be the best and holiest part.’
30“Say to the Levites, ‘You must bring the best part. Then it will be considered as if you gave grain from a threshing floor. It will be considered as juice from a winepress. 31You and your families can eat the rest of it anywhere. It is your pay for your work at the tent of meeting. 32Bring the best part of what you receive. Then you will not be guilty of holding anything back. You will not make the holy offerings of the Israelites “unclean.” You will not die.’ ”
Asɔfoɔ Ne Lewifoɔ Asɛdeɛ
1Awurade kasa kyerɛɛ Aaron sɛ, “Wo, wo mmammarima ne wʼabusuafoɔ a wɔfiri Lewi abusuakuo mu no, mfomsoɔ biara a ɛfa kronkronbea hɔ no ho asodie bɛda mo so. Na sɛ biribi ankɔ so yie wɔ asɔfodwuma no mu a, wɔbɛbisa wo ne wo mmammarima ho asɛm. 2Fa wo nkurɔfoɔ a wɔwɔ Lewi abusuakuo no mu ma wɔmmoa wo mmammarima wɔ dwumadie kronkron no a wɔyɛ no Ahyiaeɛ Ntomadan no anim. 3Ɛsɛ sɛ Lewifoɔ no hwɛ yie na wɔansɔ biribiara a ɛyɛ kronkron wɔ afɔrebukyia no so mu. Sɛ wɔyɛ saa a, mɛsɛe wo ne wɔn. 4Obiara a ɔmfiri Lewi abusua mu nni ho kwan sɛ ɔboa wo ɛkwan biara so.
5“Kae sɛ asɔfoɔ no nko ara na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔdi dwuma a ɛho te wɔ kronkronbea hɔ ne afɔrebukyia no so. Sɛ wodi saa mmara yi so a, Onyankopɔn abufuo no remma Israelfoɔ no so bio sɛ wɔabu mmara yi so. 6Meka bio sɛ, Lewifoɔ a wɔyɛ wo nkurɔfoɔ no na wɔmmoa wo wɔ Ahyiaeɛ Ntomadan no mu dwumadie no. Wɔyɛ akyɛdeɛ firi Awurade hɔ ma wo. 7Nanso, wo ne wo mmammarima asɔfoɔ no ankasa na mobɛdi dwuma a ɛho te wɔ afɔrebukyia no so ne deɛ ɛwɔ ntwamutam no mu, na asɔfodwuma no deɛ, ɛyɛ mo ara mo dom akyɛdeɛ dwumadie. Onipa foforɔ biara a ɔbɛyɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔbɛdi dwuma no bi no bɛwu.”
8Awurade sane ka kyerɛɛ Aaron sɛ: “Mede akyɛdeɛ a nkurɔfoɔ de abrɛ Awurade no nyinaa ama asɔfoɔ no; saa akyɛdeɛ yi a wɔhim no Awurade anim nam so de kyɛɛ no wɔ afɔrebukyia no anim no no, daa daa mmara enti, ɛyɛ mo ne mo mmammarima dea. 9Aduane afɔrebɔ, bɔne afɔrebɔ ne afɔbuo afɔrebɔ nyinaa yɛ mo dea, agye emu bi a wɔhye no wɔ afɔrebukyia so de kyɛ Awurade no nko ara. Yeinom nyinaa yɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ a ɛyɛ kronkron pa ara. 10Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔdi no baabi a ɛyɛ kronkron pa ara. Na mmarima nko ara na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔdie.
11“Akyɛdeɛ afoforɔ a wɔnam him a wɔbɛhim wɔ afɔrebukyia no so de bɛkyɛ me no yɛ wo ne wʼabusuafoɔ, wo mmammarima ne wo mmammaa nyinaa dea. Na wʼabusuafoɔ nyinaa tumi di bi, agye obi a saa ɛberɛ no na ne ho nte.
12“Otwa berɛ a ɛdi ɛkan mu akyɛdeɛ a nnipa no de bɛba sɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ a wɔde rebrɛ Awurade no a ɛyɛ ngo pa, bobesa pa, aburoo ne afudeɛ biara no, ne nyinaa yɛ mo dea. 13Sɛ mo abusuafoɔ hwɛ na wɔn ho te a, wɔtumi di yeinom nyinaa bi.
14“Deɛ wɔde bɛma Awurade biara yɛ mo dea. 15Israelfoɔ abakan ne wɔn mmoa nyinaa abakan a wɔde brɛ Awurade yɛ mo dea. Nanso mmoa a memmaa mo ɛkwan sɛ wɔnwe wɔn nam no deɛ, monnnye wɔn abakan. Na mmom, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtua sika kakra de si abakan biara anan. 16Sɛ abakan no di bosome a, na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde ɔgye boɔ a ɛyɛ dwetɛ gram aduonum nsia sɛdeɛ kronkronbea hɔ nkariboɔ a ɛyɛ gram dubaako ne nkyemu anum mu baako no teɛ no ba.
17“Nanso anantwie, nnwan ne mpɔnkye mmakan deɛ, ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔgye wɔn. Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde wɔn bɔ afɔdeɛ ma Awurade. Wɔn mogya na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde pete afɔrebukyia no so na wɔhye wɔn sradeɛ no sɛ ogya afɔdeɛ. Ɛyɛ adeɛ a Awurade ani sɔ. 18Saa mmoa yi nyinaa ɛnam bɛyɛ mo dea. Ne yan ne ne srɛ nifa a wɔbɛhim no afɔrebukyia no anim de akyerɛ sɛ wɔde ama Awurade no nso, mobɛfa. 19Mede afɔrebɔdeɛ a Israelfoɔ de bɛbrɛ Awurade a wɔbɛhim no no nyinaa ma mo ne mo abusuafoɔ. Mo ne mo abusuafoɔ mfa na monni. Yei yɛ bɔhyɛ a ɛda mo ne Awurade ne mo asefoɔ ntam daa nyinaa.”
20Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Aaron sɛ, “Mo asɔfoɔ no nso, ɛnsɛ sɛ mopɛ agyapadeɛ ne akatua foforɔ biara. Na me ara na me ho hia mo.
21“Na Lewi abusuakuo deɛ, wɔfiri Israel asase so ho adwumadeɛ ntotosoɔ dudu no mu na ɛbɛtua wɔn ka. 22Ɛfiri ɛnnɛ rekorɔ, Israelfoɔ a wɔnyɛ asɔfoɔ ne Lewifoɔ no nni ho kwan sɛ wɔkɔ kronkron mu kronkron hɔ. Wɔyɛ saa a, wɔbɛbu wɔn fɔ na wɔawuwu. 23Lewifoɔ no nko ara na wɔbɛyɛ adwuma wɔ hɔ. Sɛ wɔanyɛ a, wɔbɛbu wɔn fɔ. Ɛyɛ mmara a ɛda hɔ afebɔɔ sɛ ɛnsɛ sɛ Lewini biara nya agyapadeɛ wɔ Israelman mu. 24Mmom, ntotosoɔ dudu a ɔmanfoɔ de ba ma wɔhim no afɔrebukyia no anim de ma Awurade no na ɛsɛ sɛ Lewifoɔ no fa. Yei yɛ agyapadeɛ, enti ɛho nhia sɛ wɔpɛ agyapadeɛ foforɔ bi bio.”
25Awurade sane ka kyerɛɛ Mose sɛ, 26“Ka kyerɛ Lewifoɔ no sɛ, ntotosoɔ dudu a wɔnya no, wɔmfa nkyɛmu edu mu baako mma Awurade. Ɛbɛyɛ ntotosoɔ dudu mu ntotosoɔ dudu a wɔnam him a wɔbɛhim no afɔrebukyia no anim de ama Awurade no so. 27Na Awurade bɛgye no sɛ mo afɔrebɔdeɛ a ɛdi ɛkan a ɛyɛ aduane ne nsã a mode rema no sɛdeɛ ɛfiri mo ara mo agyapadeɛ mu. 28Saa ntotosoɔ dudu mu ntotosoɔ dudu yi a mobɛnya yi mu na mode bɛma ɔsɔfoɔ Aaron sɛ Awurade kyɛfa. 29Biribiara a wɔde bɛma mo no, momfa emu deɛ ɛyɛ pa ara na ɛyɛ kronkron no mma Awurade.
30“Na wɔbɛfa no sɛ deɛ ɛfiri mo ankasa mo ayuporobea ne mo nsakyibea hɔ. 31Aaron ne ne mmammarima ne nʼabusuafoɔ bɛtumi adi no wɔ wɔn fie anaa baabiara a wɔpɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛyɛ wɔn adwuma a wɔyɛ no wɔ Ahyiaeɛ Ntomadan mu no ho akatua. 32Mo Lewifoɔ no, sɛ mogye Awurade ntotosoɔ dudu no na mode emu nkyɛmu edu a ɛsɔ ani mu baako ma asɔfoɔ no a, monni afɔbuo biara. Nanso, monhwɛ yie na akyɛdeɛ kronkron a Israelfoɔ de aba no, moammu no ade teta bi. Sɛ moyɛ saa a, mobɛwuwu.”
