Num 18.1-32 tells us that the Lord repairs the breach caused by the mutiny further and reconfirms the tribe of Levi and their duties are redefined; certain things given to the priests for their service; tithes for the Levites to live on; a tithe of the tithe to the high priest.
v 1…So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt (take the blame, be held responsible, for any evil committed) with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt (be held responsible) in connection with your priesthood (allow any of the Levites to usurp the functions reserved for the high priest and priesthood.
v 2…But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined (“lavah” and what “Levi” means) with you and serve you (minister to you), while you and your sons with you are before the tent of meeting (most holy place where the ark waas, and the holy place while they burned incense, dealt with the bread of the faces, trimmed the Menorah, etc).
v 3…And they shall thus attend to your obligation (do what the priest tell them to do) and the obligation of all the tent (to take down and set up), but they shall not come near to the furnishings (the ark, the table for the bread, the Menorah, altar of incense) of the sanctuary and the altar (incense and burnt), lest both they and you die (the priests for allowing it and the Levites for intruding).
v 4…And they shall be joined with you and attend to the obligation of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you (to serve in the Mishkan).
v 5…So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, that there may no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel (like in the case of Korah and the others).
v 6…And behold, I myself have taken your fellow-Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord to perform the service for the tent of meeting.
v 7…But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil (holy of holies), and you are to perform service (avodah). I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed gift (and must not be regarded as a burden but a privilege), but the outsider (“zoor” or common person) who comes near (to serve) shall be put to death.”
v 8…Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I myself have given you charge of my offerings (terumah), even the all the holy gifts (had a kedusha) to the sons of Israel, I have given them to you as a portion, and to your sons as a perpetual allotment (like the heave offerings, the breast and firstfruits, and other holy things in general).
v 9…This shall be yours from the most holy gifts (kodesh ha kodeshim), reserved from the fire (from being totally burnt), every offering of theirs, even every grain offering and every sin offering and every guilt offering which they shall render to me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons.
v 10…As for the most holy (kodesh kodeshim) gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy (have a kedusha) to you (for your use and to be eaten in the court).
v 11…This also is yours, the offering (terumah or free will offering) of their gift, even all the wave offerings (tenufa) of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean (in place) may eat it.
v 12…All the best (“the fat” or cream of the crops) of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the Lord, I have given them to you (the priests).
v 13…The first ripe fruits (Deut 18.4) of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat it.
v 14…Every devoted thing (wholly given to God and not sold or redeemed) in Israel shall be yours.
v 15…Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours; nevertheless the first-born of man you shall surely redeem (five shekels); and the first-born of unclean animals you shall redeem.
v 16…And as to their redemption price (of men), from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
v 17…But the first-born of an ox or the first-born of a sheep or the first-born of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy (and set apart for the altar). You shall sprinkle the blood on the altar and shall offer up the fat in smoke (burned) as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the Lord (he is pleased with their obedience).
v 18…And their meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh (of the peace offerings, these firstlings are subject to the same thing).
v 19…All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel off to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt (permanent, incorruptible, durable-Lev 2.13) before the Lord to you and your descendants with you.”
v 20…Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land (the other tribes), nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.”
v 21…And to the sons of Levi, behold (see), “I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting.
v 22…And the sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting (to serve) again (as Korah and his company tried to do), lest they bear their sin and die.
v 23…Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity (when they fail in their duties); it shall be a perpetual stature throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
v 24…But the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’ “
v 25…Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
v 26…Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel, the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe (the Levites tithe to the priests).
v 27…And your offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat (as if they had grown it themselves and it came direct from there).
v 28…So you shall present an offering (terumah) to the Lord from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the Lord’s offering to Aaron the priest.
v 29…Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the Lord, from the best of them (the tithe of them), the sacred part of them (called this because it was a gift to the Lord-v 24).
v 30…And you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, the the rest shall be reckoned to the Levite as the product of the threshing floor, and as the produce of the wine vat (as if they had brown it themselves and direct from there).
v 31…And you may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting.
v 32…And you shall bear no sin be reason of it (for eating and enjoying the tithe), when you have offered the best of it (took out the tithe for the priests and given it to them). But you shall not profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, lest you die (by not giving the priests their tithe).’ “
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