17
“But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, 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.
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Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours.
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Whatever 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.”
20
The 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.
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“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.
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From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.
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It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites.
24
Instead, 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.’ ”
25
The LORD said to Moses,
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“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.
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Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress.