Offerings for Priests and Levites

⁸ Then 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,^(A) your perpetual share.^{(B) 9} You are to have the part of the most holy offerings^(C) that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain^(D) or sin^[a](E) or guilt offerings,^(F) that part belongs to you and your sons.

²⁰ The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them;^(A) I am your share and your inheritance^(B) among the Israelites.

²¹ “I give to the Levites all the tithes^(C) in Israel as their inheritance^(D) in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.^{(E) 22} 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.^{(F) 23} 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^(G) for the generations to come.^(H) They will receive no inheritance^(I) among the Israelites.^{(J) 24} Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.^(K) That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

¹⁴ But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the food offerings presented to the Lord, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them.^(A)

⁷ The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance.^(A) And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them.^(B)”

Contributions for Worship^(A)

² Hezekiah^(B) assigned the priests and Levites to divisions^(C)—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister,^(D) to give thanks and to sing praises^(E) at the gates of the Lord’s dwelling.^{(F) 3} The king contributed^(G) from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals as written in the Law of the Lord.^{(H) 4} He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion^(I) due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. ⁵ As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits^(J) of their grain, new wine,^(K) olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. ⁶ The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe^(L) of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps.^{(M) 7} They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month.^{(N) 8} When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and blessed^(O) his people Israel.

⁹ Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps; ¹⁰ and Azariah the chief priest, from the family of Zadok,^(P) answered, “Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over.”^(Q)

¹¹ Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple of the Lord, and this was done. ¹² Then they faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts. Konaniah,^(R) a Levite, was the overseer in charge of these things, and his brother Shimei was next in rank. ¹³ Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad,^(S) Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah were assistants of Konaniah and Shimei his brother. All these served by appointment of King Hezekiah and Azariah the official in charge of the temple of God.

¹⁴ Kore son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill offerings given to God, distributing the contributions made to the Lord and also the consecrated gifts. ¹⁵ Eden,^(T) Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shekaniah assisted him faithfully in the towns^(U) of the priests, distributing to their fellow priests according to their divisions, old and young alike.

¹⁶ In addition, they distributed to the males three years old or more whose names were in the genealogical records^(V)—all who would enter the temple of the Lord to perform the daily duties of their various tasks, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. ¹⁷ And they distributed to the priests enrolled by their families in the genealogical records and likewise to the Levites twenty years old or more, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. ¹⁸ They included all the little ones, the wives, and the sons and daughters of the whole community listed in these genealogical records. For they were faithful in consecrating themselves.

¹⁹ As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farmlands around their towns or in any other towns,^(W) men were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among them and to all who were recorded in the genealogies of the Levites.

¹³ Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?^(A)