From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”

我从以色列人中将利未人当作赏赐给亚伦和他的儿子，在会幕中办以色列人的事，又为以色列人赎罪，免得他们挨近圣所，有灾殃临到他们中间。”

我从以色列人中将利未人给亚伦和他的儿子作为赏赐，在会幕中为以色列人事奉，又为以色列人赎罪，免得以色列人因挨近圣所而遭受灾祸。”

我从以色列人中将利未人给亚伦和他的儿子作为赏赐，在会幕中为以色列人事奉，又为以色列人赎罪，免得以色列人因挨近圣所而遭受灾祸。”

把他们交给亚伦父子们，替以色列人在会幕中司职，为以色列人赎罪，免得以色列人因接近圣所而遭祸。”

我从以色列人中，把利未人赐给亚伦和他的众子，在会幕里办理以色列人的事务，又为以色列人赎罪，免得他们走近圣所的时候，就有灾祸临到他们。”

我從以色列人中將利未人當作賞賜給亞倫和他的兒子，在會幕中辦以色列人的事，又為以色列人贖罪，免得他們挨近聖所，有災殃臨到他們中間。」

我從以色列人中將利未人給亞倫和他的兒子作為賞賜，在會幕中為以色列人事奉，又為以色列人贖罪，免得以色列人因挨近聖所而遭受災禍。」

我從以色列人中將利未人給亞倫和他的兒子作為賞賜，在會幕中為以色列人事奉，又為以色列人贖罪，免得以色列人因挨近聖所而遭受災禍。」

把他們交給亞倫父子們，替以色列人在會幕中司職，為以色列人贖罪，免得以色列人因接近聖所而遭禍。」

我從以色列人中，把利未人賜給亞倫和他的眾子，在會幕裡辦理以色列人的事務，又為以色列人贖罪，免得他們走近聖所的時候，就有災禍臨到他們。”

我從以色列人中正式將利未人賜給亞倫和他的子孫、去在會棚中辦以色列人應辦的事務，為以色列人行除罪禮，免得以色列人挨近聖所時有疫病臨到他們中間。』

亦取之、以賜亞倫及其子、於會幕中、為以色列族供其役事、代之贖罪、免以色列族近於聖所、而遭災禍、

我取以賜亞倫及其子、於會幕中、為以色列族供其役事、代之贖罪、恐以色列族近於聖所、而遭災害。

於以色列中擇利未人、賜亞倫與其子、代以色列人於會幕供役事、為以色列人贖罪、恐以色列人近於聖所而遭災禍、

I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons. I have taken them from among all the Israelites. I have appointed them to do the work at the tent of meeting. They will do it in place of the Israelites. That is how they will keep the Israelites from being guilty when they go near the sacred tent. Then no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the tent.”

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.”

From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no affliction among the sons of Israel due to their approaching the sanctuary.”

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel; that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.

From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”

And I have given the Levites[ as] a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.

I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary.”

I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary.”

The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.”

Then Moses said to Aaron,“ Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started.”

The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the special flour for the grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the eveningand whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals. They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.And so the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord.

“ Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle.They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.

But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them.

But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in.They confronted King Uzziah and said,“ It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.

They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them.But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Lord.They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame of their detestable practices.And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.

Bring 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.They 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.They 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.“ 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.I 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.