¹⁴ From the cakes he is to present one portion of each offering as a contribution^(A) to the Lord. It will belong to the priest who splatters the blood of the fellowship offering; it is his.

³² You are to give the right thigh^(A) to the priest as a contribution from your fellowship sacrifices. ³³ The son of Aaron who presents the blood of the fellowship offering and the fat will have the right thigh as a portion.

³⁰ “Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord;^(A) it is holy to the Lord. ³¹ If a man decides to redeem any part of this tenth, he must add a fifth to its value. ³² Every tenth animal from the herd or flock, which passes under the shepherd’s rod,^(B) will be holy to the Lord.

Support for the Priests and Levites

⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Look, I have put you in charge of the contributions^(A) brought to me. As for all the holy offerings^(B) of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute.^{(C) 9} A portion of the holiest offerings kept from the fire will be yours; every one of their offerings that they give me, whether the grain offering, sin offering, or guilt offering will be most holy for you and your sons. ¹⁰ You are to eat it as a most holy offering.^[a] Every male may eat it; it is to be holy to you.

¹¹ “The contribution of their gifts also belongs to you. I have given all the Israelites’ presentation offerings^(D) to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent statute.^(E) Every ceremonially clean person in your house may eat it. ¹² I am giving you all the best of the fresh oil, new wine, and grain,^(F) which the Israelites give to the Lord as their firstfruits.^{(G) 13} The firstfruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, belong to you. Every clean person in your house may eat them.

¹⁴ “Everything in Israel that is permanently dedicated to the Lord^(H) belongs to you. ¹⁵ The firstborn of every living thing, human or animal, presented to the Lord belongs to you. But you must certainly redeem a human firstborn,^(I) and redeem the firstborn of an unclean animal. ¹⁶ You will pay the redemption price for a month-old male according to your assessment: five shekels^[b] of silver by the standard sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs.^(J)

¹⁷ “However, you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a food offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁸ But their meat belongs to you. It belongs to you like the breast of the presentation offering and the right thigh.

¹⁹ “I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the Lord as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt^(K) before the Lord for you as well as your offspring.”

²⁰ The Lord told Aaron, “You will not have an inheritance in their land; there will be no portion among them for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.^(L)

²¹ “Look, I have given the Levites every tenth^(M) in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the work of the tent of meeting. ²² The Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting, or they will incur guilt and die. ²³ The Levites will do the work of the tent of meeting, and they will bear the consequences of their iniquity. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites;^(N) this is a permanent statute throughout your generations. ²⁴ For I have given them the tenth that the Israelites present to the Lord as a contribution for their inheritance. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”

⁵ Instead, turn to the place the Lord your God chooses^(A) from all your tribes to put his name for his dwelling and go there. ⁶ You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions,^[a] your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. ⁷ You will eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do,^[b] because the Lord your God has blessed you.

⁸ “You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own sight.^{(B) 9} Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place^(C) and the inheritance^(D) the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁰ When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit,^(E) and he gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security, ¹¹ then the Lord your God will choose the place to have his name dwell.^(F) Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions,^[c] and all your choice offerings you vow to the Lord. ¹² You will rejoice^(G) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your city gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.^{(H) 13} Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the sacred places you see. ¹⁴ You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you.

Slaughtering Animals to Eat

¹⁵ “But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your city gates,^(I) according to the blessing the Lord your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer, ¹⁶ but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.^{(J) 17} Within your city gates you may not eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, or fresh oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your vow offerings that you pledge; your freewill offerings; or your personal contributions.^{[d] 18} You are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God chooses—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your city gates. Rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you do, ¹⁹ and be careful not to neglect the Levite, as long as you live in your land.

A Tenth for the Lord

²² “Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields. ²³ You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of the Lord your God at the place where he chooses to have his name dwell,^(A) so that you will always learn to fear^(B) the Lord your God. ²⁴ But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you and since the Lord your God has blessed you, ²⁵ then exchange it for silver, take the silver in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. ²⁶ You may spend the silver on anything you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family. ²⁷ Do not neglect the Levite within your city gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.^(C)

²⁸ “At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your city gates. ²⁹ Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow within your city gates may come, eat, and be satisfied.^(D) And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.^(E)

The Tenth in the Third Year

¹² “When you have finished paying all the tenth of your produce in the third year,^(A) the year of the tenth, you are to give it to the Levites, resident aliens, fatherless children, and widows, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.