⁸ At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord,^(A) to stand before the Lord to minister to him, and to bless in his name, as they have done to this day.

⁹ to the levitical priests or to the judge who is in office at that time. They shall investigate the case and then announce to you the decision.^{(A) 10} You shall act according to the decision they announce to you in the place which the Lord will choose, carefully observing everything as they instruct you. ¹¹ You shall carry out the instruction they give you and the judgment they pronounce, without turning aside either to the right or left from the decision they announce to you.

Chapter 18

Priests. ¹ The levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no hereditary portion with Israel; they shall eat the fire offerings of the Lord and the portions due to him.^{(A) 2} They shall have no heritage among their kindred; the Lord himself is their heritage, as he has told them.^{(B) 3} This shall be the due of the priests from the people: those who are offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep, shall give the priest the shoulder, the jowls and the stomach. ⁴ The first fruits of your grain, your wine, and your oil,^(C) as well as the first shearing of your flock, you shall also give him. ⁵ For the Lord, your God, has chosen him out of all your tribes to be in attendance to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his descendants for all time.^(D)

⁶ When a Levite goes from one of your communities anywhere in Israel in which he has been residing, to visit, as his heart may desire, the place which the Lord will choose, ⁷ and ministers there in the name of the Lord, his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand before the Lord there, ⁸ he shall receive the same portions to eat, along with his stipends and patrimony.^[a]

⁷ On it Aaron shall burn fragrant incense. Morning after morning, when he prepares the lamps, ⁸ and again in the evening twilight, when he lights the lamps, he shall burn incense. Throughout your generations this shall be the regular incense offering before the Lord.

¹¹ and you must be able to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given them through Moses.

²⁷ The king of Assyria gave the order, “Send back some of the priests you deported, to go there and settle, to teach them the proper worship of the god of the land.” ²⁸ So one of the priests who had been deported from Samaria returned and settled in Bethel, and began to teach them how to venerate the Lord.