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22 The Israelites may no longer approach the tent of meeting, thereby incurring the penalty of death. 23 Only the Levites are to perform the labor pertaining to the tent of meeting, and they shall incur the penalty for the Israelites’ sin;[a] this is a permanent statute for all your generations. But they shall not have any heritage among the Israelites, 24 for I have assigned to the Levites as their heritage the tithes which the Israelites put aside as a contribution to the Lord. That is why I have said, they will not have any heritage among the Israelites.

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Footnotes

  1. 18:23 Incur the penalty for the Israelites’ sin: the Levites are responsible for protecting the sanctuary from illegitimate encroachment and in this sense pay the penalty for the Israelites’ iniquity. This responds further to the fears of the people expressed in 17:27–28.

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.(A) 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(B) for the generations to come.(C) They will receive no inheritance(D) among the Israelites.(E) 24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.(F) That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

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