and the plague stopped. 49Those who died from the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, in addition to those who died because of Korah. 50Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the meeting tent once the plague stopped.
Aaron's budding staff
Numbers 17a The LORD spoke to Moses: 2Speak to the Israelites and take from them a staff from each household, from each of the chiefs of their households, twelve staffs. Write each person's name on his staff. 3Write Aaron's name on Levi's staff, for there will be one staff for the leader of each household. 4Then you will place them in the meeting tent in front of the chest containing the covenant, where I meet you. 5The staff of the person I choose will sprout. Then I will rid myself of the Israelites' complaints that they make against you.
6Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their chiefs gave him a staff, one staff for each chief and his household, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was with their staffs. 7Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the meeting tent. 8The next day Moses entered the covenant tent, and Aaron's staff of Levi's household had sprouted. It grew shoots, produced blossoms, and bore almonds. 9Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD's presence to the Israelites. They saw what happened, and each person took back his staff.
10Then the LORD said to Moses, "Return Aaron's staff in front of the chest containing the covenant to serve as a sign to the rebels so that their complaints against me end and they don't die."11Moses did exactly as the LORD commanded him.
12The Israelites said to Moses, "We are perishing. We are being destroyed. All of us are being destroyed. 13Anyone who approaches the LORD's dwelling will die. Are we doomed to perish?"
The priests' and Levites' duties
Numbers 18The LORD said to Aaron: You, your sons, and your household will bear the guilt of offenses connected with the sanctuary. You and your sons will bear the guilt of offenses connected with your priesthood. 2Bring with you your brothers from the tribe of Levi, your father's tribe, so that they can assist you and serve you and your sons before the covenant tent. 3They will perform their duties for you and the service for the entire tent. But they will not approach the holy equipment of the sanctuary or the altar, lest both they and you die. 4They will assist you and they will perform the duties of the meeting tent with regard to all the work of the tent. But no outsider may accompany you. 5You will perform the duties of the sanctuary and the altar. Then there will no longer be any anger against the Israelites. 6I have taken your brothers, the Levites, from the Israelites. They are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to perform the service of the meeting tent. 7You and your sons must perform the duties of your priesthood for all the matters of the altar and the area behind the curtain. I give you your priestly service as a gift. But an outsider who approaches will die.
The priests' compensation
8The LORD spoke to Aaron: I now place you in charge of my gifts, including all the Israelites' sacred offerings. I have given them to you and your sons as an allowance. This is a permanent regulation. 9This is what belongs to you from the most holy offerings, from the offerings by fire: all their offerings, including their grain offerings, their purification offerings, and their compensation offerings. The most holy offerings that they bring to me will be yours and your sons'. 10You will eat it as a most holy thing. Every male may eat it. It will be holy to you. 11This will also belong to you, your sons, and your daughters: I'm giving you the gift offerings and all the Israelites' uplifted offerings. This is a permanent regulation. Anyone who is clean in your household may eat it. 12All the choice oil, new wine, and the grain's first harvest that they give to the LORD, I'm giving to you. 13The early produce of everything in their land, which they bring to the LORD, will be yours. Anyone who is clean in your household may eat it. 14Everything that is devoted to the LORD in Israel will be yours. 15Any oldest male from the womb of any living thing that is presented to the LORD, whether human or animal, will be yours. However, you will redeem the oldest males of humans and of unclean animals. 16Their redemption price from one month of age you will calculate at five shekels of silver according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs. 17But the oldest offspring of a cow, sheep, or goat you may not redeem. They are holy. You must dash their blood on the altar and turn their fat into smoke for a soothing smell to the LORD. 18But their meat is yours. It will be yours just as the breast of the uplifted offering and the right thigh are yours. 19All the holy gift offerings that the Israelites raise to the LORD I have given to you, your sons, and your daughters. This is a permanent regulation. It is a covenant of salt forever in the LORD's presence, for you and your descendants.
20The LORD said to Aaron: You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have a share among them. I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.
The Levites' compensation
21I have given all the one-tenth portions in Israel to the Levites as an inheritance. They are a reward for performing their service in the meeting tent. 22The Israelites will no longer be able to approach the meeting tent, or they will be responsible for their sin and die. 23The Levites will perform the service of the meeting tent, and they will be responsible for their own sins. This is a permanent regulation for all time. But they will not inherit land among the Israelites 24because I've given the Israelites' one-tenth portion, which they have raised to the LORD as a gift offering, as an inheritance to the Levites. Therefore, I've said to them, "They won't inherit land among the Israelites."
25The LORD spoke to Moses: 26Speak to the Levites and say to them: When you receive from the Israelites the one-tenth portion that I have given you from them as your inheritance, you also must present a gift offering to the LORD from it, a tenth from the one-tenth portion. 27It will be considered your gift offering, like the grain of the threshing floor and what fills the winepress. 28In this way you will also present a gift offering to the LORD from all the one-tenth portions that you take from the Israelites. You will provide from it a gift offering to the LORD for Aaron the priest. 29You will present each gift offering to the LORD from all your gifts, from its best portions and its holiest parts.
30You will say to them: When you have presented the best portion, it will be considered for the Levites equivalent to the produce of the grain and the produce of the winepress. 31You and your household may eat it anywhere, because it is payment for your service in the meeting tent. 32You will not bear guilt after you have presented the best portion. But you must not make the sacred gifts of the Israelites impure, on penalty of death.
Instructions about the red cow and the water of purification
Numbers 19The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron: 2This is the regulation in the Instruction that the LORD commanded. Tell the Israelites that they must bring you a red cow without defect, which is flawless and on which no yoke has been laid. 3You will give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will take it outside the camp and slaughter it in front of him. 4Eleazar the priest will take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times in front of the meeting tent. 5Then he will burn the cow in front of him, its skin, flesh, and blood, with its dung. 6The priest will take cedarwood, hyssop, and crimson cloth and throw them into the fire where the cow is burning. 7Then the priest will wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. Afterward the priest will enter the camp, but he will be unclean until evening. 8The one who burned the cow will wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, but he will be unclean until evening. 9A person who is clean will gather the ashes of the cow and place them outside the camp in a clean place. They will be kept for the water of purification for the Israelite community as a purification offering. 10The one who gathers the ashes of the cow will wash his clothes