The Levites

and to the sons of Levi, lo, I have given all the tenth in Israel for inheritance in exchange for their service which they are serving--the service of the tent of meeting.

`And unto the Levites thou dost speak; and thou hast said unto them, When ye take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given to you from them, for your inheritance, then ye have lifted up from it the heave-offering of Jehovah, a tithe of the tithe;

and the priest, son of Aaron, hath been with the Levites in the tithing of the Levites, and the Levites bring up the tithe of the tithe to the house of our God unto the chambers, to the treasure-house;

Bring in all the tithe unto the treasure-house, And there is food in My house; When ye have tried Me, now, with this, Said Jehovah of Hosts, Do not I open to you the windows of heaven? Yea, I have emptied on you a blessing till there is no space.

Lo, I am sending My messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts. — read the full passage →

And all tithe of the land, of the seed of the land, of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah's--holy to Jehovah.

`At the end of three years thou dost bring out all the tithe of thine increase in that year, and hast placed <FI>it<Fi> within thy gates; — read the full passage →

but the tithe of the sons of Israel which they lift up to Jehovah, a heave-offering, I have given to the Levites for inheritance; therefore I have said of them, In the midst of the sons of Israel they have no inheritance.'

and I most gladly will spend and be entirely spent for your souls, even if, more abundantly loving you, less I am loved.

each one, according as he doth purpose in heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for a cheerful giver doth God love,

I call upon you, therefore, brethren, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice--living, sanctified, acceptable to God--your intelligent service;

Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, That I did command him in Horeb, For all Israel--statutes and judgments.

Doth man deceive God? but ye are deceiving Me, And ye have said: `In what have we deceived Thee?' The tithe and the heave-offering! — read the full passage →

And in the second year of their coming in unto the house of God, to Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those coming from the captivity to Jerusalem, and they appoint the Levites from a son of twenty years and upward, to overlook the work of the house of Jehovah.

and walk in love, as also the Christ did love us, and did give himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odour of a sweet smell,

for if the willing mind is present, according to that which any one may have it is well-accepted, not according to that which he hath not;

With a curse ye are cursed! And Me ye are deceiving--this nation--all of it.

For the lips of a priest preserve knowledge, And law they do seek from his mouth, For a messenger of Jehovah of Hosts he <FI>is<Fi> .

`Thou dost certainly tithe all the increase of thy seed which the field is bringing forth year by year; — read the full passage →

for a holy people <FI>art<Fi> thou to Jehovah thy God, and on thee hath Jehovah fixed to be to Him for a people, a peculiar treasure, out of all the peoples who <FI>are<Fi> on the face of the ground.

And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, `Go, ascend from this <FI>place<Fi> , thou and the people, whom thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I have sworn to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, To thy seed I give it,' — read the full passage →

then this stone which I have made a standing pillar is a house of God, and all that Thou dost give to me--tithing I tithe to Thee.'

and there may not at all enter into it any thing defiling and doing abomination, and a lie, but--those written in the scroll of the life of the Lamb.

and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and scrolls were opened, and another scroll was opened, which is that of the life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the scrolls--according to their works;

`The beast that thou didst see: it was, and it is not; and it is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go away to destruction, and wonder shall those dwelling upon the earth, whose names have not been written upon the scroll of the life from the foundation of the world, beholding the beast that was, and is not, although it is.

And bow before it shall all who are dwelling upon the land, whose names have not been written in the scroll of the life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world;

And the seventh messenger did sound, and there came great voices in the heaven, saying, `The kingdoms of the world did become <FI>those<Fi> of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign to the ages of the ages!'

religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation--unspotted to keep himself from the world.

Stedfast <FI>is<Fi> the word: If any one the oversight doth long for, a right work he desireth; — read the full passage →

in whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him who the all things is working according to the counsel of His will,

so that the law became our child-conductor--to Christ, that by faith we may be declared righteous,

I have known a man in Christ, fourteen years ago--whether in the body I have not known, whether out of the body I have not known, God hath known--such an one being caught away unto the third heaven;

The sin did I do--myself humbling that ye might be exalted, because freely the good news of God I did proclaim to you? — read the full passage →

And we make known to you, brethren, the grace of God, that hath been given in the assemblies of Macedonia, — read the full passage →

and if I give away to feed others all my goods, and if I give up my body that I may be burned, and have not love, I am profited nothing.

for if I may proclaim good news, it is no glorying for me, for necessity is laid upon me, and woe is to me if I may not proclaim good news; — read the full passage →

render, therefore, to all <FI>their<Fi> dues; to whom tribute, the tribute; to whom custom, the custom; to whom fear, the fear; to whom honour, the honour.

or who did first give to Him, and it shall be given back to him again?

God did not cast away His people whom He knew before; have ye not known--in Elijah--what the Writing saith? how he doth plead with God concerning Israel, saying,

all things I did shew you, that, thus labouring, it behoveth <FI>us<Fi> to partake with the ailing, to be mindful also of the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

wherefore I judge: not to trouble those who from the nations do turn back to God, — read the full passage →

and after they are silent, James answered, saying, `Men, brethren, hearken to me;

And having come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly, and the apostles, and the elders, they declared also as many things as God did with them; — read the full passage →

And certain having come down from Judea, were teaching the brethren--`If ye be not circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye are not able to be saved;' — read the full passage →

then, therefore, entered also the other disciple who came first unto the tomb, and he saw, and did believe;

The soldiers, therefore, when they did crucify Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to each soldier a part, also the coat, and the coat was seamless, from the top woven throughout,

for God did so love the world, that His Son--the only begotten--He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.

for God did so love the world, that His Son--the only begotten--He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during. — read the full passage →

And he came to Nazareth, where he hath been brought up, and he went in, according to his custom, on the sabbath-day, to the synagogue, and stood up to read;

And having sung an hymn, they went forth to the mount of the Olives,

`Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye give tithe of the mint, and the dill, and the cumin, and did neglect the weightier things of the Law--the judgment, and the kindness, and the faith; these it behoved <FI>you<Fi> to do, and those not to neglect.

Mine <FI>is<Fi> the silver, and Mine the gold, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.

And Jehovah answereth me and saith: `Write a vision, and explain on the tables, That he may run who is reading it.

For Sheol doth not confess Thee, Death doth not praise Thee, Those going down to the pit hope not for Thy truth.

Brought down to Sheol hath been thine excellency, The noise of thy psaltery, Under thee spread out hath been the worm, Yea, covering thee is the worm.

A Song of the Ascents, by David. Jehovah, my heart hath not been haughty, Nor have mine eyes been high, Nor have I walked in great things, And in things too wonderful for me.

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, a habitation Thou--Thou hast been, To us--in generation and generation, — read the full passage →

To the Overseer. --A Psalm of David, in the coming in unto him of Nathan the prophet, when he hath gone in unto Bath-Sheba. Favour me, O God, according to Thy kindness, According to the abundance of Thy mercies, Blot out my transgressions. — read the full passage →

If I am hungry I tell not to thee, For Mine <FI>is<Fi> the world and its fulness.

Hear, O My people, and I speak, O Israel, and I testify against thee, God, thy God <FI>am<Fi> I. — read the full passage →

A Psalm of David. To Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> the earth and its fulness, The world and the inhabitants in it.

`Thou dost not eat any abominable thing;

and blessed <FI>is<Fi> God Most High, who hath delivered thine adversaries into thy hand;' and he giveth to him a tenth of all.

And Melchizedek king of Salem hath brought out bread and wine, and he <FI>is<Fi> priest of God Most High; — read the full passage →

And it cometh to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goyim, — read the full passage →

and I, John, saw the holy city--new Jerusalem--coming down from God out of the heaven, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband;

and he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, who is Devil and Adversary, and did bind him a thousand years,

with whom the kings of the earth did commit whoredom; and made drunk from the wine of her whoredom were those inhabiting the earth;'

and the beast that I saw was like to a leopard, and its feet as of a bear, and its mouth as the mouth of a lion, and the dragon did give to it his power, and his throne, and great authority.

and the court that is without the sanctuary leave out, and thou mayest not measure it, because it was given to the nations, and the holy city they shall tread down forty-two months;

All joy count <FI>it<Fi> , my brethren, when ye may fall into temptations manifold;

of the hospitality be not forgetful, for through this unawares certain did entertain messengers;

for we are the circumcision, who by the Spirit are serving God, and glorying in Christ Jesus, and in flesh having no trust, — read the full passage →

for which I am an ambassador in a chain, that in it I may speak freely--as it behoveth me to speak.

honour thy father and mother,

Become, then, followers of God, as children beloved, — read the full passage →

Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

for as many as are of works of law are under a curse, for it hath been written, `Cursed <FI>is<Fi> every one who is not remaining in all things that have been written in the Book of the Law--to do them,'

this only do I wish to learn from you--by works of law the Spirit did ye receive, or by the hearing of faith?

for I am zealous for you with zeal of God, for I did betroth you to one husband, a pure virgin, to present to Christ,

because in much trial of tribulation the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, did abound to the riches of their liberality;

for the love of the Christ doth constrain us, having judged thus: that if one for all died, then the whole died,

for also in this we groan, with our dwelling that is from heaven earnestly desiring to clothe ourselves,

on every first <FI>day<Fi> of the week, let each one of you lay by him, treasuring up whatever he may have prospered, that when I may come then collections may not be made;

and if I have prophecy, and know all the secrets, and all the knowledge, and if I have all the faith, so as to remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing;

if to others I am not an apostle--yet doubtless to you I am; for the seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord.

so that he who is setting himself against the authority, against God's ordinance hath resisted; and those resisting, to themselves shall receive judgment.

and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what <FI>is<Fi> the will of God--the good, and acceptable, and perfect.

there having been, therefore, not a little dissension and disputation to Paul and Barnabas with them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, to go up unto the apostles and elders to Jerusalem about this question,

`There is not to the priests the Levites--all the tribe of Levi--a portion and inheritance with Israel; fire-offerings of Jehovah, even His inheritance, they eat,

And he hath sat, a refiner and purifier of silver, And he hath purified the sons of Levi, And hath refined them as gold and as silver, And they have been to Jehovah bringing nigh a present in righteousness.

And who is bearing the day of his coming? And who is standing in his appearing? For he <FI>is<Fi> as fire of a refiner, And as soap of a fuller.

`Speak, I pray thee, unto Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and unto Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest, and unto the remnant of the people, saying:

And also of them I take for priests, For Levites, said Jehovah.

And certain are appointed on that day over the chambers for treasures, for heave-offerings, for first-fruits, and for tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for priests, and for Levites, for the joy of Judah <FI>is<Fi> over the priests, and over the Levites, who are standing up.

`A prophet out of thy midst, out of thy brethren, like to me, doth Jehovah thy God raise up to thee--unto him ye hearken;

`There is not to the priests the Levites--all the tribe of Levi--a portion and inheritance with Israel; fire-offerings of Jehovah, even His inheritance, they eat, — read the full passage →

`And I, lo, I have taken your brethren the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel; to you a gift they are given by Jehovah, to do the service of the tent of meeting;

And Jehovah saith unto Aaron, `Thou, and thy sons, and the house of thy father with thee, do bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou, and thy sons with thee, do bear the iniquity of your priesthood; — read the full passage →

`And in the journeying of the tabernacle, the Levites take it down, and in the encamping of the tabernacle, the Levites raise it up; and the stranger who is coming near is put to death.'