Ifthe first piece[of dough] is holy,the lumpis also;and ifthe rootis holy,the branchesare too.
"I will establishMy covenantbetweenMe and you and your descendantsafteryou throughout their generationsfor an everlastingcovenant,to be Godto you and to your descendantsafteryou.
"You shall not delay[the offering from] your harvestand your vintage.The firstbornof your sonsyou shall giveto Me.
"Also [you shall observe] the Feastof the Harvest[of] the firstfruitsof your labors[from] whatyou sowin the field;also the Feastof the Ingatheringat the endof the yearwhen you gatherin [the fruit of] your laborsfrom the field.
"You shall bringthe choicefirstfruitsof your soilinto the houseof the LORDyour God."You are not to boila younggoatin the milkof its mother.
Honorthe LORDfrom your wealthAnd from the firstof allyour produce;
"Yet I plantedyou a choicevine,A completelyfaithfulseed.Howthen have you turnedyourself before Me Into the degenerateshoots of a foreignvine?
"The firstof allthe firstfruitsof everykind and everycontributionof everykind, from allyour contributions,shall be for the priests;you shall also giveto the priestthe firstof your doughto cause a blessingto reston your house.
"Speakto the sonsof Israeland sayto them, 'Whenyou enterthe landwhichI am going to giveto you and reapits harvest,then you shall bringin the sheafof the firstfruitsof your harvestto the priest.
But ifsomeof the brancheswere broken off,and you, beinga wild olive,were graftedin amongthem and becamepartakerwith them of the richrootof the olive tree,
And not onlythis, but alsowe ourselves,havingthe first fruitsof the Spirit,evenwe ourselvesgroanwithinourselves,waiting eagerlyfor [our] adoption as sons,the redemptionof our body.
For the unbelievinghusbandis sanctifiedthroughhis wife,and the unbelievingwifeis sanctifiedthroughher believing husband;for otherwiseyour childrenare unclean,but nowthey are holy.
"You shall givehim the firstfruitsof your grain,your newwine,and your oil,and the firstshearingof your sheep.
Nowbehold,I have broughtthe firstof the produceof the groundwhichYou, O LORDhave givenme.' And you shall setit downbeforethe LORDyour God,and worshipbeforethe LORDyour God;
In the exercise of His willHe brought us forthby the wordof truth,sothat we would be a kindof first fruitsamong His creatures.
Theseare the ones who have not been defiledwith women,for they have kept themselveschaste.These[are] the ones who followthe LambwhereverHe goes.Thesehave been purchasedfrom amongmenas first fruitsto Godand to the Lamb.
