“See, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the children of Israel. So Levites will belong to me,
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
‘Even the dust from y’all’s town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against y’all. Yet y’all should know this, that the Empire of God has come near.’
Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he makes all the stones of the altar as chalk stones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherah poles and the incense altars will stand no longer.
YHWH, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see; but they will see your zeal for the people and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.
“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites belong to me; I am YHWH.
“Look, I have given the children of Levi all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting.
“I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me! The Lord, whom y’all seek, will suddenly come to his temple. Look, the messenger of the covenant, whom y’all desire, is coming!” says YHWH Almighty.
But bring your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, so that they joined you and minister to you, while you and your sons with you are before the Tent of the Testimony.
When y’all brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it—even my house—when y’all offer my bread, the fat and the blood. Y’all broken my covenant with all y’all’s abominations.