-
2 Chronicles 13 9
But you have chased away the priests of the Lord( the descendants of Aaron) and the Levites, and you have appointed your own priests, just like the pagan nations. You let anyone become a priest these days! Whoever comes to be dedicated with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these so called gods of yours!
-
Numbers 35:2-5
“ Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands.These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet from the town walls in every direction.Measure off 3,000 feet outside the town walls in every direction— east, south, west, north— with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns.
-
1 Kings 12 28-1 Kings 12 33
So on the advice of his counselors, the king made two gold calves. He said to the people,“ It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. Look, Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!”He placed these calf idols in Bethel and in Dan— at either end of his kingdom.But this became a great sin, for the people worshiped the idols, traveling as far north as Dan to worship the one there.Jeroboam also erected buildings at the pagan shrines and ordained priests from the common people— those who were not from the priestly tribe of Levi.And Jeroboam instituted a religious festival in Bethel, held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in imitation of the annual Festival of Shelters in Judah. There at Bethel he himself offered sacrifices to the calves he had made, and he appointed priests for the pagan shrines he had made.So on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a day that he himself had designated, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar at Bethel. He instituted a religious festival for Israel, and he went up to the altar to burn incense.
-
1 Chronicles 6 66-1 Chronicles 6 81
The descendants of Kohath were given the following towns from the territory of Ephraim, each with its pasturelands:Shechem( a city of refuge in the hill country of Ephraim), Gezer,Jokmeam, Beth horon,Aijalon, and Gath rimmon.The remaining descendants of Kohath were assigned the towns of Aner and Bileam from the territory of the half tribe of Manasseh, each with its pasturelands.The descendants of Gershon received the towns of Golan( in Bashan) and Ashtaroth from the territory of the half tribe of Manasseh, each with its pasturelands.From the territory of Issachar, they were given Kedesh, Daberath,Ramoth, and Anem, each with its pasturelands.From the territory of Asher, they received Mashal, Abdon,Hukok, and Rehob, each with its pasturelands.From the territory of Naphtali, they were given Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim, each with its pasturelands.The remaining descendants of Merari received the towns of Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmon, and Tabor from the territory of Zebulun, each with its pasturelands.From the territory of Reuben, east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho, they received Bezer( a desert town), Jahaz,Kedemoth, and Mephaath, each with its pasturelands.And from the territory of Gad, they received Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,Heshbon, and Jazer, each with its pasturelands.
-
Numbers 18:21-28
As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.“ From now on, no Israelites except priests or Levites may approach the Tabernacle. If they come too near, they will be judged guilty and will die.Only the Levites may serve at the Tabernacle, and they will be held responsible for any offenses against it. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. The Levites will receive no allotment of land among the Israelites,because I have given them the Israelites’ tithes, which have been presented as sacred offerings to the Lord. This will be the Levites’ share. That is why I said they would receive no allotment of land among the Israelites.”The Lord also told Moses,“ Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive— a tithe of the tithe— to the Lord as a sacred offering.The Lord will consider this offering to be your harvest offering, as though it were the first grain from your own threshing floor or wine from your own winepress.You must present one tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to the Lord. This is the Lord’s sacred portion, and you must present it to Aaron the priest.
-
Leviticus 27:30-34
“ One tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.If you want to buy back the Lord’s tenth of the grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent.Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the Lord as holy.You may not pick and choose between good and bad animals, and you may not substitute one for another. But if you do exchange one animal for another, then both the original animal and its substitute will be considered holy and cannot be bought back.”These are the commands that the Lord gave through Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.
-
Joshua 21:20-42
The rest of the Kohathite clan from the tribe of Levi was allotted the following towns and pasturelands from the tribe of Ephraim:Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim( a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Gezer,Kibzaim, and Beth horon— four towns.The following towns and pasturelands were allotted to the priests from the tribe of Dan: Eltekeh, Gibbethon,Aijalon, and Gath rimmon— four towns.The half tribe of Manasseh allotted the following towns with their pasturelands to the priests: Taanach and Gath rimmon— two towns.So in all, ten towns with their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clan.The descendants of Gershon, another clan within the tribe of Levi, received the following towns with their pasturelands from the half tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan( a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone) and Be eshterah— two towns.From the tribe of Issachar they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Kishion, Daberath,Jarmuth, and En gannim— four towns.From the tribe of Asher they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Mishal, Abdon,Helkath, and Rehob— four towns.From the tribe of Naphtali they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Kedesh in Galilee( a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Hammoth dor, and Kartan— three towns.So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were allotted to the clan of Gershon.The rest of the Levites— the Merari clan— were given the following towns with their pasturelands from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah,Dimnah, and Nahalal— four towns.From the tribe of Reuben they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Bezer, Jahaz,Kedemoth, and Mephaath— four towns.From the tribe of Gad they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Ramoth in Gilead( a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Mahanaim,Heshbon, and Jazer— four towns.So in all, twelve towns were allotted to the clan of Merari.The total number of towns and pasturelands within Israelite territory given to the Levites came to forty eight.Every one of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it.
-
1 Kings 13 33
But even after this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from the common people. He appointed anyone who wanted to become a priest for the pagan shrines.