Chapter 18 ends on a note of reassurance here: because the agricultural offerings that the Levites received are their just wages for serving in the cult, they run no risk of perishing for eating them. However, at the same time it is a note of warning: they are not to misuse these gifts and must always offer the best to the LORD. If they don’t, they will surely die by violating the LORD’s holiness in this way.

And you shall bear no sin by reason of it is more naturally expressed as “You will not be considered guilty concerning the LORD’s tithes” (similarly New Living Translation). For bear … sin, see verse 22. The pronoun it refers to the tithes received by the Levites from the Israelites.

When you have offered the best of it: See verse 29.

And you shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel: The conjunction And may be rendered “But” (Good News Translation) to indicate clearly that it introduces a contrast. The verb profane may be translated “defile” (New International Version). For the Hebrew word rendered holy things (qodesh), see the comments on verse 8, where it is translated “consecrated things.”

Lest you die is literally “and you will not die.” New Living Translation says “If you do, you will die.”

Good News Translation brings out the implications of the Hebrew in this verse by saying:

• You will not become guilty when you eat it, as long as you have presented the best of it to the LORD. But be sure not to profane the sacred gifts of the Israelites by eating any of the gifts before the best part is offered; if you do, you will be put to death.”

This model will certainly help the reader to understand more precisely what the Hebrew implies. However, we prefer the following rendering in New International Version since it is shorter and closer to the Hebrew:

• By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.’ ”

Revised Standard Version closes this verse with single and double quote marks since the embedded quotation of the LORD’s instructions to the Levites via Moses ends here. Good News Translation uses only a double quote mark, because Good News Translation has only one level of quotation here (see the comments on verses 26 and 30).

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .