Nehemiah 13:10

³⁷and that we should bring the first fruits of our dough, our wave offerings, the fruit of all kinds of trees, and the new wine and the oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all our farming villages.

⁸Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings.

²“Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites.

¹⁷Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. ¹⁸For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain.”And, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

¹⁹Be careful that you don’t forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

²⁸The sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; ²⁹also from Beth Gilgal and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem.

⁶“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD of Armies to you priests who despise my name. “You say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ ⁷You offer polluted bread on my altar. You say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ In that you say, ‘The LORD’s table is contemptible.’ ⁸When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn’t that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn’t that evil? Present it now to your governor! Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?” says the LORD of Armies.

⁹“Now, please entreat the favor of God, ^[+] that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?” says the LORD of Armies.

¹⁰“Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Armies, “neither will I accept an offering at your hand. ¹¹For from the rising of the sun even to its going down, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations,” says the LORD of Armies. ¹²“But you profane it when you say, ‘The LORD’s table is polluted, and its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.’ ¹³You say also, ‘Behold, what ^[+] a weariness it is!’ And you have sniffed at it”, says the LORD of Armies; “and you have brought that which was taken by violence, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring the offering. Should I accept this at your hand?” says the LORD.

¹⁴“But the deceiver is cursed who has in his flock a male, and vows and sacrifices to the Lord^[+] a defective thing; for I am a great King,” says the LORD of Armies, “and my name is awesome among the nations.”

⁴⁷All Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, as every day required; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.