⁸ At that time the Lord ·chose [set apart] the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] with the Lord. They were to ·serve [minister to] the Lord and to bless the people in his name, which they still do today [Num. 6:22–27]. ⁹ That is why the Levites did not ·receive any land of their own [^Lhave an allotment and inheritance along with their brothers]; instead, they ·received the Lord himself as their gift [^Linherited the Lord himself], as the Lord your God ·told [promised] them.)

¹⁰ I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights just like the first time, and the Lord listened to me this time also. He did not want to destroy you.