Numbers 3:5–13

⁵And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ^6dBring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. ⁷And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, ^eto do the service of the tabernacle. ⁸And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, ^eto do the service of the tabernacle. ⁹And ^fthou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. ¹⁰And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, ^gand they shall wait on their priest’s office: ^hand the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. ¹¹And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ¹²And I, behold, ⁱI have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; ¹³because ^kall the firstborn are mine; ^lfor on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine they shall be: I am the Lord.