Numbers 3:5–13

Duties of the Levites

⁵And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^6h“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. ⁷They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, ⁱas they minister at the tabernacle. ⁸They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. ⁹And ^jyou shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are ^kwholly given to him from among the people of Israel. ¹⁰And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and ^lthey shall guard their priesthood. But if ^many outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”

¹¹And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹²“Behold, ⁿI have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, ¹³for ^oall the firstborn are mine. ^pOn the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.”