Numbers 3:39–51

³⁹The grand total of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted at the Lord’s command, by families, every male who was at least one month old, was 22,000. 

⁴⁰The Lord said to Moses, “Register every firstborn male of the Israelites who is at least one month old, and make a list of their names. ⁴¹I am the Lord. Take the Levites for me to be substitutes for all firstborn Israelites. Also take the animals of the Levites to be substitutes for all firstborn animals of the Israelites.” 

⁴²So Moses registered all the firstborn Israelites as the Lord commanded him. ⁴³The total of all the firstborn males at least one month old was 22,273. They were listed by name. 

⁴⁴The Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵“Take the Levites to be substitutes for all the firstborn Israelites and the animals of the Levites to be substitutes for their animals. The Levites will be mine. I am the Lord. ⁴⁶There are 273 more firstborn male Israelites than there are Levites. ⁴⁷It will cost you two ounces of silver per person (using the standard weight of the holy place) to buy them back. ⁴⁸Give the silver to Aaron and his sons. It will buy back those Israelites who outnumber the Levites.” 

⁴⁹So Moses took this ransom money from the Israelites who outnumbered the Levites. ⁵⁰The silver Moses collected for the firstborn Israelites weighed 34 pounds, using the standard weight of the holy place. ⁵¹Then Moses did what the Lord said and gave Aaron and his sons this ransom money as he had been commanded.