Numbers 3:5–13
5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring near the tribe of Levi, and ⌊set the tribe⌋f ⌊before Aaron⌋g the priest, and they will minister to him. 7 They shall observe his duties and the duties of the entire community before the tent of assembly, to do the work of the tabernacle. 8 And they will keep all the vessels of the tent of assembly and the responsibilities of the ⌊Israelites⌋,h to do the worki of the tabernacle. 9 You will give the Levites to Aaron and to his descendants; they are surely assigned to him from among the ⌊Israelites⌋.j 10 But you will count Aaron and his descendants; they will keep their priesthood, and the strangerk who approaches will be put to death.”
11 Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, 12 “I myself receive the Levites from the midst of the ⌊Israelites⌋l in the place of all the firstborn of the offspring of the womb from the ⌊Israelites⌋.m The Levites will be mine 13 because all the firstborn are mine; on the day of my killing all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for myself all the firstborn in Israel, ⌊both humankind and animal⌋;n they will be mine. I am Yahweh.”