Numbers 3:5–13

⁵Yahweh 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. ⁷They shall observe his duties and the duties of the entire community before the tent of assembly, to do the work of the tabernacle. ⁸And 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. ⁹You 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 stranger^k who approaches will be put to death.”

¹¹Yahweh 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 ¹³because 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.”