Numbers 3:39–51

³⁹All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the ¹command of the Lord by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were ^a22,000.

Firstborn Redeemed

⁴⁰Then the Lord said to Moses, “^aNumber every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and ¹make a list of their names.

⁴¹“You ^ashall take the Levites for Me, I am the Lord, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.”

⁴²So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded him;

⁴³and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were ^a22,273.

⁴⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

⁴⁵“^aTake the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the Lord.

⁴⁶“^aFor the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites,

⁴⁷you shall take ^afive shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in ^bterms of the shekel of the sanctuary (^cthe shekel is twenty ¹gerahs),

⁴⁸and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.”

⁴⁹So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites;

⁵⁰from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365.

⁵¹Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the ¹command of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.