Numbers 3:39–51

^39tAll who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord, by their families, all the males from a month old and above, were twenty-two thousand.

Levites Dedicated Instead of the Firstborn

⁴⁰Then the Lord said to Moses: ^u“Number ⁷all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. ^41vAnd you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.” ⁴²So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. ⁴³And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

⁴⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^45w“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the Lord. ⁴⁶And for ^xthe redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, ^ywho are more than the number of the Levites, ⁴⁷you shall take ^zfive shekels for each one ^aindividually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, ^bthe shekel of twenty gerahs. ⁴⁸And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”

⁴⁹So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. ⁵⁰From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, ^cone thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. ⁵¹And Moses ^dgave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.