The Assignment of the Levites

3:5 The Lord spoke to Moses: 3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near,15 and present16 them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.17 3:7 They are responsible for his needs18 and the needs of the whole community before the tent of meeting, by attending19 to the service of the tabernacle. 3:8 And they are responsible for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and for the needs of the Israelites, as they serve20 in the tabernacle. 3:9 You are to assign21 the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned exclusively22 to him out of all23 the Israelites. 3:10 So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for their priesthood;24 but the unauthorized person25 who comes near must be put to death.”

3:11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 3:12 “Look,26 I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of27 every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong to me, 3:13 because all the firstborn are mine. When I destroyed28 all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They belong to me. I am the Lord.”29