² “Consecrate every firstborn male^(A) to me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is mine.”

¹² you are to present to the Lord every firstborn male of the womb. All firstborn offspring of the livestock you own that are males will be the Lord’s.

¹⁵ When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of humans and the firstborn of livestock. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord all the firstborn of the womb that are males, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’

²⁶ And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. ²⁷ He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”^{(A) 28} The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people. ²⁹ Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated^[a] to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”^(B)

⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to the priest Aaron to assist him.

¹² “See, I have taken the Levites from the Israelites in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb.^(A) The Levites belong to me, ¹³ because every firstborn belongs to me. At the time I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt,^(B) I consecrated every firstborn in Israel to myself, both man and animal. They are mine; I am the Lord.”^(C)

⁴¹ You are to take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—in place of every firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites’ cattle in place of every firstborn among the Israelites’ cattle.” ⁴² So Moses registered every firstborn among the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. ⁴³ The total number of the firstborn males one month old or more listed by name was 22,273.

⁴⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses again: ⁴⁵ “Take the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites’ cattle in place of their cattle. The Levites belong to me; I am the Lord.^(A)

¹⁶ For they have been exclusively assigned to me from the Israelites.^(A) I have taken them for myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn.^{(B) 17} For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to myself^(C) on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites. ¹⁹ From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”^(D)

Provision for the Priesthood

18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your ancestral family^[a](A) will be responsible for iniquity against the sanctuary. You and your sons will be responsible for iniquity involving your priesthood.

⁸ “At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi^(A) to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to pronounce blessings in his name, as it is today. ⁹ For this reason, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance like his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God told him.^(B)