^41 (A)And 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.”

¹² “Now behold, ^(A)I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be ^(B)Mine,

^45 (A)“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.

^6 (A)who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

^28 (A)just as the ^(B)Son of Man did not come to be served, ^(C)but to serve, and ^(D)to give His life a ransom ^(E)for many.”

¹⁵ “Everything that first opens ^(A)the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless ^(B)the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

¹⁶ For they are ^(A)wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself ^(B)instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel.

²⁶ then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. ²⁷ And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and ^(A)let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. ^29 (B)Then Moses said, ^[a]“Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”

⁵ Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered ^(A)burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. ⁶ And Moses ^(B)took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar.