¹² “I am ·choosing [taking] the Levites from all the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] to take the place of all the firstborn ·children [^Lwho open the womb] of ·Israel [^Lthe sons/^Tchildren of Israel]. The Levites will be mine, ¹³ because the firstborn are mine. When you were in Egypt, I ·killed [^Lstruck] all the firstborn ·children of the [^Lin the land of the] Egyptians [Ex. 12:12–13] and took all the firstborn of Israel to be mine [Ex. 13:2, 11–16; 22:29–30; 34:19–20], both animals and children. They are mine. I am the Lord.”

¹⁴ The Lord again said to Moses in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai,