⁹ And ^(A)you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are ^(B)wholly given to him from among the people of Israel.

¹² “Behold, ^(A)I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine,

¹³ for ^(A)all the firstborn are mine. ^(B)On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.”

¹⁶ For they are ^(A)wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. ^(B)Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself. ^17 (C)For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, ¹⁸ and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. ^19 (D)And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and ^(E)to make atonement for the people of Israel, ^(F)that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”