Firstborn Redeemed

⁴⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and ^[a]make a list of their names. ⁴¹ You shall take the Levites for Me instead of and as a substitute for all the firstborn among the Israelites. I am the Lord; and you shall take the cattle of the Levites instead of and as a substitute for all the firstborn among the cattle of the Israelites.” ⁴² So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded him; ⁴³ and all the firstborn males from a month old and upward as numbered were 22,273 [273 more than the Levites].

⁴⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵ “Take the Levites [for Me] instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. And the Levites shall be Mine. I am the Lord. ⁴⁶ For the ransom (redemption price) of the 273 of the firstborn of the Israelites who outnumber the Levites, ⁴⁷ you shall take five shekels apiece, per head, you shall take them in terms of the sanctuary shekel (the shekel is twenty gerahs), ⁴⁸ and give the money, the ransom (redemption price) of those who outnumber the Levites to Aaron and to his sons.” ⁴⁹ So Moses took the ransom (redemption) money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites; ⁵⁰ from the firstborn of the Israelites he took the money in terms of the sanctuary shekel, 1,365 shekels. ⁵¹ Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons at the command of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.