⁴¹ Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites,^(A) and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.”^(B)

⁴⁵ “Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine.^(A) I am the Lord.^(B)

¹³ Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering^(A) to the Lord. ¹⁴ In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.^(B)

¹⁵ “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering,^(C) they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting.^{(D) 16} They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn,^(E) the first male offspring^(F) from every Israelite woman.

⁸ At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi^(A) to carry the ark of the covenant^(B) of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister^(C) and to pronounce blessings^(D) in his name, as they still do today.^(E)