Numbers 3:1-13

The Number and Duties of the Levites

3¹ And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Jehovah spoke with Moses on mount Sinai. ² And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ³ These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, who were consecrated to exercise the priesthood. ⁴ And Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah when they offered strange fire before Jehovah in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the presence of Aaron their father. ⁵ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶ Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him; ⁷ and they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole assembly, before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. ⁸ And they shall keep all the utensils of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. ⁹ And thou shalt give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel. ¹⁰ And Aaron and his sons shalt thou appoint that they may attend to their priest's office; and the stranger that cometh near shall be put to death. ¹¹ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn that breaketh open the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine; ¹³ for every firstborn is mine. On the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and beast; mine shall they be: I am Jehovah.