6. Summon the tribe of Levi and station them before Aaron the priest to serve him.
7. They shall discharge his obligations and those of the whole community before the tent of meeting by maintaining the tabernacle.
8. They shall have responsibility for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and discharge the obligations of the Israelites by maintaining the tabernacle.
9. You shall assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been assigned unconditionally to him from among the Israelites.
10. But you will appoint only Aaron and his descendants to exercise the priesthood. Any unauthorized person who comes near shall be put to death.
11. The Lord said to Moses:
12. I hereby take the Levites from the Israelites in place of every firstborn that opens the womb among the Israelites. The Levites, therefore, are mine,
13. because every firstborn is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to me every firstborn in Israel, human being and beast alike. They belong to me; I am the Lord.