11. Aaron shall then present the Levites before the Lord as an elevated offering from the Israelites, that they may perform the service of the Lord.
12. The Levites in turn shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offering one as a purification offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.
13. Then you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you shall present them as an elevated offering to the Lord;
14. thus you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites shall belong to me.
15. Only then shall the Levites enter upon their service in the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and presented them as an elevated offering.
16. For they, among the Israelites, are totally dedicated to me; I have taken them for myself in place of everyone that opens the womb, the firstborn of all the Israelites.
17. Indeed, all the firstborn among the Israelites, human being and beast alike, belong to me; I consecrated them to myself on the day I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.
18. But I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn Israelites;