15. The Levites will enter to serve the meeting tent, after you have cleansed them and presented them as an uplifted offering.
16. They are given over to me from the Israelites in place of all the newborn, the oldest of all the Israelites. I take them for myself.
17. Every oldest male among the Israelites is mine, whether human or animal. When I killed all the oldest males in the land of Egypt, I dedicated them to myself.
18. I have taken the Levites in place of all the oldest among the Israelites.
19. I have selected the Levites from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons to perform the service of the Israelites in the meeting tent and to seek reconciliation for the Israelites so that there will not be a plague when the Israelites approach the sanctuary.
20. Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community carried out for the Levites everything the Lord had commanded Moses. That is what the Israelites did for the Levites.
21. The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Aaron presented them as an uplifted offering in the Lord’s presence, and he sought reconciliation for them in order to cleanse them.
22. After this the Levites went in to perform their service in the meeting tent before Aaron and his sons. They did for the Levites just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning them.
23. The Lord spoke to Moses:
24. This rule applies to the Levites: Everyone 25 years old and above will enter into service, performing the duties for the meeting tent.