14. Thus will you separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites will be Mine.
15. And afterwards the Levites will go in to do the service of the tent of meeting, and you will cleanse them and offer them as a wave offering.
16. For they are completely set aside for Me by the children of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, I have taken them for Myself.
17. For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are Mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself.
18. I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
19. I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to serve the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting and to make an atonement for the children of Israel, so there will be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel approach the sanctuary.
20. Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them.
21. The Levites cleansed themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
22. And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
23. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
24. This is what belongs to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and older they will go in to do their duty concerning the service of the tent of meeting.