4. And Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu had died before יהוה when they brought strange fire before יהוה in the Wilderness of Sinai. And they had no children. So El‛azar and Ithamar acted as priests in the presence of Aharon their father.
5. And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
6. “Bring the tribe of Lĕwi near, and set them before Aharon the priest, and they shall serve him,
7. and shall guard his duty and the duty of all the congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the Dwelling Place.
8. “And they shall guard all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the duty of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to do the service of the Dwelling Place.
9. “And you shall give the Lĕwites to Aharon and his sons. They are the given ones, given to him from among the children of Yisra’ĕl.
10. “And appoint Aharon and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. And the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
11. And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
12. “Now look, I Myself have taken the Lĕwites from among the children of Yisra’ĕl instead of every first-born who opens the womb among the children of Yisra’ĕl. And the Lĕwites shall be Mine,
13. because all the first-born are Mine. On the day that I struck all the first-born in the land of Mitsrayim, I set apart to Myself all the first-born in Yisra’ĕl, both man and beast. They are Mine, I am יהוה.”
14. And יהוה spoke to Mosheh in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15. “Register the children of Lĕwi by their fathers’ houses, by their clans. Register every male from a month old and above.”
16. So Mosheh registered them according to the word of יהוה, as he had been commanded.