12I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine:
13for all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal; mine they shall be: I am Yahweh.
14Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15Number the children of Levi by their fathers` houses, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shall you number them.
16Moses numbered them according to the word of Yahweh, as he was commanded.
17These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
