⁶ I myself have chosen your fellow Levites from among the Israelites to be your special assistants. They are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord for service in the Tabernacle.

⁹ Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They have been given from among all the people of Israel to serve as their assistants.

⁴⁵ “Take the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. And take the livestock of the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me; I am the Lord.

¹² “Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me,

²⁰ “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep.

The Good Shepherd

¹¹ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep.

¹⁶ “Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. ¹⁷ For all the firstborn males among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. I set them apart for myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. ¹⁸ Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. ¹⁹ And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify^[a] the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.”

⁶ “And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make: