Numbers 8:11-21

11Aaron then shall 1present the Levites before the Lord as a 2wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may 3qualify to perform the service of the Lord. 12Now 4the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

14“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and 5the Levites shall be Mine. 15Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and 6present them as a wave offering; 16for they are 7wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself 8instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17For 9every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself. 18But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel. 1910I have given the Levites as 11a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no 12plague among the sons of Israel by 13their coming near to the sanctuary.”

20Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. 2114The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.