Numbers 8:17-19

American Standard Version

¹⁷ For all the first-born among the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. ¹⁸ And I have taken the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel. ¹⁹ And I have given the Levites as ^[a]a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel; that there be no plague among the children of Israel, ^[b]when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.