40 The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
41 You shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.”
42 Moses counted, as the Lord commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
43 All the firstborn males according to the number of names from a month old and upward, of those who were counted of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.
44 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.
46 For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel who exceed the number of the Levites,