¹¹ Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “Now, behold, I ^(A)have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every ^(B)firstborn, the firstborn of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. ¹³ For ^(C)all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I fatally struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from the human firstborn to animals. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.”

⁴⁵ “^(A)Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites in place of their cattle. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the Lord.

²¹ “To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the ^(A)tithe in Israel as an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting.

^29 (A)Remember them, my God, ^[a]because they have defiled the priesthood and the ^(B)covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

The Purifier

3 “^(A)Behold, I am sending ^(B)My ^[a]messenger, and he will ^(C)clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; ^[b]and the ^[c](D)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of armies.