Numbers 3:45

For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my loving kindness will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace will not be removed,” says Yahweh who has mercy on you.

You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.

He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine,

“Count the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”

You shall take the Levites for me—I am Yahweh—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.”

For they are wholly given to me from among the children of Israel; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all the children of Israel, I have taken them to me.

Behold, I myself have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel. They are a gift to you, dedicated to Yahweh, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting.

Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house. They shall kill the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.

But you have turned away from the path. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies.

whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.

“As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,

Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

that you shall set apart to Yahweh all that opens the womb, and every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have. The males shall be Yahweh’s.

Behold, I myself will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in after them. I will get myself honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.

Behold, I myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:

The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh; and the bull shall be killed before Yahweh.

Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people,

“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

Yahweh 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.

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Yahweh,

You shall present the Levites before Yahweh. The children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites,

You shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Yahweh.

“After that, the Levites shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. You shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering.

For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for myself.

The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.

“To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting.

At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.

Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day, when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”

I sent them out to Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia; and I told them what they should tell Iddo, and his brothers the temple servants, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.

Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

Yahweh of Armies is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread.

Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see; but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.

Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he makes all the stones of the altar as chalk stones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherah poles and the incense altars shall rise no more.

I, even I, have spoken. Yes, I have called him. I have brought him and he shall make his way prosperous.

“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you, that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who will be made as grass?

The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet happens, then the prophet will be known, that Yahweh has truly sent him.”

“When this comes to pass—behold, it comes—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

“ ‘For the Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.

“Therefore the Lord Yahweh says to them: ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them. It will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will place them, multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forever more.

I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” ’

You will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies.

“My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might be reverent toward me; and he was reverent toward me, and stood in awe of my name.

They shall be mine,” says Yahweh of Armies, “my own possession in the day that I make, and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”

They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’

Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,

But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace

Don’t neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the elders.

Lay hands hastily on no one. Don’t be a participant in other people’s sins. Keep yourself pure.

For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;