Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the people of Israel …: The Hebrew verb rendered Take is the same one that occurs in verse 41 (see the comments there). New Revised Standard Version translates it well by saying “Accept.” Good News Translation begins this verse with the adverb “Now,” which wrongly suggests that a new step is involved here than in verse 41. This verse is largely a repetition of verse 41. The emphasis conveyed by such repetition should be retained in the target language unless there is a reason for not doing so, for example, ambiguity or an unnatural style.

And the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle: See verse 41.

And the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD: See verse 13.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .