Numbers 17
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2“Speak to the sons of Israel, and receive from each of them a rod by their kinships, from all the leaders of the tribes, twelve rods, and write the name of each one on his rod.
3But the name of Aaron shall be for the tribe of Levi, and one rod separately shall contain all their families.
4And you shall place these in the tabernacle of the covenant before the testimony, where I will speak to you.
5Whomever of these I will choose, his rod will germinate, and so shall I restrain the complaints of the sons of Israel before me, by which they murmur against you.”
6And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel. And all the leaders gave him rods, one for each tribe. And there were twelve rods, aside from the rod of Aaron.
7And when Moses had placed these before the Lord, in the tabernacle of the testimony,
8returning on the following day, he found that the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi, had germinated, and that the swelling buds had opened into flowers, which, spreading their petals, were formed into those of an almond tree.
9Therefore, Moses brought out all the rods, from the sight of the Lord, to all the sons of Israel. And they saw, and each one received their rods.
10And the Lord said to Moses: “Carry back the rod of Aaron into the tabernacle of the testimony, so that it may be kept there as a sign of the rebellion of the sons of Israel, and so that their complaints may be quieted before me, lest they die.”
11And Moses did just as the Lord had instructed.
12Then the sons of Israel said to Moses: “Behold, we have been consumed; we have been ruined.
13Whoever approaches to the tabernacle of the Lord dies. Will we all be wiped away, even to total annihilation?”
1And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod.
3And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.
4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
5And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
6And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
7And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.
8And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
9And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
10And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
11And Moses did so: as the Lord commanded him, so did he.
12And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
13Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?