Numbers 17

¹The Lord spoke to Moses , saying ,

²Speak to the people of Israel , and get from them staffs , one for each fathers ’ house , from all their chiefs according to their fathers ’ houses , twelve staffs . Write each man’s name on his staff ,

³and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi . For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers ’ house .

⁴Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony , where I meet with you.

⁵And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout . Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel , which they grumble against you.

⁶Moses spoke to the people of Israel . And all their chiefs gave him staffs , one for each chief , according to their fathers ’ houses , twelve staffs . And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs .

⁷And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony .

⁸On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony , and behold , the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms , and it bore ripe almonds .

⁹Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel . And they looked , and each man took his staff .

¹⁰And the Lord said to Moses , Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony , to be kept as a sign for the rebels , that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die .

¹¹Thus did Moses ; as the Lord commanded him, so he did .

¹²And the people of Israel said to Moses , Behold , we perish , we are undone , we are all undone .

¹³Everyone who comes near , who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, shall die . Are we all to perish ?