民數記 17
1 耶和華對摩西說：
Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:
2 「你曉諭以色列人，從他們手下取杖，每支派一根；從他們所有的首領，按着支派，共取十二根。你要將各人的名字寫在各人的杖上，
Speak unto the sons of Israel and take of them one staff each for an ancestral house of all their princes, by their ancestral houses, twelve staves, —each man’s name, shalt thou write upon his staff;
3 並要將亞倫的名字寫在利未的杖上，因為各族長必有一根杖。
and, Aaron’s name, shalt thou write upon the staff of Levi, —for, one staff, shall there be for the head of their ancestral house.
4 你要把這些杖存在會幕內法櫃前，就是我與你們相會之處。
Then shalt thou lay them up in the tent of meeting, —before the testimony, where I meet with you.
5 後來我所揀選的那人，他的杖必發芽。這樣，我必使以色列人向你們所發的怨言止息，不再達到我耳中。」
So shall it come to pass, that, the man whom I shall choose, his staff, shall bud, —so will I cause to cease from against me the murmurings of the sons of Israel, wherewith they, are murmuring against you.
6 於是摩西曉諭以色列人，他們的首領就把杖交給他，按着支派，每首領一根，共有十二根；亞倫的杖也在其中。
And Moses spake unto the sons of Israel and every one of their princes gave unto him, a staff apiece, for each prince, by their ancestral houses, twelve staves, —and the staff of Aaron, was in the midst of their staves.
7 摩西就把杖存在法櫃的帳幕內，在耶和華面前。
So Moses laid up the staves before Yahweh, —in the tent of the testimony.
8 第二天，摩西進法櫃的帳幕去。誰知利未族亞倫的杖已經發了芽，生了花苞，開了花，結了熟杏。
And it came to pass, on the morrow, that Moses entered into the tent of the testimony; and lo! the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi, had budded, —yea it had brought forth buds and bloomed blossoms, and borne ripe almonds.
9 摩西就把所有的杖從耶和華面前拿出來，給以色列眾人看；他們看見了，各首領就把自己的杖拿去。
So then Moses brought forth all the staves, from before Yahweh, unto all the sons of Israel, —and they saw and took, each man his own staff.
10 耶和華吩咐摩西說：「把亞倫的杖還放在法櫃前，給這些背叛之子留作記號。這樣，你就使他們向我發的怨言止息，免得他們死亡。」
And Yahweh said unto Moses—Put back the rod of Aaron, before the testimony, to be kept as a sign unto such as are perverse, —that thou mayest bring to an end their murmurings against me that they die not.
11 摩西就這樣行。耶和華怎樣吩咐他，他就怎樣行了。
Thus did Moses, —as Yahweh commanded him, so, did he.
12 以色列人對摩西說：「我們死啦！我們滅亡啦！都滅亡啦！
Then spake the sons of Israel unto Moses saying: Lo! we have breathed our last—we are lost, we are, all, lost:
13 凡挨近耶和華帳幕的是必死的。我們都要死亡嗎？」
whosoever draweth near—draweth near—unto the habitation of Yahweh, dieth, —are we ever to have made an end of breathing our last?
