Numbers 17
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,
Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying,
2 “Speak to the people of Israel and get staffs from them, one for each ancestral tribe, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff.
“Speak to the children of Israel [God prevails], and take rods from them, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod.
3 You must write Aaron's name on Levi's staff. There must be one staff for each leader from his ancestors' tribe.
You shall write Aaron [Light-bringer]’s name on the rod of Levi [United with]; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses.
4 You must place the staffs in the tent of meeting in front of the covenant decrees, where I meet with you.
You shall lay them up in the Tent of Meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.
5 It will happen that the staff of the man whom I choose will bud. I will cause the complaints from the people of Israel to stop, which they are speaking against you.”
It shall happen, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud. I will make the murmurings of the children of Israel [God prevails], which they murmur against you, cease from me.”
6 So Moses spoke to the people of Israel. All the tribal leaders gave him staffs, one staff from each leader, selected from each of the ancestral tribes, twelve staffs in all. Aaron's staff was among them.
Moses [Drawn out] spoke to the children of Israel [God prevails]; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods. Aaron [Light-bringer]’s rod was among their rods.
7 Then Moses deposited the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of the covenant decrees.
Moses [Drawn out] laid up the rods before Adonai in the Tent of the Testimony.
8 The next day Moses went into the tent of the covenant decrees and, behold, Aaron's staff for the tribe of Levi had budded. It grew buds and produced blossoms and ripe almonds!
On the next day, Moses [Drawn out] went into the Tent of the Testimony; and behold, Aaron [Light-bringer]’s rod for the house of Levi [United with] had sprouted, budded, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.
9 Moses brought out all the staffs from before Yahweh to all the people of Israel, and each man took his staff.
Moses [Drawn out] brought out all the rods from before Adonai to all the children of Israel [God prevails]. They looked, and each man took his rod.
10 Yahweh said to Moses, “Put Aaron's staff in front of the covenant decrees. Keep it as a sign of guilt against the people who rebelled so that you may end complaints against me, or they will die.”
Adonai said to Moses [Drawn out], “Put back the rod of Aaron [Light-bringer] before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, that they not die.”
11 Moses did just as Yahweh had commanded him.
Moses [Drawn out] did so. As Adonai enjoined him, so he did.
12 The people of Israel spoke to Moses and said, “We will die here. We will all perish!
The children of Israel [God prevails] spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, “Behold, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone!
13 Everyone who comes up, who approaches Yahweh's tabernacle, will die. Must we all perish?”
Everyone who keeps approaching Adonai’s tabernacle, dies! Will we all perish?”
