Numbers 17

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, 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 unto the sons of Israel, and take from them each a rod, for a father's house, from all their princes, for the house of their fathers, twelve rods; the name of each thou dost write 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.

and Aaron's name thou dost write on the tribe of Levi; for one rod [is] for the head of their fathers' house:

4 You must place the staffs in the tent of meeting in front of the covenant decrees, where I meet with you.

and thou hast placed them 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.”

'And it hath come to pass, the man's rod on whom I fix doth flourish, and I have caused to cease from off me the murmurings of the sons of Israel, which they are murmuring against you.'

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.

And Moses speaketh unto the sons of Israel, and all their princes give unto him one rod for a prince, one rod for a prince, for their fathers' house, twelve rods, and the rod of Aaron [is] in the midst of their rods;

7 Then Moses deposited the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of the covenant decrees.

and Moses placeth the rods before Jehovah, 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!

And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that Moses goeth in unto the tent of the testimony, and lo, the rod of Aaron hath flourished for the house of Levi, and is bringing out flourishing, and doth blossom blossoms, and doth produce almonds;

9 Moses brought out all the staffs from before Yahweh to all the people of Israel, and each man took his staff.

and Moses bringeth out all the rods from before Jehovah, unto all the sons of Israel, and they look, and take each 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.”

And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Put back the rod of Aaron, before the testimony, for a charge, for a sign to the sons of rebellion, and thou dost remove their murmurings from off me, and they do not die;'

11 Moses did just as Yahweh had commanded him.

and Moses doth as Jehovah hath commanded him; so he hath done.

12 The people of Israel spoke to Moses and said, “We will die here. We will all perish!

And the sons of Israel speak unto Moses, saying, 'Lo, we have expired; we have perished; we have all of us perished;

13 Everyone who comes up, who approaches Yahweh's tabernacle, will die. Must we all perish?”

any who is at all drawing near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth; have we not been consumed — to expire?'