Liber Numeri 17

1 Et locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Loquere ad filios Israel, et accipe ab eis virgas singulas per cognationes suas, a cunctis principibus tribuum, virgas duodecim, et uniuscuiusque nomen superscribes virgæ suæ.

Speak to the children of Israel, and take rods of them, according to the houses of their families, a rod from all their princes, according to the houses of their families, twelve rods, and write the name of each on his rod.

3 Nomen autem Aaron erit in tribu Levi, et una virga cunctas seorsum familias continebit:

And write the name of Aaron on the rod of Levi; for it is one rod [for each]: they shall give [them] according to the tribe of the house of their families.

4 ponesque eas in tabernaculo fœderis coram testimonio, ubi loquar ad te.

And thou shalt put them in the tabernacle of witness, before the testimony, where I will be made known to thee.

5 Quem ex his elegero, germinabit virga eius: et cohibebo a me querimonias filiorum Israel, quibus contra vos murmurant.

And it shall be, the man whom I shall choose, his rod shall blossom; and I will remove from me the murmuring of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.

6 Locutusque est Moyses ad filios Israel: et dederunt ei omnes principes virgas per singulas tribus: fueruntque virgæ duodecim absque virga Aaron.

And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their chiefs gave him a rod [each], for one chief a rod, according to the house of their families, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron [was] in the midst of the rods.

7 Quas cum posuisset Moyses coram Domino in tabernaculo testimonii:

And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.

8 sequenti die regressus invenit germinasse virgam Aaron in domo Levi: et turgentibus gemmis eruperant flores, qui, foliis dilatatis, in amygdalas deformati sunt.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi blossomed, and put forth a bud, and bloomed blossoms and produced almonds.

9 Protulit ergo Moyses omnes virgas de conspectu Domini ad cunctos filios Israel: videruntque et receperunt singuli virgas suas.

And Moses brought forth all the rods from before the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each one took his rod.

10 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Refer virgam Aaron in tabernaculum testimonii, ut servetur ibi in signum rebellium filiorum Israel, et quiescant querelæ eorum a me, ne moriantur.

And the Lord said to Moses, Lay up the rod of Aaron before the testimonies to be kept as a sign for the children of the disobedient; and let their murmuring cease from me, and they shall not die.

11 Fecitque Moyses sicut præceperat Dominus.

And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses, so did they.

12 Dixerunt autem filii Israel ad Moysen: Ecce consumpti sumus, omnes perivimus.

And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold, we are cut off, we are destroyed, we are consumed.

13 Quicumque accedit ad tabernaculum Domini, moritur. Num usque ad internecionem cuncti delendi sumus?

Every one that touches the tabernacle of the Lord, dies: shall we die utterly?