Liber Numeri 17

1 Et locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

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

'Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers' house, of all their princes according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods; thou shalt write every man's name upon his rod.

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

And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi, for there shall be one rod for the head of their fathers' houses.

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

And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.

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

And it shall come to pass, that the man whom I shall choose, his rod shall bud; and I will make to cease from Me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.'

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

And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

7 Quas cum posuisset Moyses coram Domino in tabernaculo testimonii,

And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.

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 went into the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

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

And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel; and they looked, and took every man his rod.

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

And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept there, for a token against the rebellious children; that there may be made an end of their murmurings against Me, that they die not.'

11 Fecitque Moyses sicut præceperat Dominus.

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

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

And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses, saying: 'Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.

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

Every one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the tabernacle of the LORD, is to die; shall we wholly perish?'