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 virgae suae.

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and receive from each of them a rod by their kinships, from all the leaders of the tribes, twelve rods, and write the name of each one on his rod.

3 nomen autem Aaron erit in tribu Levi, et una virga cunctas eorum familias continebit:

But the name of Aaron shall be for the tribe of Levi, and one rod separately shall contain all their families.

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

And you shall place these in the tabernacle of the covenant before the testimony, where I will speak to you.

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

Whomever of these I will choose, his rod will germinate, and so shall I restrain the complaints of the sons of Israel before me, by which they murmur against you.”

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

And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel. And all the leaders gave him rods, one for each tribe. And there were twelve rods, aside from the rod of Aaron.

7 Quas cum posuisset Moyses coram Domino in tabernaculo testimonii:

And when Moses had placed these before the Lord, in the tabernacle 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.

returning on the following day, he found that the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi, had germinated, and that the swelling buds had opened into flowers, which, spreading their petals, were formed into those of an almond tree.

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

Therefore, Moses brought out all the rods, from the sight of the Lord, to all the sons of Israel. And they saw, and each one received their rods.

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

And the Lord said to Moses: “Carry back the rod of Aaron into the tabernacle of the testimony, so that it may be kept there as a sign of the rebellion of the sons of Israel, and so that their complaints may be quieted before me, lest they die.”

11 Fecitque Moyses sicut praeceperat Dominus.

And Moses did just as the Lord had instructed.

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

Then the sons of Israel said to Moses: “Behold, we have been consumed; we have been ruined.

13 quicumque accedit ad tabernaculum Domini, moritur. num usque ad internecionem cuncti delendi sumus?

Whoever approaches to the tabernacle of the Lord dies. Will we all be wiped away, even to total annihilation?”