Numbers 17  Modern English Version

The Budding of Aaron’s Rod

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² Speak to the children of Israel, and take from them a rod, a rod for the house of their fathers, from all their leaders according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. ³ You will write the name of Aaron on the rod of Levi, because one rod will be for each father’s house. ⁴ You will lay them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁵ It will be that the rod of the man whom I choose will bud. Thus I will rid myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, that they have been making against you.

⁶ Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each one of their leaders gave him a rod, one for each leader, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods, and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. ⁷ Moses laid the rods before the Lord in the tent of witness.

⁸ When Moses went into the tent of witness the next day, the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, had sprouted. It brought forth buds, produced blossoms, and yielded almonds. ⁹ Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel, and they looked, and each man took his rod.

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Return the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a warning to rebels, that you may put an end to their complaints before Me, or else they will die.” ¹¹ Moses did so. As the Lord commanded him, so he did.

¹² The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we expire, we perish, we all perish. ¹³ Anyone approaching the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all to perish?”