Numbers 17  New English Translation

The Budding of Aaron’s Staff

17 ^[a] The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Speak to the Israelites, and receive from them a staff from each tribe,^[b] one from every tribal leader,^[c] twelve staffs; you must write each man’s name on his staff. ³ You must write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi; for one staff is for the head of every tribe.^{[d] 4} You must place them^[e] in the tent of meeting before the ark of the covenant^[f] where I meet with you. ⁵ And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”

⁶ So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader,^[g] according to their tribes^[h]—twelve staffs; the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. ⁷ Then Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.^[i]

⁸ On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony—and^[j] the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted, and brought forth buds, and produced blossoms, and yielded almonds!^{[k] 9} So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the Israelites. They looked at them,^[l] and each man took his staff.

The Memorial

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end^[m] before me, that they will not die.”^{[n] 11} So Moses did as the Lord commanded him—this is what he did.

¹² The Israelites said to Moses, “We are bound to die!^[o] We perish, we all perish! ¹³ (17:28)^[p] Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the Lord will die! Are we all to die?”^[q]