Numbers 17:6–13

⁶And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their princes gave him a staff, one staff for each prince according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staves, and the staff of Aaron was among their staves. ⁷And Moses laid the staves before Jehovah in the tent of the testimony.

⁸And it came to pass, when on the morrow Moses went into the tent of the testimony, behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and ripened almonds. ⁹And Moses brought out all the staves from before Jehovah to all the children of Israel, and they looked and took each one his staff. ¹⁰And Jehovah said to Moses, Bring Aaron’s staff again before the testimony, to be kept as a token for the sons of rebellion, that thou mayest put an end to their murmurings before me, that they may not die. ¹¹And Moses did so: as Jehovah had commanded him, so did he. ¹²And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Lo, we expire, we perish, we all perish. ¹³Every one that comes at all near to the tabernacle of Jehovah shall die: shall we then expire altogether?