Numbers 16:41–18:7
41 The next day all the community of the ⌊Israelites⌋h grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of Yahweh!” 42 Then, when the community had gathered against Moses and Aaron, they turned to the tent of assembly, and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of assembly, 44 and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from the midst of this community, and I will finish them in an instant,”i but they fell on their faces. 46 And Moses and Aaron said, “Take the censer, and put fire on it from the altar. Place incense on it, and bring it quickly to the community, and make atonement for them, because wrath went out from the presence of Yahweh, and a plague has begun.” 47 And so Aaron took it just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people; so he gave the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and between the living, and the plague was stopped. 49 Those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died on account of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the plague was stopped.
17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the ⌊Israelites⌋,a and take from among them twelve staffs, ⌊a staff from each family⌋b from among all their leaders according to their families’ households. Write the name of each man on his staff, 3 and the name of Aaron on the staff of Levi, because one staff is for the head of each of ⌊their families⌋.c 4 You must then put them in the tent of assembly ⌊before⌋d the testimonye where I meet with you. 5 And it will happen, the man whom I will choose, his staff will blossom, and so I will rid from upon myself the grumblings of the ⌊Israelites⌋,f who are grumbling against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the ⌊Israelites⌋,g and all their leaders gave him a staff for each leader, one from ⌊each of their families⌋,h twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was in the midst of their tribes. 7 And Moses put the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of testimony.
8 Then the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi blossomed and put forth a flower and produced blossoms, and it produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out to all the ⌊Israelites⌋i all the staffs before the presence of Yahweh, and they saw, and each man took his staff. 10 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring back the staff of Aaron before the testimonyj as a guard and sign for the children of rebellion, and let them finish their grumblings before me and not die.” 11 So Moses did; just as Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
12 And the ⌊Israelites⌋k said to Moses, saying, “Look! We will die! We will be destroyed! All of us will perish! 13 Anyone who approaches the tabernacle of Yahweh will die. ⌊Will we all die⌋?”l
The Duties of the Priests and Levites
18 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your family with you will bear the guilt of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will bear the guilt of your priesthood. 2 Moreover, bring your brothers with you, the tribe of Levi the tribe of your father, that they may be joined to you and minister to you, you and your sons with you before the tent of testimony. 3 They will keep your responsibility and the responsibility of all the tent, only they may not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, so both you and they will not die. 4 They will be joined to you, and they will keep the responsibility of the tent of assembly for the entire service of the tent; a stranger may not come near you. 5 You will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, and there will no longer be wrath on the ⌊Israelites⌋.a 6 Look, I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from the midst of the children. They are a gift to you given from Yahweh to perform the work of the tent of assembly. 7 But you with your sons will keep your priesthood to perform your priestly duties for everything at the altarb and for ⌊the area behind the curtain⌋.c I give you the priesthood as a gift, but the stranger who approaches will be put to death.”