Numbers 17

CHAPTER 17

Aaron’s Rod Buds

¹¹Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

²“Speak to the sons of Israel, and get from them a rod for each father’s household: twelve rods from all their leaders according to their fathers’ households. You shall write each name on his rod,

³and write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there is one rod for the head of each of their fathers’ households.

⁴“You shall then deposit them in the tent of meeting in front of ^athe testimony, where I meet with you.

⁵“And it will come about that the rod of ^athe man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will rid Myself of the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.”

⁶Moses therefore spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ households, twelve rods, with the rod of Aaron among their rods.

⁷So Moses deposited the rods before Yahweh in ^athe tent of the testimony.

⁸Now it happened on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, ^athe rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced flowers, and it bore ripe almonds.

⁹Moses then brought out all the rods from the presence of Yahweh to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.

¹⁰But Yahweh said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron ^abefore the testimony ¹to be kept as a sign against the ^2brebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me, so that they will not die.”

¹¹Thus Moses did; just as Yahweh had commanded him, so he did.

¹²Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “^aBehold, we are breathing our last breath, we are perishing, we are all perishing!

¹³“^aEveryone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, must die. Are we to breathe our utter last?”