Numbers 17

The Budding of Aaron’s Rod

17And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²“Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. ³And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. ⁴Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before ^athe Testimony, ^bwhere I meet with you. ⁵And it shall be that the rod of the man ^cwhom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, ^dwhich they make against you.”

⁶So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. ⁷And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in ^ethe tabernacle of witness.

⁸Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the ^frod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. ⁹Then 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.

¹⁰And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring ^gAaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept ^has a sign against the rebels, ⁱthat you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” ¹¹Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

¹²So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! ^13jWhoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?”