17 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod. 3And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses. 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5And it shall come to pass, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you. 6And Moses spake unto the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7And Moses laid up the rods before Jehovah in the tent of the testimony.

8And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bare ripe almonds. 9And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. 10And Jehovah said unto Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me, that they die not. 11Thus did Moses: as Jehovah commanded him, so did he.

12And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. 13Every one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah, dieth: shall we perish all of us?