Numbers 17

Aaron’s Staff Buds

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the Israelites and take from them one staff from each ancestral house, from all their leaders according to their ancestral houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff. 3Write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi, for there shall be one staff for the head of each ancestral house. 4Place them in the Tent of Meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5The staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. In this way I will bring to an end before me the grumblings of the Israelites that they grumble against you.”

6Moses spoke to the Israelites, and all their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader according to their ancestral houses, twelve staffs, and Aaron’s staff was among their staffs. 7Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the Tent of the Testimony. 8On the next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony, and look—Aaron’s staff for the house of Levi had sprouted. It had brought forth buds, produced blossoms, and borne ripe almonds. 9Moses brought all the staffs out from before the LORD to all the Israelites. They looked, and each man took his staff.

A Sign Against Rebellion

10The LORD said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back before the testimony to be kept as a sign for the rebellious, so that you may bring their grumblings against me to an end and they may not die.” 11Moses did so. As the LORD commanded him, so he did.

12The Israelites said to Moses, “Look, we are perishing! We are lost! We are all lost! 13Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the LORD’s tabernacle, dies. Are we all to perish?”