17:1 The LORD said to Moses,
17:2 “Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff.
17:3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe.
17:4 Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you.
17:5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”
17:6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them.
17:7 Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the Tent of the Testimony.
17:8 The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.
17:9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD’S presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his own staff.
17:10 The LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.”
17:11 Moses did just as the LORD commanded him.
17:12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!
17:13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to die?”
17:1 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
17:2 Speak to the children of Israel, and take from them rods, one for each father’s house, twelve rods from all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses; you shall write everyone’s name upon his rod.
17:3 And you shall write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi, for there shall be one rod for the head of each of their fathers’ houses.
17:4 And you shall place them in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you.
17:5 And the rod of the man whom I choose shall bud, and I will put a stop to the murmurings of the children of Israel against Me, which they murmur against you.
17:6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel. And every one of their leaders gave him a rod, one rod for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods, with the rod of Aaron among their rods.
17:7 And Moses placed the rods before Jehovah in the Tent of the Testimony.
17:8 And on the next day Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony, and there was the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi: it had budded; it even put forth buds and produced blossoms and bore ripe almonds.
17:9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah to all the children of Israel, and they looked; and each one took his rod.
17:10 Then Jehovah said to Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the Testimony to be kept as a sign against the rebels, so that you may put an end to their murmurings against Me, and they not die.
17:11 And Moses did so; just as Jehovah commanded him, so he did.
17:12 And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Alas, we die out; we perish; all of us perish.
17:13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Jehovah, dies. Are we to completely die out?