Numbers 17

1 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, [a] 2 “Speak to the children of Israel and take staffs from them, by their fathers' houses — a staff from each of their leaders, by their fathers' houses, twelve staffs — and write each man's name on his own staff. 3 And write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi; for there is one staff for each of them. They are to hand them over by the tribe of their fathers' houses. 4 And you are to put them in the tent of witness, in front of the witness pieces, where I make myself known to you. [b] 5 And it will be that the man I choose — his staff will blossom; and I will put away from myself the grumbling of the children of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 6 And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a staff each — one staff for each leader, by their fathers' houses, twelve staffs — and Aaron's staff was among the staffs. 7 And Moses laid the staffs up before the Lord in the tent of witness.

8 And the next day Moses and Aaron went into the tent of witness — and there was Aaron's staff, for the house of Levi: it had sprouted, and put out a bud, and blossomed, and produced almonds. [c] 9 And Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his own staff. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, 10 “Lay Aaron's staff up in front of the witness pieces, to be kept as a sign for the children of those who disobey; and let their grumbling against me stop, so that they do not die.” 11 And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded Moses. That is what they did.

12 And the children of Israel spoke to Moses. They said, 12 “Look at us — we are finished, we are done for, we are being used up. 13 Everyone who so much as touches the tent of the Lord dies. Are we all to die, down to the last man?”