17:1¹ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17:2 “Speak to the Israelites, and receive from them a rod from each tribe,² one from every tribal leader,³twelve rods; and you must write each man’s name on his rod. 17:3 And you must write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for one rod is for the head of every tribe.⁴ 17:4 And you must lay them⁵ in the tent of meeting before the ark of the covenant,⁶ where I meet with you. 17:5 And it will be that the man’s rod whom I will choose will blossom; and so I will rid myself of the murmurings of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”

17:6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a rod, one for each leader,⁷ according to their tribes—twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 17:7 Then Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.⁸

17:8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony—and⁹ the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds!¹⁰ 17:9 So Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the Israelites. They looked. And each man took his rod.

17:10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the testimony, to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end¹¹ before me, that they might not die.¹² 17:11 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him—thus he did.

17:12 And the Israelites spoke to Moses, saying, “We are bound to die,¹³ we perish, we all perish! 17:13 (17:28)¹⁴ Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all to die?”¹⁵