1 Jehovah said to Moses:

2 »Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them. Get one from the leader of each of their tribes. Write each man’s name on his staff.

3 »Write Aaron’s name on the staff for Levi because there must be one staff for the head of each tribe.

4 »Put them in the tent of meeting where I meet with you, in front of the testimony of my promise.

5 »The staff from the man I choose will begin to grow. In this way I will silence the frequent complaints the Israelites make against you and Aaron.«

6 Thus Moses spoke to the Israelites. Their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one from the leader of each of their tribes. Aaron’s staff was among them.

7 Moses put the staffs in Jehovah’s presence in the tent of the testimony.

8 The next day Moses went into the tent. He found that Aaron’s staff for the tribe of Levi had not only begun to grow, but it had also blossomed and produced ripe almonds.

9 Moses brought out the staffs from Jehovah’s presence and showed them to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff.

10 Jehovah said to Moses: »Put Aaron’s staff in front of the testimony. Keep it there as a sign to warn any other rebels. Then you will stop their complaints about me, and they will not die.«

11 Moses did exactly what Jehovah commanded him to do.

12 The Israelites said to Moses: Now we are going to die! We will perish! We are all lost!

13 Anyone who comes near Jehovah’s tent will die! Are we all going to die?