1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying:

2 Speak to the children of Israel, and take from them a staff, a staff from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses; twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff.

3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each father’s house.

4 And you shall place them in the tent of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you.

5 And it shall be that the staff of the man whom I choose shall blossom; thus I will put to rest the murmurings of the children of Israel, with which they grumble against you.

6 And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a staff apiece, for each leader a staff according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs; and the staff of Aaron was among their staffs.

7 And Moses placed the staffs before Jehovah in the tent of witness.

8 And it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tent of witness, and behold, the staff of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.

9 And Moses brought out all the staffs from before Jehovah to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his staff.

10 And Jehovah said to Moses, Bring Aaron’s staff back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their murmurings away from Me, that they not die.

11 Thus Moses did; as Jehovah had commanded him, so he did.

12 And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold we have died, we have perished, we have all perished!

13 Whoever comes near the tabernacle of Jehovah dies. Are we all about to die? Have we been consumed?