3
and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house.
4
Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony,
1where I meet with you.
5
And the staff of the man
2whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me
3the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you."
6
Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs.
7
And Moses deposited the staffs before the LORD in
4the tent of the testimony.
8
On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.
9
Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff.
10
And the LORD said to Moses, "Put back
5the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept
6as a sign for the rebels,
7that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die."
11
Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so he did.
12
And the people of Israel said to Moses, "Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
13
8Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, shall die. Are we all to perish?"