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The LORD said to Moses,
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“Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff.
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On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe.
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Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you.
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The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”
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So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them.
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Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the covenant law.
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The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.
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Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.
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The LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.”