The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Chapter 17 -

Then Yahweh said to Moses,

“Tell the Israelite people to bring to you twelve walking sticks. They should bring one from each of the leaders of the twelve tribes. You should carve each leader’s name on his stick.

There must be one stick for the leader of each tribe, so you must carve Aaron’s name on the stick for the tribe of Levi.

Put those walking sticks inside the sacred tent, in front of the sacred chest that has in it the tablets on which the Ten Commandments are written. That is the place where I always talk with you.

Buds will sprout on the stick of the man whom I have chosen to be the priest. When the people see that, they will stop their constantly complaining about you because they will realize that he is the one whom I have chosen.”

So Moses told the people what Yahweh had said. Then each of the twelve Israelite leaders, including Aaron, brought his walking stick to Moses.

Moses placed the sticks inside the sacred tent in front of the sacred chest.

The following morning, when he went into the tent, he saw that Aaron’s stick, which represented the tribe of Levi, had sprouted. It had produced leaves and blossoms, and it had also produced almonds that were ripe!

Moses brought all the sticks out of the sacred tent and showed them to the people. Each of the twelve leaders took back his own stick.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s stick in front of the sacred chest, and let it stay there permanently. That will be a warning to people who want to rebel against me. Then no more people will die because of complaining against me.”

So Moses did what Yahweh had commanded.

Then the Israelite people said to Moses, “We are going to die! All of us are surely going to die!

Everyone who comes close to Yahweh’s sacred tent dies. Are the rest of us going to die, also?”

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and take rods from them, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod.

You shall write Aaron’s name on Levi’s rod. There shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses.

You shall lay them up in the Tent of Meeting before the covenant, where I meet with you.

It shall happen that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud. I will make the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you, cease from me.”

Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, a total of twelve rods. Aaron’s rod was among their rods.

Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the Tent of the Testimony.

On the next day, Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony; and behold, Aaron’s rod for the house of Levi had sprouted, budded, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel. They looked, and each man took his rod.

The LORD said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the covenant, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their complaining against me, that they not die.”

Moses did so. As the LORD commanded him, so he did.

The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone!

Everyone who keeps approaching the LORD’s tabernacle, dies! Will we all perish?”