Numbers 17

Tree of Life Version

Sprouting of Aaron’s Rod

17 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and get a rod from each ancestral house, twelve staffs in all, from each prince according to his ancestral household. Write each man’s name on his staff. ³ Write Aaron’s name on Levi’s staff, for there is to be one staff for the prince of each tribe. ⁴ Then you are to place them in the Tent of Meeting, before the Testimony, where I meet with you. ⁵ It will come about that the staff of the man I choose will sprout. I will then rid Myself of the grumblings of Bnei-Yisrael, who are grumbling against you.”

⁶ So Moses spoke to Bnei-Yisrael. Each of their princes gave him a staff, one staff for each prince according to their ancestral houses, twelve staffs in all, and Aaron’s staff was among them. ⁷ Moses placed the staffs before Adonai in the Tent of Testimony.

⁸ The next day, Moses entered the Tent of Testimony and behold, Aaron’s staff, from the house of Levi, had sprouted, blossomed, and produced almonds! ⁹ Moses then brought all the staffs from Adonai’s Presence to all Bnei-Yisrael. They looked and each man took his staff.

¹⁰ Adonai said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the Testimony to keep as a sign to the sons of rebellion, so that it may put an end to their grumblings against Me, and so they will not die.” ¹¹ Moses did just as Adonai had commanded him.

¹² But Bnei-Yisrael said to Moses saying, “Look! We will die! We are all lost! We are lost! ¹³ Anyone approaching the Tabernacle of Adonai will die! Must all of us die?”