Aaron’s budding staff

17 ^[a] The Lord spoke to Moses: ² Speak to the Israelites and take from them a staff from each household, from each of the chiefs of their households, twelve staffs. Write each person’s name on his staff. ³ Write Aaron’s name on Levi’s staff, for there will be one staff for the leader of each household. ⁴ Then you will place them in the meeting tent in front of the chest containing the covenant, where I meet you. ⁵ The staff of the person I choose will sprout. Then I will rid myself of the Israelites’ complaints that they make against you.

⁶ Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their chiefs gave him a staff, one staff for each chief and his household, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was with their staffs. ⁷ Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the meeting tent. ⁸ The next day Moses entered the covenant tent, and Aaron’s staff of Levi’s household had sprouted. It grew shoots, produced blossoms, and bore almonds. ⁹ Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to the Israelites. They saw what happened, and each person took back his staff.

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Return Aaron’s staff in front of the chest containing the covenant to serve as a sign to the rebels so that their complaints against me end and they don’t die.” ¹¹ Moses did exactly as the Lord commanded him.

¹² The Israelites said to Moses, “We are perishing. We are being destroyed. All of us are being destroyed. ¹³ Anyone who approaches the Lord’s dwelling will die. Are we doomed to perish?”