Numbers 17
Christian Standard Bible
Aaron’s Staff Chosen
17 The Lord instructed Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and take one staff from them for each ancestral tribe,[a] twelve staffs from all the leaders of their tribes.[b] Write each man’s name on his staff. 3 Write Aaron’s name on Levi’s staff, because there is to be one staff for the head of each tribe. 4 Then place them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony where I meet with you. 5 The staff of the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of the Israelites’ complaints that they have been making about you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each of the leaders of their tribes, twelve staffs in all. Aaron’s staff was among them.(A) 7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.
8 The next day Moses entered the tent of the testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds! 9 Moses then brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They saw them, and each man took his own staff. 10 The Lord told Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the testimony to be kept as a sign(B) for the rebels, so that you may put an end to their complaints before me, or else they will die.”(C) 11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.
12 Then the Israelites declared to Moses, “Look, we’re perishing! We’re lost; we’re all lost! 13 Anyone who comes near the Lord’s tabernacle will die.(D) Will we all perish?”
Numbers 17
New American Standard Bible
Aaron’s Staff Buds
17 [a]Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and obtain from them a staff for each father’s household: twelve staffs, from all their leaders for their fathers’ households. You shall write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi; for there is to be one staff for the head of each of their fathers’ households. 4 You shall then leave them in the tent of meeting in front of (A)the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it will come about that the staff of (B)the man whom I choose will sprout. So I will relieve Myself of the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.” 6 So Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader, for their fathers’ households, twelve staffs in all, with the staff of Aaron among their staffs. 7 Then Moses left the staffs before the Lord in (C)the tent of the testimony.
8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, (D)Aaron’s staff for the house of Levi had sprouted and produced buds and bloomed with blossoms, and it yielded ripe almonds. 9 Moses then brought out all the staffs from the presence of the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put the staff of Aaron (E)back in front of the testimony [b]to be kept as a sign against the [c](F)rebels, so that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me and they do not die.” 11 Moses did so; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
12 Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “(G)Behold, we are passing away, we are perishing, we are all perishing! 13 (H)Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die. Are we to perish completely?”
Footnotes
- Numbers 17:1 Ch 17:16 in Heb
- Numbers 17:10 Lit for preserving
- Numbers 17:10 Lit sons of rebellion
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