Numbers 17
The Budding of Aaron’s Staff
1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2“Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff. 3Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. 4Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant, where I meet with you. 5Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you.”
6So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. 7Moses placed the staffs in the Lord’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. 8When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!
9When Moses brought all the staffs out from the Lord’s presence, he showed them to the people. Each man claimed his own staff. 10And the Lord said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.” 11So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.
12Then the people of Israel said to Moses, “Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined! 13Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the Lord dies. Are we all doomed to die?”