Numbers 17

Aaronʼs Staff Budsⓘ

Twelve staffs to settle the leadership question¹And the Lord said to Moses, ²“Speak to the Israelites and take from them twelve staffs, one from the leader of each tribe. Write each manʼs name on his staff, ³and write Aaronʼs name on the staff of Levi, because there must be one staff for the head of each tribe. ⁴Place the staffs in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony,^a where I meet with you. ⁵The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the constant grumbling of the Israelites against you.”

Aaron's staff blossoms overnight⁶So 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. And Aaronʼs staff was among them. ⁷Then Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the Tent of the Testimony.

⁸The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaronʼs staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, put forth buds, blossomed, and produced almonds. ⁹Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordʼs presence to all the Israelites. They saw them, and each man took his own staff.

A sign kept, and the people's fear¹⁰The Lord said to Moses, “Put Aaronʼs staff back in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebellious, so that you may put an end to their grumbling against Me, lest they die.” ¹¹So Moses did as the Lord had commanded him.

¹²Then the Israelites declared to Moses, “Look, we are perishing! We are lost; we are all lost! ¹³Anyone who comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to perish?”