Aaron’s Staff
Numbers 17YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, “You are to tell to the children of Israel to take staffs from them, one for each fathers’ house, of all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his staff. You are to write Aaron’s name on Levi’s staff. There must be one staff for each head of their fathers’ houses. You are to place them up in the Tent of Meeting before the covenant, where I meet with y’all. The staff of the man whom I choose will sprout. I will make the grumblings of the children of Israel against y’all cease.”
Moses spoke to the children of Israel. All their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their fathers’ houses, a total of twelve staffs. Aaron’s rod was among their staffs. Moses placed the staffs before YHWH in the Tent of the Testimony.
On the next day, Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony, and Aaron’s rod for the house of Levi had sprouted, budded, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds. Moses brought out all the rods from before YHWH to all the children of Israel. They looked, and each man took his staff.
YHWH said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the covenant, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their complaining against me, that they not die.” Moses did so. As YHWH commanded him, so he did.
The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Look, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone! Everyone who comes close to YHWH’s tabernacle, dies! Will we all perish?”