17:1 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
17:2 Speak to the sons of Israel, and take from them rods, one for each fathers' house, of all their princes according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods: you will write every man's name on his rod.
17:3 And you will write Aaron's name on the rod of Levi; for there will be one rod for each head of their fathers' houses.
17:4 And you will lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you+.
17:5 And it will come to pass, that the rod of the man whom I will choose will bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the sons of Israel, which they murmur against you+.
17:6 And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
17:7 And Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimony.
17:8 And it came to pass on the next day, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and saw that the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.
17:9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the sons of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
17:10 And Yahweh said to Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the sons of rebellion; that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, that they will not die.
17:11 Thus did Moses: as Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
17:12 And the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Look, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
17:13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, dies: shall we perish all of us?