1 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

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.

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.

4 And you will lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you{+}.

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{+}.

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.

7 And Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimony.

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.

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.

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.

11 Thus did Moses: as Yahweh commanded him, so he did.

12 And the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Look, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.

13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, dies: shall we perish all of us?