1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying:2 Speak to the children of Israel, and take from them a staff, a staff from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses; twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff.3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each father’s house.4 And you shall place them in the tent of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you.5 And it shall be that the staff of the man whom I choose shall blossom; thus I will put to rest the murmurings of the children of Israel, with which they grumble against you.6 And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a staff apiece, for each leader a staff according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs; and the staff of Aaron was among their staffs.7 And Moses placed the staffs before Jehovah in the tent of witness.8 And it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tent of witness, and behold, the staff of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.9 And Moses brought out all the staffs from before Jehovah to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his staff.10 And Jehovah said to Moses, Bring Aaron’s staff back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their murmurings away from Me, that they not die.11 Thus Moses did; as Jehovah had commanded him, so he did.12 And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold we have died, we have perished, we have all perished!13 Whoever comes near the tabernacle of Jehovah dies. Are we all about to die? Have we been consumed?

1 And the Lord spak to Moises, `and seide, Speke thou to the sones of Israel,2 and take thou yerdis, bi her kynredis, bi ech kynrede o yeerde, take thou of alle the princes of the lynagis twelue yerdis; and thou schalt write the name of each lynage aboue his yerde;3 forsothe the name of Aaron schal be in the lynage of Leuy, and o yerde schal conteyne alle the meynees of hem.4 And thou schalt putte tho yerdis in the tabernacle of boond of pees, bifor the witnessyng, where Y schal speke to thee; the yerde of hym schal buriowne, whom Y schal chese of hem;5 and Y schal refreyne fro me the playnyngis of the sones of Israel, bi whiche thei grutchen ayens you.6 And Moyses spak to the sones of Israel; and alle princes yauen to hym yerdis, bi alle lynagis; and the yerdis weren twelue, without the yerde of Aaron.7 And whanne Moises hadde put tho yerdis bifor the Lord, in the tabernacle of witnessyng, he yede ayen in the day suynge,8 and founde that the yerde of Aaron, `in the hows of Leuy, buriounnede; and whanne knoppis weren greet, the blossoms `hadden broke out, whiche weren alargid in leeuys, and weren fourmed in to alemaundis.9 Therfor Moyses brouyte forth alle the yerdis fro the siyt of the Lord to al the sones of Israel; and thei sien, and resseyueden ech his yerde.10 And the Lord seide to Moises, Bere ayen the yerde of Aaron in to the tabernacle of witnessyng, that it be kept there in to `the signe of the rebel sones of Israel, and that her `playntis reste fro me, lest thei dien.11 And Moises dide, as the Lord comaundide.12 Forsothe the sones of Israel seiden to Moises, Lo! we ben wastid, alle we perischiden;13 who euer neiyeth to the tabernacle of the Lord, he dieth; whethir we schulen be doon awei alle `til to deeth?