1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Tell the children of Israel to give you staffs, one for each father's house: twelve staffs from all their chiefs, by the house of their fathers. Write each man's name on his staff.
3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, since there is to be one staff for the head of each father's house.
4 Lay them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you.
5 The staff of the man I choose will sprout, and so I will put a stop to the murmurings the children of Israel keep making against you, so that I no longer hear them."
6 Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief by the house of their fathers, twelve staffs; Aaron's staff was among them.
7 Moses laid the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.
8 The next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and there was Aaron's staff, for the house of Levi, which had sprouted: it had put out buds, burst into blossom, and produced ripe almonds.
9 Moses brought all the staffs out from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; they looked at them, and each man took back his staff.
10 The LORD said to Moses, "Put Aaron's staff back in front of the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebellious, so that you may end their murmurings against me and they will not die."
11 Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded him.
12 The children of Israel said to Moses, "We are dying! We are lost, all of us lost!
13 Anyone who comes near, anyone who comes near the tabernacle of the LORD, dies. Are we all going to perish?"