1The LORD spoke to Moses and said,
2"Speak to the children of Israel, and take a rod from each of them, one for each family of their fathers. Take twelve rods from all their leaders, one for each family of their fathers. Write each man's name on his rod."
3Write Aaron's name on the rod of Levi. There shall be one rod for the head of each family of their fathers.
4Lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation, in front of the testimony, where I will meet with you.
5"Then the rod of the man I choose will blossom. So I will stop the complaining of the children of Israel, which they make against you."
6So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and every one of their leaders gave him a rod, one rod for each leader, according to their fathers' families. There were twelve rods, and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
7Moses laid the rods up before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
8The next day Moses went into the tabernacle of witness. Look, the rod of Aaron, for the family of Levi, had budded. It had put out buds, and opened blossoms, and produced almonds.
9Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel. They looked, and each man took his own rod.
10The LORD said to Moses, "Bring Aaron's rod back in front of the testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels. So you will put an end to their complaining against me, and they will not die."
11Moses did so. As the LORD commanded him, so he did.
12The children of Israel spoke to Moses and said, "Look, we are dying, we are lost, we are all lost."
13"Anyone who comes at all near to the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all to be destroyed by dying?"