UST NUM Chapter 17

Aaron’s staff sprouted

17 Then Yahweh told Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelite people to bring to you twelve walking sticks. They should bring one for each man who leads each ancestral family. You must write each leader’s name on his stick. 3 There must be one walking stick for each man who leads each ancestral family. So, you must also include a stick for the descendants of Levi and write Aaron’s name on it. 4 You must place those walking sticks inside the sacred tent in front of the sacred chest. That is the place where I usually meet with you all.

5 Then, one of the sticks will begin to grow. That stick will belong to the man whom I have selected to be priest. In this way, I will stop the Israelites from complaining about you and Aaron.”

6 So Moses told the people what Yahweh had said. Then each of the twelve men who led each ancestral family brought to him one walking stick each. There were 12 sticks, plus the stick with Aaron’s name on it. 7 Moses placed those walking sticks inside the sacred tent in Yahweh’s presence.

8 The next day, Moses entered the sacred tent. He saw that the stick with Aaron’s name on it, which the descendants of Levi had contributed, had grown! It had grown buds, which grew into flowers and produced nuts that were ready to eat. 9 Moses picked up all the sticks from Yahweh’s presence in the sacred tent and took them to all the Israelites. They looked at the sticks, and then each of the leaders picked up the stick with his name on it.

10 Then Yahweh told Moses, “Put the stick with Aaron’s name on it back in front of the sacred chest to keep it safe. It will remind these rebellious people of what happened. That way, you will prevent them from complaining in my presence. Then, they will not die.” 11 Moses did exactly what Yahweh told him to do.

12 Then the Israelites told Moses, “All of us are certainly going to die! 13 Every person who approaches the sacred tent where Yahweh makes himself present dies! We may all die!”