1And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them a staff, a staff for each father's house, of all their princes according to the houses of their fathers, twelve staves: thou shalt write each one's name upon his staff. 3And Aaron's name shalt thou write upon the staff of Levi; for one staff shall be for each head of their fathers' houses. 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5And it shall come to pass, that the man whom I shall choose, his staff shall bud forth; and I will make to cease from before me the murmurings of the children of Israel, that they murmur against you. 6And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their princes gave him a staff, one staff for each prince according to their fathers' houses, twelve staves, and the staff of Aaron was among their staves. 7And Moses laid the staves before Jehovah in the tent of the testimony.

8And it came to pass, when on the morrow Moses went into the tent of the testimony, behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and ripened almonds. 9And Moses brought out all the staves from before Jehovah to all the children of Israel, and they looked and took each one his staff. 10And Jehovah said to Moses, Bring Aaron's staff again before the testimony, to be kept as a token for the sons of rebellion, that thou mayest put an end to their murmurings before me, that they may not die. 11And Moses did so: as Jehovah had commanded him, so did he.

12And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Lo, we expire, we perish, we all perish. 13Every one that comes at all near to the tabernacle of Jehovah shall die: shall we then expire altogether?