Aaron’s Staff Is Chosen

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

² “Speak to the ⌞Israelites⌟,¹ and take from among them twelve staffs, ⌞a staff from each family⌟² from among all their leaders according to their families’ households. Write the name of each man on his staff,

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Literally “a staff from a house of a father”

³ and the name of Aaron on the staff of Levi, because one staff is for the head of each of ⌞their families⌟.¹

1. Literally “the house of their fathers”

⁴ You must then put them in the tent of assembly ⌞before⌟¹ the testimony² where I meet with you.

1. Literally “in the presence of”
2. Or “the statute”

⁵ And it will happen, the man whom I will choose, his staff will blossom, and so I will rid from upon myself the grumblings of the ⌞Israelites⌟,¹ who are grumbling against you.”

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

⁶ Moses spoke to the ⌞Israelites⌟,¹ and all their leaders gave him a staff for each leader, one from ⌞each of their families⌟,² twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was in the midst of their tribes.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Literally “each from the house of their fathers”

⁷ And Moses put the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of testimony.

⁸ Then the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi blossomed and put forth a flower and produced blossoms, and it produced almonds.

⁹ Then Moses brought out to all the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ all the staffs before the presence of Yahweh, and they saw, and each man took his staff.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

¹⁰ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring back the staff of Aaron before the testimony¹ as a guard and sign for the children of rebellion, and let them finish their grumblings before me and not die.”

1. Or “the statute”

¹¹ So Moses did; just as Yahweh commanded him, so he did.

¹² And the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ said to Moses, saying, “Look! We will die! We will be destroyed! All of us will perish!

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

¹³ Anyone who approaches the tabernacle of Yahweh will die. ⌞Will we all die⌟?”¹

1. Literally “Will we all die to perish?”