17
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and take rods from them, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. You shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses. You shall lay them up in the Tent of Meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. It shall happen, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud. I will make the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you, cease from me.”
Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods. Aaron’s rod was among their rods. Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the Tent of the Testimony.
On the next day, Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony; and behold, Aaron’s rod for the house of Levi had sprouted, budded, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds. Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel. They looked, and each man took his rod.
10 Yahweh said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, that they not die.” 11 Moses did so. As Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
12 The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone! 13 Everyone who keeps approaching Yahweh’s tabernacle, dies! Will we all perish?”
+1:1“Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.+3:12“Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.+3:47A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.+3:47A gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains.+3:50A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 1365 shekels is about 13.65 kilograms or about 30 pounds.+5:151 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel+5:28or, seed+6:7The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).+7:13A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.+11:3Taberah means “burning”+11:31A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.+11:321 homer is about 220 liters or 6 bushels+11:34Kibroth Hattaavah means “graves of lust”+13:33or, giants+13:33or, giants+14:17The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”+14:24or, seed+15:41 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel+15:61 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel+15:91 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel+15:38or, tassels (Hebrew tzitzit)+15:38or, tassel+15:39or, tassel+16:30Sheol is the place of the dead.+16:33Sheol is the place of the dead.+16:40or, seed