Numbers 17 — ULB
17Verse 1Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,Verse 2“Speak to the people of Israel and get staffs from them, one for each ancestral tribe, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff.Verse 3You must write Aaron's name on Levi's staff. There must be one staff for each leader from his ancestors' tribe.Verse 4You must place the staffs in the tent of meeting in front of the covenant decrees, where I meet with you.Verse 5It will happen that the staff of the man whom I choose will bud. I will cause the complaints from the people of Israel to stop, which they are speaking against you.”Verse 6So Moses spoke to the people of Israel. All the tribal leaders gave him staffs, one staff from each leader, selected from each of the ancestral tribes, twelve staffs in all. Aaron's staff was among them.Verse 7Then Moses deposited the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of the covenant decrees.Verse 8The next day Moses went into the tent of the covenant decrees and, behold, Aaron's staff for the tribe of Levi had budded. It grew buds and produced blossoms and ripe almonds!Verse 9Moses brought out all the staffs from before Yahweh to all the people of Israel, and each man took his staff.Verse 10Yahweh said to Moses, “Put Aaron's staff in front of the covenant decrees. Keep it as a sign of guilt against the people who rebelled so that you may end complaints against me, or they will die.”Verse 11Moses did just as Yahweh had commanded him.Verse 12The people of Israel spoke to Moses and said, “We will die here. We will all perish!Verse 13Everyone who comes up, who approaches Yahweh's tabernacle, will die. Must we all perish?”