| Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1The LORD instructed Moses: | 1The LORD spoke to Moses: |
| 2"Speak to the Israelites and take one staff from them for each ancestral tribe, twelve staffs from all the leaders of their tribes. Write each man's name on his staff. | 2"Speak to the Israelites, and receive from them a staff from each tribe, one from every tribal leader, twelve staffs; you must write each man's name on his staff. |
| 3Write Aaron's name on Levi's staff, because there is to be one staff for the head of each tribe. | 3You must write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi; for one staff is for the head of every tribe. |
| 4Then place them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony where I meet with you. | 4You must place them in the tent of meeting before the ark of the covenant where I meet with you. |
| 5The staff of the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of the Israelites' complaints that they have been making about you." | 5And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you." |
| 6So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each of the leaders of their tribes, twelve staffs in all. Aaron's staff was among them. | 6So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader, according to their tribes--twelve staffs; the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. |
| 7Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony. | 7Then Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony. |
| 8The next day Moses entered the tent of the testimony and saw that Aaron's staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds! | 8On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony--and the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted, and brought forth buds, and produced blossoms, and yielded almonds! |
| 9Moses then brought out all the staffs from the LORD's presence to all the Israelites. They saw them, and each man took his own staff. | 9So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff. |
| 10The LORD told Moses, "Put Aaron's staff back in front of the testimony to be kept as a sign for the rebels, so that you may put an end to their complaints before me, or else they will die." | 10The LORD said to Moses, "Bring Aaron's staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end before me, that they will not die." |
| 11So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. | 11So Moses did as the LORD commanded him--this is what he did. |
| 12Then the Israelites declared to Moses, "Look, we're perishing! We're lost; we're all lost! | 12The Israelites said to Moses, "We are bound to die! We perish, we all perish! |
| 13Anyone who comes near the LORD's tabernacle will die. Will we all perish?" | 13Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the LORD will die! Are we all to die?" |
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