| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 2“Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers’ house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff, | 2“Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff. |
| 3and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers’ house. | 3Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. |
| 4Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. | 4Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant, where I meet with you. |
| 5And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” | 5Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you.” |
| 6Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. | 6So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. |
| 7And Moses deposited the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony. | 7Moses placed the staffs in the LORD’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. |
| 8On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. | 8When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds! |
| 9Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. | 9When Moses brought all the staffs out from the LORD’s presence, he showed them to the people. Each man claimed his own staff. |
| 10And the LORD said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” | 10And the LORD said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.” |
| 11Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so he did. | 11So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. |
| 12And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. | 12Then the people of Israel said to Moses, “Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined! |
| 13Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, shall die. Are we all to perish?” | 13Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the LORD dies. Are we all doomed to die?” |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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