| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1The LORD instructed Moses: " | 1 The LORD instructed Moses, |
| 2Speak to the Israelites and take one staff from them for each ancestral house, 12 staffs from all the leaders of their ancestral houses. Write each man's name on his staff. | 2"Tell the Israelis to take a rod—one from each ancestral house, that is, one from every leader, for a total of twelve rods. Write each tribal name on his rod. |
| 3Write Aaron's name on Levi's staff, because there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral house. | 3You are also to write Aaron's name on the tribe of Levi, since there is to be one rod for every leader of their ancestral tribes. |
| 4Then place them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony where I meet with you. | 4"Then lay them there in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Ark of the Covenant where I'll 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." | 5The rod that belongs to the man whom I'll choose will burst into bloom. That's how I'll put a stop to the complaints of the Israelis, who are complaining 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 ancestral houses, 12 staffs in all. Aaron's staff was among them. | 6So Moses spoke to the Israelis, and each of the tribe leaders gave him a rod, one for each leader, according to their ancestral tribes, for a total of twelve rods. Aaron's rod was one of them. |
| 7Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony. | 7Then Moses laid out the rods in the LORD'S presence, inside the Tent of 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! | 8The next morning, Moses went to the Tent of Testimony and the rod of Aaron of the tribe of Levi had burst into bloom! It sprouted buds, bloomed blossoms, and produced fully ripe 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. | 9Then Moses took out all the rods from the LORD's presence to show all the Israelis. Everybody looked, and then each man took his rod. |
| 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." | 10Then the Lord instructed Moses, "Return Aaron's rod before the testimony to be kept for a reminder against the rebels so that you may put an end to their complaints against me and so that they won't die." |
| 11So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. | 11So Moses did exactly what the LORD had commanded him to do. |
| 12Then the Israelites declared to Moses, "Look, we're perishing! We're lost; we're all lost! | 12Then the Israelis told Moses, "We're sure to die! We're all going to perish—all of us! |
| 13Anyone who comes near the LORD's tabernacle will die. Will we all perish?" | 13Anyone who comes near or approaches the LORD's tent is to die. Are all of us going to die?" |
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