| Holman Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1The LORD instructed Moses: " | 1The LORD spoke to 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"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 must be one staff for the head of each ancestral house. | 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 ancestral houses, 12 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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