B'midbar (Num) 17
17
1Adonai said to Moshe, 2“Tell El‘azar the son of Aharon the cohen to remove the fire pans from the fire, and scatter the smoldering coals at a distance, because they have become holy. 3Also the fire pans of these men, whose sin cost them their lives, have become holy, because they were offered before Adonai. Therefore, have them hammered into plates to cover the altar. This will be a sign for the people of Isra’el.”
4El‘azar the cohen took the brass fire pans which the men who had been burned to death had offered, and they hammered them into a covering for the altar, 5to remind the people of Isra’el that an ordinary person, not descended from Aharon, is not to approach and burn incense before Adonai, if he wants to avoid the fate of Korach and his group — as Adonai had said to him through Moshe.
6But the very next day, the whole community of the people of Isra’el complained against Moshe and Aharon: “You have killed Adonai’s people!” 7However, as the community was assembling against Moshe and Aharon, they looked in the direction of the tent of meeting and saw the cloud cover it and the glory of Adonai appear. 8Moshe and Aharon came to the front of the tent of meeting.
(iv) 9Adonai said to Moshe, 10“Get away from this assembly, and I will destroy them at once!” But they fell on their faces. 11Moshe said to Aharon, “Take your fire pan, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it, and hurry with it to the assembly to make atonement for them, because anger has gone out from Adonai, and the plague has already begun!” 12Aharon took it, as Moshe had said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. There the plague had already begun among the people, but he added the incense and made atonement for the people. 13He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. 14Those dying from the plague numbered 14,700 — besides those who died in the Korach incident. 15Aharon returned to Moshe at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the plague was stopped.
(v) 16Adonai said to Moshe, 17“Speak to the people of Isra’el, and take from them staffs, one for each ancestral tribe from each leader of a tribe, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff; 18and write Aharon’s name on the staff of Levi, for each tribe’s leader is to have one staff. 19Put them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you. 20The staff of the man I am going to choose will sprout buds — in this way I will put a stop to the complaints the people of Isra’el keep making against you.”
21Moshe spoke to the people of Isra’el, and all their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their ancestral tribes, twelve staffs. Aharon’s staff was among their staffs. 22Moshe put the staffs before Adonai in the tent of the testimony. 23The next day Moshe went into the tent of the testimony, and there he saw that Aharon’s staff for the house of Levi had budded — it had sprouted not only buds but flowers and ripe almonds as well. 24Moshe brought out all the staffs from before Adonai to all the people of Isra’el, and they looked, and each man took back his staff.
(vi) 25Adonai said to Moshe, “Return Aharon’s staff to its place in front of the testimony. It is to be kept there as a sign to the rebels, so that they will stop grumbling against me and thus not die.” 26Moshe did this; he did as Adonai had ordered him.
27But the people of Isra’el said to Moshe, “Oh no! We’re dead men! Lost! We’re all lost! 28Whenever anyone approaches the tabernacle of Adonai, he dies! Will we all perish?”
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B'midbar (Num) 17: CJB
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Learn More About Complete Jewish BibleNumbers 17
17
1And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them a staff, a staff for each father's house, of all their princes according to the houses of their fathers, twelve staves: thou shalt write each one's name upon his staff. 3And Aaron's name shalt thou write upon the staff of Levi; for one staff shall be for each head of their fathers' houses. 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5And it shall come to pass, that the man whom I shall choose, his staff shall bud forth; and I will make to cease from before me the murmurings of the children of Israel, that they murmur against you. 6And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their princes gave him a staff, one staff for each prince according to their fathers' houses, twelve staves, and the staff of Aaron was among their staves. 7And Moses laid the staves before Jehovah in the tent of the testimony.
8And it came to pass, when on the morrow Moses went into the tent of the testimony, behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and ripened almonds. 9And Moses brought out all the staves from before Jehovah to all the children of Israel, and they looked and took each one his staff. 10And Jehovah said to Moses, Bring Aaron's staff again before the testimony, to be kept as a token for the sons of rebellion, that thou mayest put an end to their murmurings before me, that they may not die. 11And Moses did so: as Jehovah had commanded him, so did he. 12And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Lo, we expire, we perish, we all perish. 13Every one that comes at all near to the tabernacle of Jehovah shall die: shall we then expire altogether?
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.