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The LORD said to Moses,
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"Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from
the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of
each man on his staff.
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On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one
staff for the head of each ancestral tribe.
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Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony,
where I meet you.
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The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I
will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by
the Israelites."
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So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave
him twelve staffs one for the leader of each of their
ancestral tribes, and Aaron's staff was among them.
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Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the Tent of
the Testimony.
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The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony
and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the house
of Levi, had not only sprouted, but had budded, blossomed
and produced almonds.
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Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD's presence
to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took
his own staff.
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The LORD said to Moses, "Put back Aaron's staff in front of the
Testimony, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put
an end to their grumbling against me, so they will not die."
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Moses did just as the LORD commanded him.
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The Israelites said to Moses, "We will die! We are lost,
we are all lost!
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Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD
will die. Are we all going to die?"
The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony
and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the house
of Levi, had not only sprouted, but had budded, blossomed
and produced almonds.