17:1 The LORD said to Moses,
17:1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

17:2 "Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them rods, one for each fathers' house, from all their leaders according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods. Write each man's name upon his rod,
17:2 Speak to the Israelites, and get twelve staffs from them, one for each ancestral house, from all the leaders of their ancestral houses. Write each man's name on his staff,

17:3 and write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each fathers' house.
17:3 and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each ancestral house.

17:4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.
17:4 Place them in the tent of meeting before the covenant, where I meet with you.

17:5 And the rod of the man whom I choose shall sprout; thus I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the people of Israel, which they murmur against you."
17:5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout; thus I will put a stop to the complaints of the Israelites that they continually make against you.

17:6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel; and all their leaders gave him rods, one for each leader, according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
17:6 Moses spoke to the Israelites; and all their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their ancestral houses, twelve staffs; and the staff of Aaron was among theirs.

17:7 And Moses deposited the rods before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.
17:7 So Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the covenant.

17:8 And on the morrow Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.
17:8 When Moses went into the tent of the covenant on the next day, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted. It put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

17:9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the people of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.
17:9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the Israelites; and they looked, and each man took his staff.

17:10 And the LORD said to Moses, "Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, lest they die."
17:10 And the LORD said to Moses, "Put back the staff of Aaron before the covenant, to be kept as a warning to rebels, so that you may make an end of their complaints against me, or else they will die."

17:11 Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so he did.
17:11 Moses did so; just as the LORD commanded him, so he did.

17:12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, "Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
17:12 The Israelites said to Moses, "We are perishing; we are lost, all of us are lost!

17:13 Every one who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, shall die. Are we all to perish?"
17:13 Everyone who approaches the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all to perish?"