Numbers 17

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition	NEW JERUSALEM
1 The LORD said to Moses,	1 Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said,
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,	2 'Tel Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pick the censers out of the smouldering remains and scatterthe fire from them away from here,
3 and write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each fathers' house.	3 for these sinful censers have become sanctified at the price of human lives. Since they were broughtbefore Yahweh and thus became consecrated, they must be hammered into sheets to cover the altar. They willbe an object-lesson to the Israelites.'
4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.	4 The priest Eleazar took the bronze censers which had been carried by the men destroyed by the fire.They were hammered into sheets to cover the altar.
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."	5 They are a reminder to the Israelites that no unauthorised person, no one not of Aaron's line, mayapproach and offer incense before Yahweh, on pain of suffering the fate of Korah and his party, as Yahweh hadsaid through Moses.
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.	6 On the following day, the whole community of Israelites were muttering against Moses and Aaron andsaying, 'You are responsible for killing Yahweh's people!'
7 And Moses deposited the rods before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.	7 Now, as the community was banding together against Moses and Aaron, they turned towards theTent of Meeting, and there was the cloud covering it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared.
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.	8 Moses and Aaron then went to the front of the Tent of Meeting.
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.	9 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
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."	10 'Get away from this community. I am going to destroy them here and now.' They threw themselveson their faces.
11 Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so he did.	11 Moses then said to Aaron, 'Take a censer, put fire in it from the altar, place incense on it and hurryto the community to perform the rite of expiation for them: for retribution has come from Yahweh, plague hasbroken out.'
12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, "Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.	12 Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the middle of the community, but plague had alreadybroken out among the people. He put in the incense and performed the rite of expiation for the people.
13 Every one who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, shall die. Are we all to perish?"	13 Then he stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.
	14 There were fourteen thousand seven hundred victims of the plague, apart from those who diedbecause of Korah.
	15 Aaron then went back to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting; the plague had been halted.
	16 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
	17 'Tel the Israelites to give you a branch for each of their families, one for each leader of each family:twelve branches. Write the name of each on his branch;
	18 and on the branch of Levi write Aaron's name, since the head of the Levite families must have abranch too.
	19 You wil then put them inside the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I make myselfknown to you.
	20 The man whose branch sprouts will be the one I have chosen; this is how I shal put an end to themutterings of the Israelites about you.'
	21 Moses spoke to the Israelites, and al their leaders gave him one branch each, twelve branches in alfor their families; Aaron's branch was among them.
	22 Moses placed them before Yahweh in the Tent of the Testimony.
	23 On the fol owing day Moses went to the Tent of the Testimony and there, already sprouting, wasAaron's branch, representing the House of Levi; buds had formed, flowers had bloomed and almonds hadalready ripened.
	24 Moses then brought out all the branches from before Yahweh to al the Israelites; they examinedthem and each one took back his own branch.
	25 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Put Aaron's branch back in front of the Testimony, where it wil have itsritual place as a warning to the rebel ious; thus you will rid me of their muttering for good, without their incurringdeath.'
	26 Moses did as Yahweh had ordered. That is what he did.
	27 The Israelites then said to Moses, 'We are lost! We are dead men! We are al dead men!
	28 Anyone who approaches Yahweh's Dwel ing with an offering wil die. Are we to be doomed to thelast man?'