| New International Version | New Living Translation |
| 1The LORD said to Moses, | 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 2"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. | 2“Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff. |
| 3On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. | 3Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. |
| 4Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you. | 4Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant, where I meet with you. |
| 5The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites." | 5Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you.” |
| 6So 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. | 6So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. |
| 7Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the covenant law. | 7Moses placed the staffs in the LORD’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. |
| 8The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. | 8When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds! |
| 9Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD's presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff. | 9When Moses brought all the staffs out from the LORD’s presence, he showed them to the people. Each man claimed his own staff. |
| 10The LORD said to Moses, "Put back Aaron's staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die." | 10And the LORD said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.” |
| 11Moses did just as the LORD commanded him. | 11So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. |
| 12The Israelites said to Moses, "We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! | 12Then the people of Israel said to Moses, “Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined! |
| 13Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to die?" | 13Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the LORD dies. Are we all doomed to die?” |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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