Read Good News Bible Numbers 17 Bible Online

Numbers 17 - Good News Bible bible

Numbers 17

¹The LORD said to Moses,

²"Tell the people of Israel to give you twelve walking sticks, one from the leader of each tribe. Write each man's name on his stick

³and then write Aaron's name on the stick representing Levi. There will be one stick for each tribal leader.

⁴Take them to the Tent of my presence and put them in front of the Covenant Box, where I meet you.

⁵Then the stick of the man I have chosen will sprout. In this way I will put a stop to the constant complaining of these Israelites against you."

⁶So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a stick, one for each tribe, twelve in all, and Aaron's stick was put with them.

⁷Moses then put all the sticks in the Tent in front of the LORD's Covenant Box.

⁸The next day, when Moses went into the Tent, he saw that Aaron's stick, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted. It had budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!

⁹Moses took all the sticks and showed them to the Israelites. They saw what had happened, and each leader took his own stick back.

¹⁰The LORD said to Moses, "Put Aaron's stick back in front of the Covenant Box. It is to be kept as a warning to the rebel Israelites that they will die unless their complaining stops."

¹¹Moses did as the LORD commanded.

¹²The people of Israel said to Moses, "Then that's the end of us!

¹³If anyone who even comes near the Tent must die, then we are all as good as dead!"