20. The staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will rid myself of the Israelites’ grumbling against you.
21. So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and all their leaders gave him staffs, twelve in all, one from each leader of their ancestral houses; and Aaron’s staff was among them.
22. Then Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant.
23. The next day, when Moses entered the tent of the covenant, Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted. It had put forth sprouts, produced blossoms, and borne ripe almonds!
24. So Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites, and each one identified his own staff and took it.
25. Then the Lord said to Moses: Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the covenant, for safe keeping as a sign to the rebellious, so that their grumbling against me may cease and they might not die.
26. Moses did this. Just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
27. Then the Israelites exclaimed to Moses, “We will perish; we are lost, we are all lost!