Numbers 17
Open in the reader1Then He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out,
2“Tell My-God-Is-Help son of Aaron the priest to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the coals far away, because the censers are devoted.
3As for the censers of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, hammer them into sheets to overlay the altar, for these were presented before He-Who-Is, and so have become devoted. They will serve as a sign to the children of Strives-with-God.”
4So My-God-Is-Help the priest took the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,
5just as He-Who-Is commanded him through Drawn-Out. This was to be a reminder to the Strives-with-Godites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before He-Who-Is, lest he become like Shaven and his followers.
6The next day the whole congregation of Strives-with-God grumbled against Drawn-Out and Aaron, saying, “You have killed He-Who-Is’s people!”
7But when the congregation gathered against them, Drawn-Out and Aaron turned toward the Tent of Meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of He-Who-Is appeared.
8Then Drawn-Out and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting,
9and He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out,
10“Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.” And Moses and Aaron fell facedown.
11Drawn-Out said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from He-Who-Is; the plague has begun.”
12So Aaron took the censer as Drawn-Out had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people.
13He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted.
14But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of Shaven.
15Then Aaron returned to Drawn-Out at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, since the plague had been halted.
16And He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out,
17“Speak to the children of Strives-with-God and take from them twelve staffs, one from the leader of each tribe. Write each man’s name on his staff,
18and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Joined-One, because there must be one staff for the head of each tribe.
19Place the staffs in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you.
20The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the constant grumbling of the Strives-with-Godites against you.”
21So Drawn-Out spoke to the children of Strives-with-God, and each of their leaders gave him a staff—one for each of the leaders of their tribes, twelve staffs in all. And Aaron’s staff was among them.
22Then Drawn-Out placed the staffs before He-Who-Is in the Tent of the Testimony.
23The next day Drawn-Out entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Joined-One, had sprouted, put forth buds, blossomed, and produced almonds.
24Then Drawn-Out brought out all the staffs from He-Who-Is’s presence to all the children of Strives-with-God. They saw them, and each man took his own staff.
25He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebellious, so that you may put an end to their grumbling against Me, lest they die.”
26So Drawn-Out did as He-Who-Is had commanded him.
27Then the children of Strives-with-God declared to Drawn-Out, “Look, we are perishing! We are lost; we are all lost!
28Anyone who comes near the Dwelling of He-Who-Is will die. Are we all going to perish?”