Old Testament · Numbers

Numbers 17

The Censers Reserved for Holy Use

1And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2"Say to Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers from the midst of the burning, and scatter the fire yonder; for they have become holy, 3the censers of these sinners against their own souls^a; and they shall make them into beaten plates, a covering for the altar, for they brought them near before the LORD, and they became holy; and they shall be for a sign^b to the sons of Israel."

4And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which the burned ones had brought near, and they beat them out as a covering for the altar, 5a memorial for the sons of Israel, so that no strange man^c who is not from the seed of Aaron should draw near to make incense smoke before the LORD, and not become like Korah and like his company, as the LORD spoke by the hand of Moses to him.

Murmuring and Plague

(1 Corinthians 10:1–13)

6And on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, "You, you have killed the people of the LORD!" 7And it came to pass, when the congregation gathered together against Moses and against Aaron, that they turned toward the tent^d of appointed time (mo-ed), and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.

8And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of appointed time (mo-ed). 9And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10"Get up from the midst of this congregation, and I will consume them in a moment." And they fell upon their faces.

11And Moses said to Aaron, "Take the censer and put on it fire from upon the altar, and place incense, and go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for the wrath has gone out from before the LORD; the plague has begun."

12And Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, and behold, the plague had begun among the people; and he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 13And he stood between the dead and the living^e, and the plague was restrained. 14And those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died over the matter of Korah.

15And Aaron returned to Moses, to the entrance of the tent of appointed time (mo-ed); and the plague had been restrained.

Aaron’s Staff Buds

16And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17"Speak to the sons of Israel, and take from them a rod, a rod for each father's house, from all their princes according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods; each man's name you shall write upon his rod. 18And the name of Aaron you shall write upon the rod of Levi, for one rod is for the head of their fathers' house. 19And you shall lay them up in the tent of appointed time (mo-ed), before the testimony^f, where I meet with you. 20And it shall be, the man whom I choose, his rod shall bud; and I will make cease from upon me the murmurings of the sons of Israel, which they murmur against you."

21And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their princes gave him a rod, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was in the midst of their rods. 22And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.

23And it came to pass on the next day that Moses came into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had budded, and brought forth a bud, and blossomed a blossom, and bore ripe almonds. 24And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.

25And the LORD said to Moses, "Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, for a charge^g, for a sign to the sons of rebellion, that you may make an end of their murmurings from upon me, that they do not die." 26And Moses did so; as the LORD commanded^h him, so he did. 27And the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we expire, we perish, we all perish! 28Everyone who draws near, who draws near to the tabernacleⁱ of the LORD, dies; shall we wholly be consumed to expire?"