And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Et locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

Then the Lord said to Moses,

Speak to the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod by their kindreds, of all the princes of the tribes, twelve rods, and write the name of every man upon his rod.

Loquere ad filios Israël, et accipe ab eis virgas singulas per cognationes suas, a cunctis principibus tribuum, virgas duodecim, et uniuscujusque nomen superscribes virgæ suæ.

Bid the Israelites bring thee twelve rods, to represent the twelve tribes, each with the name of the tribe’s chieftain written on it;

And the name of Aaron shall be for the tribe of Levi, and one rod shall contain all their families:

Nomen autem Aaron erit in tribu Levi, et una virga cunctas seorsum familias continebit:

and Levi, too, must have a rod, a single rod representing all its families, with Aaron’s name written on it.

And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the covenant before the testimony, where I will speak to thee.

ponesque eas in tabernaculo fœderis coram testimonio, ubi loquar ad te.

These thou wilt lay up in the tabernacle, before the ark, my appointed trysting-place with thee.

Whomsoever of these I shall choose, his rod shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, wherewith they murmur against you.

Quem ex his elegero, germinabit virga ejus: et cohibebo a me querimonias filiorum Israël, quibus contra vos murmurant.

On one of these names my choice shall fall, and the rod which bears that name will sprout. So I will put an end to these complaints with which the men of Israel assail you.

And Moses spoke to the children of Israel: and all the princes gave him rods one for every tribe: and there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaron.

Locutusque est Moyses ad filios Israël: et dederunt ei omnes principes virgas per singulas tribus: fueruntque virgæ duodecim absque virga Aaron.

Moses handed on this message to the Israelites, and the chieftain of each tribe brought him a rod, twelve rods in all, not counting Aaron’s,

And when Moses had laid them up before the Lord in the tabernacle of the testimony:

Quas cum posuisset Moyses coram Domino in tabernaculo testimonii,

all of which he laid up in the Lord’s presence, in the tabernacle.

He returned on the following day, and found that the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi, was budded: and that the buds swelling it had bloomed blossoms, which spreading the leaves, were formed into almonds.

sequenti die regressus invenit germinasse virgam Aaron in domo Levi: et turgentibus gemmis eruperant flores, qui, foliis dilatatis, in amygdalas deformati sunt.

And when he went back next day he found that the rod of Aaron, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted; buds had formed on it and burst into flower, and these flowers, as their petals drooped, turned into almonds.

Moses therefore brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel: and they saw, and every one received their rods.

Protulit ergo Moyses omnes virgas de conspectu Domini ad cunctos filios Israël: videruntque, et receperunt singuli virgas suas.

So Moses carried all the rods away from the Lord’s presence and shewed them to all the people, and each of the chieftains had his rod returned to him;

And the Lord said to Moses: Carry back the rod of Aaron into the tabernacle of the testimony, that it may be kept there for a token of the rebellious children of Israel, and that their complaints may cease from me lest they die.

Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Refer virgam Aaron in tabernaculum testimonii, ut servetur ibi in signum rebellium filiorum Israël, et quiescant querelæ eorum a me, ne moriantur.

but Aaron’s rod, the Lord told Moses, was to be taken back into the tabernacle, to be kept there in memory of the rebellious Israelites; there must be no more complaining, no more death-penalties.

And Moses did as the Lord had commanded.

Fecitque Moyses sicut præceperat Dominus.

Moses did as the Lord had bidden him;

And the children of Israel said to Moses: Behold we are consumed, we all perish.

Dixerunt autem filii Israël ad Moysen: Ecce consumpti sumus, omnes perivimus.

and now the Israelites said to Moses, We have dwindled away; we are dead men, all of us.

Whosoever approacheth to the tabernacle of the Lord, he dieth. Are we all to a man to be utterly destroyed?

Quicumque accedit ad tabernaculum Domini, moritur. Num usque ad internecionem cuncti delendi sumus?

None comes near the Lord’s tabernacle, but he dies for it. Surely he will not go on destroying us, till our race is utterly extinguished?