Chapter 16 _{44 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.}

Chapter 17 _{1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?}