It was a memorial for the Israelites, that no outsider who is not a descendant of<n id="1" /> Aaron should approach to burn incense before the <sc>Lordsc>, that he might not become like Korah and his company &#8211; just as the <sc>Lordsc> had spoken by the authority<n id="2" /> of Moses.

Then Moses said to Aaron, &#8220;Take the censer, put burning coals from the altar in it, place incense on it, and go quickly into the assembly and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the <sc>Lordsc> &#8211; the plague has begun!&#8221;

So Aaron did<n id="1" /> as Moses commanded<n id="2" /> and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague was just beginning among the people. So he placed incense on the coals and made atonement for the people.

<p class="bodytext">So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader,<n id="1" /> according to their tribes<n id="2" /> &#8211; twelve staffs; the staff of Aaron was among their staffs.

<p class="bodytext">On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony &#8211; and<n id="1" /> the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted, and brought forth buds, and produced blossoms, and yielded almonds!<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> said to Moses, &#8220;Bring Aaron&#8217;s staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end<n id="1" /> before me, that they will not die.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> said to Aaron, &#8220;You and your sons and your tribe<n id="2" /> with you must bear the iniquity of the sanctuary,<n id="3" /> and you and your sons with you must bear the iniquity of your priesthood.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> spoke to Aaron, &#8220;See, I have given you the responsibility for my raised offerings; I have given all the holy things of the Israelites to you as your priestly portion<n id="1" /> and to your sons as a perpetual ordinance.

Thus you are to offer up a raised offering to the <sc>Lordsc> of all your tithes which you receive from the Israelites; and you must give the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s raised offering from it to Aaron the priest.

&#8220;Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak<n id="1" /> to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth<n id="2" /> its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink.&#8221;p>

Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, &#8220;Listen, you rebels,<n id="1" /> must we bring<n id="2" /> water out of this rock for you?&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then the <sc>Lordsc> spoke to Moses and Aaron, &#8220;Because you did not trust me enough<n id="1" /> to show me as holy<n id="2" /> before<n id="3" /> the Israelites, therefore you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

&#8220;Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors,<n id="1" /> for he will not enter into the land I have given to the Israelites because both of you<n id="2" /> rebelled against my word<n id="3" /> at the waters of Meribah.

&#8220;Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites, when he manifested such zeal<n id="1" /> for my sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal.<n id="2" />

Eliab&#8217;s descendants were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram who as leaders of the community rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the followers<n id="1" /> of Korah when they rebelled against the <sc>Lordsc>.

Now the name of Amram&#8217;s wife was Jochebed, daughter of Levi, who was born<n id="1" /> to Levi in Egypt. And to Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister.

Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the command<n id="1" /> of the <sc>Lordsc>, and he died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt on the first day of the fifth month.