Twelve princes each hand in a rod with their name written on it, one rod for each tribe. The rods are left overnight in the tent, in front of the ark. In the morning Aaron’s has sprouted, budded, flowered and grown ripe almonds, and the other eleven are exactly as they were. His rod is put back and kept there for good. The chapter ends with the people frightened rather than reassured, asking whether living beside the tabernacle is going to kill them all.