Numbers 20

1 So the people of Israel, the whole community, went into the wilderness of Zin in the first month; they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

In the first month all the children of Israel came into the waste land of Zin, and put up their tents in Kadesh; there death came to Miriam, and they put her body to rest in the earth.

2 There was no water for the community, so they assembled together against Moses and Aaron.

And there was no water for the people: and they came together against Moses and against Aaron.

3 The people complained against Moses. They said, “It would have been better if we had died when our fellow Israelites died in front of Yahweh!

And the people were angry with Moses and said, If only death had overtaken us when our brothers came to their death before the Lord!

4 Why have you brought Yahweh's community into this wilderness to die here, we and our animals?

Why have you taken the Lord's people into this waste, for death to come to us and to our cattle there?

5 Why did you make us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this horrible place? Here there is no seed, figs, vines, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”

Why have you made us come out of Egypt into this evil place? This is no place of seed or figs or vines or other fruits, and there is no water for drinking.

6 So Moses and Aaron went away from in front of the assembly. They went to the entrance of the tent of meeting and lay facedown. There Yahweh's brilliant glory appeared to them.

Then Moses and Aaron went away from the people to the door of the Tent of meeting; and, falling on their faces there, they saw the glory of the Lord.

7 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

And the Lord said to Moses,

8 “Take the staff and assemble the community, you, and Aaron your brother. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and command it to flow with water. You will produce water for them out of that rock, and you must give it to the community and their cattle to drink.”

Take the rod, you and Aaron, your brother, and make all the people come together, and before their eyes give orders to the rock to give out its water; and so make water come out of the rock for them, and give the people and their cattle drink.

9 Moses took the staff from before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

And Moses took the rod from before the Lord as he gave him orders.

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels. Must we bring water out of this rock for you?”

Then Moses and Aaron made the people come together in front of the rock, and he said to them, Give ear now, you people whose hearts are turned from the Lord; are we to get water for you out of the rock?

11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, and much water came out. The community drank, and their cattle drank.

And lifting up his hand, Moses gave the rock two blows with his rod: and water came streaming out, and the people and their cattle had drink enough.

12 Then Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me or honor me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.”

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you had not enough faith in me to keep my name holy before the children of Israel, you will not take this people into the land which I have given them.

13 This place was called the waters of Meribah because the people of Israel had quarreled with Yahweh there, and he showed himself to them as holy.

These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel went against the Lord, and they saw that he was holy among them.

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: Your brother Israel says this: “You know all the difficulties that have happened to us.

Then Moses sent men from Kadesh to the king of Edom to say to him, Your brother Israel says, You have knowledge of all the things we have been through;

15 You know that our ancestors went down to Egypt and lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians treated us harshly and also our ancestors.

How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we were living in Egypt for a long time; and the Egyptians were cruel to us and to our fathers:

16 When we called out to Yahweh, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. Look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the border of your land.

And the Lord gave ear to the voice of our cry, and sent an angel and took us out of Egypt: and now we are in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your land;

17 I am asking you to let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, nor will we drink the water in your wells. We will go along the king's highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed your border.”

Let us now go through your land: we will not go into field or vine-garden, or take the water of the springs; we will go by the highway, not turning to the right or to the left, till we have gone past the limits of your land.

18 But the king of Edom replied to him, “You may not pass through here. If you do, I will come with the sword to attack you.”

And Edom said, You are not to go through my land, for if you do I will come out against you with the sword.

19 Then the people of Israel said to him, “We will go along the highway. If we or our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. Just let us walk through on foot, without doing anything else.”

And the children of Israel said to him, We will go up by the highway: and if we or our cattle take of your water, we will give you a price for it: only let us go through on our feet, nothing more.

20 But the king of Edom replied, “You may not pass through.” So the king of Edom came against Israel with a strong hand with many soldiers.

But he said, You are not to go through. And Edom came out against them in his strength, with a great army.

21 The king of Edom refused to allow Israel to cross over their border. Because of this, Israel turned away from the land of Edom.

So Edom would not let Israel go through his land; and Israel went in another direction.

22 So the people journeyed from Kadesh. The people of Israel, the whole community, came to Mount Hor.

And they went on from Kadesh, and came, with all their people, to Mount Hor.

23 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on Edom's border. He said,

And at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

24 “Aaron must be gathered to his people, for he will not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel. This is because you both rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.

Aaron will be put to rest with his people; he will not go into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you went against my word at the waters of Meribah.

25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor.

So take Aaron and Eleazar, his son, up into Mount Hor;

26 Take Aaron's priestly garments off him and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron must die and be gathered to his people there.”

And take Aaron's robes off him and put them on Eleazar, his son: and death will come to Aaron there, and he will be put to rest with his people.

27 Moses did as Yahweh commanded. They went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the community.

So Moses did as the Lord had said, and before the eyes of all the people they went up Mount Hor.

28 Moses took Aaron's priestly garments off him and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down.

And Moses took off Aaron's robes, and put them on Eleazar, his son; and there on the top of the mountain death came to Aaron: then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

29 When all the community saw that Aaron was dead, the entire nation wept for Aaron for thirty days.

And when the people saw that Aaron was dead, all the children of Israel gave themselves up to weeping for him for thirty days.