Numbers 20

1 It was during the first month of the year that all the Israelites arrived in the Desert of Zin and set up camp in Kadesh. (This was where Miriam died and was buried.)

Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

2 However, there was no water there for anyone to drink, so the people gathered to confront Moses and Aaron.

And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

3 They argued with Moses, saying, “If only we'd died with our relatives in the Lord's presence!

And the people find fault with Moses, and spoke, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!

4 Why have you brought the Lord's people into this desert just so we and our livestock can die here?

And why have all of you brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

5 Why did you lead us out of Egypt to come to this awful place? Nothing grows here—no grain or figs or vines or pomegranates. And there's no water to drink!”

And wherefore have all of you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

6 Moses and Aaron left the people and went to entrance of the Tent of Meeting. There they fell facedown on the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

7 The Lord told Moses,

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

8 “Take the walking stick and have the people gather around you. As they watch, you and your brother Aaron will order the rock and it will pour out water. You will bring water from the rock so the people and their livestock can drink.”

Take the rod, and gather you the assembly together, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak all of you unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock: so you shall give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9 Moses picked up the walking stick that was kept in the Lord's presence, as he had been ordered.

And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

10 Moses and Aaron had everyone gather in front of the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen, you bunch of rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?”

And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, all of you rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11 Then Moses picked up the walking stick and hit the rock twice. Streams of water gushed out so that the people and their livestock could drink.

And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he stroke the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

12 But the Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn't trust me enough to demonstrate how holy I am to the Israelites, you will not be the ones to lead them into the country I've given them.”

And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron, Because all of you believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore all of you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

13 The place where the Israelites argued with the Lord was called the waters of Meribah, and was where he revealed his holiness to them.

This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, telling him, “This is what your brother Israel says. You know all about the difficulties we've faced.

And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus says your brother Israel, You know all the travail that has befallen us:

15 Our forefathers went to Egypt and we lived there for a long time. The Egyptians treated us and our forefathers badly,

How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:

16 so we called out to the Lord for help, and he heard our cries. He sent an angel and led us out of Egypt. Listen, now we are in Kadesh, a town on the border of your territory.

And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and has brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of your border:

17 Please allow us to travel through your country. We won't cross any of your fields or vineyards, or drink water from any of your wells. We will stay on the King's Highway; we won't turn off either to the right or to the left until we have passed through your country.”

Let us pass, I pray you, through your country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your borders.

18 But the king of Edom replied, “You are forbidden to travel through our country, otherwise we will come out and stop you by force.”

And Edom said unto him, You shall not pass by me, lest I come out against you with the sword.

19 “We'll keep to the main road,” the Israelites persisted. “If we or our livestock drink your water, we'll pay you for it. That's all we want—just to pass through on foot.”

And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of your water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet.

20 But the king of Edom insisted, “You are forbidden to travel through our country!” He came out with his large and powerful army to meet the Israelites head-on.

And he said, You shall not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.

21 Since the king of Edom refused to allow Israel to travel through his territory, the Israelites had to turn back.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

22 The Israelites all left Kadesh and traveled to Mount Hor.

And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.

23 At Mount Hor, near the border with the country of Edom, the Lord told Moses and Aaron,

And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,

24 “Aaron will shortly join his forefathers in death. He will not enter the country I have given the Israelites, because you both disobeyed my command at the waters of Meribah.

Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because all of you rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.

25 Have Aaron and his son Eleazar join you and climb up Mount Hor together.

Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:

26 Take off Aaron's priestly clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron is going to die there and join his forefathers in death.”

And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.

27 Moses did as the Lord ordered: They climbed up Mount Hor in full view of all the Israelites.

And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

28 Moses removed the priestly clothes that Aaron was wearing and put them on Aaron's son Eleazar. Aaron died there, on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar went back down.

And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.

29 When the people realized that Aaron had died, they all mourned for him for thirty days.

And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.