Numbers 20

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

And the sons of Israel, and the entire multitude, went into the desert of Sin, in the first month. And the people stayed at Kadesh. And Miriam died there, and she was buried in the same place.

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

And when the people were in need of water, they came together against Moses and Aaron.

3 And the people strived with Moses, and spoke, saying, Would God that we had died when our brothers died before the LORD!

And as it turned into sedition, they said: “If only we had perished among our brothers in the sight of the Lord.

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

Why have you led away the Church of the Lord, into the wilderness, so that both we and our cattle would die?

5 And why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to 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.

Why did you cause us to ascend from Egypt, and why have you led us into this most wretched place, which is not able to be sown, which does not produce figs, or vines, or pomegranates, and which, moreover, does not even have water to drink?”

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

And Moses and Aaron, dismissing the multitude, entered the tabernacle of the covenant, and they fell prone on the ground, and they cried out to the Lord, and they said: “O Lord God, listen to the outcry of this people, and open for them, from your storehouse, a fountain of living water, so that, being satisfied, their murmuring may cease.” And the glory of the Lord appeared over them.

7 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

8 Take the rod, and gather you the assembly together, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak you to 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.

“Take the rod, and gather the people, you and your brother Aaron, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall bestow waters. And when you have brought forth water from the rock, the entire multitude and their cattle shall drink.”

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

Therefore, Moses took the rod, which was in the sight of the Lord, just as he had instructed him.

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

And having gathered the multitude before the rock, he said to them: “Listen, you who are rebellious and unbelieving. Would we be able to cast out water from this rock?”

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

And when Moses had lifted up his hand, striking the stone twice with the rod, very great waters went forth, so much so that the people and their cattle were able to drink.

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

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me, so as to sanctify me before the sons of Israel, you shall not lead this people into the land, which I will give to them.”

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

This is the Water of Contradiction, where the sons of Israel were quarreling against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

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

Meanwhile, Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. They said: “Your brother Israel says this: You know of all the hardships which have overtaken us,

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

how our fathers descended into Egypt, and we lived there for a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted both us and our fathers,

16 And when we cried to 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:

and how we cried out to the Lord, and he heeded us and sent an Angel, who led us away from Egypt. Behold, we are situated in the city of Kadesh, which is at the extremity of your borders.

17 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.

And we beg you to permit us to cross through your land. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards; we will not drink the waters of your wells, but we will travel by the public ways, neither turning aside to the right, nor to the left, until we have passed your borders.”

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

Edom responded to them: “You shall not cross through me, otherwise, I will meet you armed.”

19 And the children of Israel said to 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.

And the sons of Israel said: “We will travel by the well-trodden path. And if we or our cattle drink from your waters, we will give you what is just. There shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us cross through quickly.”

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

But he answered, “You shall not cross.” And immediately he went out to meet them with a countless multitude and a strong hand;

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

neither was he willing to agree to their petition to concede passage through his borders. For this reason, Israel diverted away from him.

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

And when they had moved the camp from Kadesh, they arrived at mount Hor, which is at the borders of the land of Edom,

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

where the Lord spoke to Moses:

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

“Let Aaron,” he said, “go to his people. For he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because he did not believe my mouth at the Waters of Contradiction.

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

Take Aaron, and his son with him, and lead them on to mount Hor.

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

And when you have stripped the father of his vestments, you shall put them on Eleazar, his son. Aaron shall be gathered and shall die there.”

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

Moses did just as the Lord had instructed. And they ascended mount Hor, in the sight of the entire multitude.

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

And when he had despoiled Aaron of his vestments, he clothed his son Eleazar with them. And when Aaron had died at the top of the mountain, Moses came down with Eleazar.

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

And the entire multitude, seeing that Aaron lay dead, wept over him for thirty days, throughout all their families.