Numbers 20

1 And the children of Israel, [even] the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Sin, in the first month, and the people abode in Cades; and Mariam 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 Aaron.

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

3 And the people reviled Moses, saying, Would we had died in the destruction of our brethren 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 therefore have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, to kill us and our cattle?

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

5 And therefore [is] this? You have brought us up out of Egypt, that we should come into this evil place; a place where there is no sowing, neither figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there 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 before the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of witness, and they fell upon 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 your rod, and call the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and speak you to the rock before them, and it shall give forth its waters; and you shall bring forth for them water out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.

“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 his rod which was before the Lord, as the Lord commanded.

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

10 And Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation before the rock, and said to them, Hear me, you disobedient ones; must we bring 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 struck the rock with his rod twice; and much water came forth, and the congregation drank, and their cattle.

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 said to Moses and Aaron, Because you have not believed me to sanctify me before 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 Strife, because the children of Israel spoke insolently before 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 Cades to the king of Edom, saying, Thus says your brother Israel; You know all the distress that has come upon 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 And [how] our fathers went down into Egypt, and we sojourned in Egypt many days, and the Egyptians afflicted 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 we cried to the Lord, and the Lord heard our voice, and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt; and now we are in the city of Cades, at the extremity of your coasts.

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 We will pass through your land: we will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards, nor will we drink water out of your cistern: we will go by the king's highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or 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 through me, and if otherwise, I will go forth to meet you in war.

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

19 And the children of Israel say to him, We will pass by the mountain; and if I and my cattle drink of your water, I will pay you: but it is no matter of importance, we will go by the mountain.

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 pass through me; and Edom went forth to meet him with a great host, and a mighty 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 So Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his borders, and 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 they departed from Cades; and the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came to Mount Or.

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 Or, on the borders of the land of Edom, saying,

where the Lord spoke to Moses:

24 Let Aaron be added to his people; for you shall certainly not go into the land which I have given the children of Israel, because you provoked me at the water of strife.

“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 the mount Or before all the congregation;

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

26 and take Aaron's apparel from off him, and put it on Eleazar his son: and let Aaron die there and be added to [his people].

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 him, and took him up to mount Or, before 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 he took Aaron's garments off him, and put them on Eleazar his son, and Aaron died on the top of the mountain; and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

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 all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead: and they wept 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.