Numbers 20

1 And the sons of Israel come in, — all the company — to the wilderness of Zin, in the first month, and the people abide in Kadesh, and Miriam dieth there, and is buried there.

And the children of Israel, and all the multitude came into the desert of Sin, in the first month: and the people abode in Cades. And Mary died there, and was buried in the same place.

2 And there hath been no water for the company, and they are assembled against Moses, and against Aaron,

And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and Aaron:

3 and the people strive with Moses, and speak, saying, 'And oh that we had expired when our brethren expired before Jehovah!

And making a sedition, they said: Would God we had perished among our brethren before the Lord.

4 and why have ye brought in the assembly of Jehovah unto this wilderness to die there, we and our beasts?

Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die?

5 and why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to bring us in unto this evil place? no place of seed, and fig, and vine, and pomegranate; and water there is none to drink.

Why have you made us come up out of Egypt, and have brought us into this wretched place which cannot be sowed, nor bringeth forth figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink?

6 And Moses and Aaron go in from the presence of the assembly unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and fall on their faces, and the honour of Jehovah is seen by them.

And Moses and Aaron leaving the multitude, went into the tabernacle of the covenant, and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to the Lord, and said: O Lord God, hear the cry of this people, and open to them thy treasure, a fountain of living water, that being satisfied, they may cease to murmur. And the glory of the Lord appeared over them.

7 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

8 'Take the rod, and assemble the company, thou and Aaron thy brother; and ye have spoken unto the rock before their eyes, and it hath given its water, and thou hast brought out to them water from the rock, and hast watered the company, and their beasts.'

Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters. And when thou hast brought forth water out of the rock, all the multitude and their cattle shall drink.

9 And Moses taketh the rod from before Jehovah, as He hath commanded him,

Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him,

10 and Moses and Aaron assemble the assembly unto the front of the rock, and he saith to them, 'Hear, I pray you, O rebels, from this rock do we bring out to you water?'

And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock?

11 and Moses lifteth up his hand, and smiteth the rock with his rod twice; and much water cometh out, and the company drink, also their beasts.

And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank,

12 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, and unto Aaron, 'Because ye have not believed in Me to sanctify Me before the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore ye do not bring in this assembly unto the land which I have given to them.'

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them.

13 These [are] waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel have 'striven' with Jehovah, and He is sanctified upon them.

This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

14 And Moses sendeth messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, 'Thus said thy brother Israel, Thou — thou hast known all the travail which hath found us;

In the mean time Moses sent messengers from Cades to the king of Edom, to say: Thus saith thy brother Israel: Thou knowest all the labour that hath come upon us:

15 that our fathers go down to Egypt, and we dwell in Egypt many days, and the Egyptians do evil to us and to our fathers;

In what manner our fathers went down into Egypt, and there we dwelt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers.

16 and we cry unto Jehovah, and He heareth our voice, and sendeth a messenger, and is bringing us out of Egypt; and lo, we [are] in Kadesh, a city [in] the extremity of thy border.

And how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel, who hath brought us out of Egypt. Lo, we are now in the city of Cades, which is in the uttermost of thy borders,

17 Let us pass over, we pray thee, through thy land; we pass not over through a field, or through a vineyard, nor do we drink waters of a well; the way of the king we go, we turn not aside — right or left — till that we pass over thy border.'

And we beseech thee that we may have leave to pass through thy country. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards, we will not drink the waters of thy wells, but we will go by the common highway, neither turning aside to the right hand, nor to the left, till we are past thy borders.

18 And Edom saith unto him, 'Thou dost not pass over through me, lest with sword I come out to meet thee.'

And Edom answered them: Thou shalt not pass by me: if thou dost I will come out armed against thee.

19 And the sons of Israel say unto him, 'In the highway we go, and if of thy waters we drink — I and my cattle — then I have given their price; only (it is nothing) on my feet I pass over.'

And the children of Israel said: We will go by the beaten way: and if we and our cattle drink of thy waters, we will give thee what is just: there shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us pass speedily.

20 And he saith, 'Thou dost not pass over;' and Edom cometh out to meet him with much people, and with a strong hand;

But he answered: Thou shalt not pass. And immediately he came forth to meet them with an infinite multitude, and a strong hand,

21 and Edom refuseth to suffer Israel to pass over through his border, and Israel turneth aside from off him.

Neither would he condescend to their desire to grant them passage through his borders. Wherefore Israel turned another way from him.

22 And the sons of Israel, the whole company, journey from Kadesh, and come in unto mount Hor,

And when they had removed the camp from Cades, they came to mount Her, which is in the borders of the land of Edom:

23 and Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron in mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying,

Where the Lord spoke to Moses:

24 'Aaron is gathered unto his people, for he doth not go in unto the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because that ye provoked My mouth at the waters of Meribah.

Let Aaron, saith he, go to his people: for he shall not go into the land which I have given the children of Israel, because he was incredulous to my words, at the waters of contradiction.

25 'Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and cause them to go up mount Hor,

Take Aaron and his son with him, and bring them up into mount Hor:

26 and strip Aaron of his garments, and thou hast clothed [with] them Eleazar his son, and Aaron is gathered, and doth die there.'

And when thou hast stripped the father of his vesture, thou shalt vest therewith Eleazar his son: Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and die there.

27 And Moses doth as Jehovah hath commanded, and they go up unto mount Hor before the eyes of all the company,

Moses did as the Lord had commanded: and they went up into mount Hor before all the multitude.

28 and Moses strippeth Aaron of his garments, and clotheth with them Eleazar his son, and Aaron dieth there on the top of the mount; and Moses cometh down — Eleazar also — from the mount,

And when he had stripped Aaron of his vestments, he vested Eleazar his son with them. And Aaron being dead in the top of the mountain, he came down with Eleazar.

29 and all the company see that Aaron hath expired, and they bewail Aaron thirty days — all the house of Israel.

And all the multitude seeing that Aaron was dead, mourned for him thirty days throughout all their families.