Numbers 20

¹Then 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.

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

³And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!

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

⁵And wherefore have ye 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.

⁶And 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.

⁷And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

⁸Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

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

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

¹¹And 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.

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

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

¹⁴And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:

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

¹⁶And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:

¹⁷Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy 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 thy borders.

¹⁸And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.

¹⁹And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.

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

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

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

²³And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,

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

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

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

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

²⁸And 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.

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

Numbers 20

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

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

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

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

⁵and 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.

⁶And 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.

⁷And Jehovah speaketh unto 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.'

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

¹⁰and 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?'

¹¹and 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.

¹²And 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.'

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

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

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

¹⁶and 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.

¹⁷Let 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 asideright or lefttill that we pass over thy border.'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

²⁸and 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 downEleazar alsofrom the mount,

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