1 T hen 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.

Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

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

There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.

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

The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “ If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!

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

Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here?

5 A nd 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.

Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.”

6 A nd 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.

Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them;

7 A nd the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, The Water of Meribah

8 T ake 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.

“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

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

So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him;

10 A nd 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?

and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “ Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”

11 A nd 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.

Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.

12 A nd 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.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “ Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

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

Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

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

From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us;

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

that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly.

16 a nd 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:

But when we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.

17 l et 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.

Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”

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

Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you.”

19 A nd 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.

Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else.”

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

But he said, “ You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand.

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

Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

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

Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor. Death of Aaron

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

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying,

24 A aron 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.

“Aaron will be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah.

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

Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up to Mount Hor;

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

and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron will be gathered to his people, and will die there.”

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

So Moses did just as the Lord had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

28 A nd 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.

After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

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

When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.