1 T hen 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.

And the Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month. And the people dwelt in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.

2 T here was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.

Now there was no water for the congregation, and they assembled together against Moses and Aaron.

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

And the people contended with Moses, and said, Would that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!

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

And why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, we and our livestock?

5 W hy 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.”

And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is no place of grain or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates. And there is no water to drink.

6 T hen 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;

Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

7 a nd the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, The Water of Meribah

And the Lord said to Moses,

8 “ 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.”

Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to give forth its water, and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their livestock drink.

9 S o Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him;

So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He commanded him.

10 a nd 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?”

And Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation before the rock and Moses said to them, Hear now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?

11 T hen 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.

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 livestock.

12 B ut 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.”

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe in (rely on, cling to) Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Israelites, you therefore shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

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

These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites contended with the Lord and He showed Himself holy among them.

14 F rom 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;

And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying, Thus says your kinsman Israel: You know all the adversity and birth pangs that have come upon us:

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

How our fathers went down to Egypt; we dwelt there a long time, and the Egyptians dealt evilly with us and our fathers.

16 B ut 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.

But when we cried to the Lord, He heard us and sent an angel and brought us forth out of Egypt. Now behold, we are in Kadesh, a city on your country’s edge.

17 P lease 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.’”

Let us pass, I pray you, through your country. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink of the water of the wells. We will go along the king’s highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed your borders.

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

But Edom said to him, You shall not go through, lest I come out against you with the sword.

19 A gain, 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.”

And the Israelites said to him, We will go by the highway, and if I and my livestock drink of your water, I will pay for it. Only let me pass through on foot, nothing else.

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

But Edom said, You shall not go through. And Edom came out against Israel with many people and a strong hand.

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

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.

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

They journeyed from Kadesh, and the Israelites, even the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

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

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom,

24 “ 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.

Aaron shall be gathered to his people. For he shall not enter the land which I have given to the Israelites, because you both rebelled against My instructions at the waters of Meribah.

25 T ake Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up to Mount Hor;

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

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

Strip Aaron of his vestments and put them on Eleazar his son, and Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and shall die there.

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

And Moses did as the Lord commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

28 A fter 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.

And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there on the mountain top; and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

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

When all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept and mourned for him thirty days, all the house of Israel.