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.

¶ Then came the sons 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.

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

And there was no water for the congregation; and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against 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 spoke, saying, Oh, 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 ye caused the congregation of the LORD to come into this wilderness that we and our beasts should die here?

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 ye made us to come up out of Egypt to bring us in unto this evil place? It is not a place to plant seed or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates; there is not even any 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;

And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the congregation unto the door of the tabernacle of the testimony, and they fell upon their faces; and the glory of the LORD appeared upon them.

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

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

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

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

Then 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 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?

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.

Then 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.

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 spoke unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore, ye 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; over which the sons of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in 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 ambassadors from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that has befallen 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 into Egypt, and we were in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians mistreated 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.

and we cried unto the LORD, who heard our voice, and sent an angel and has brought us forth out of Egypt; and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of thy border.

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 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.

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

And Edom replied unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me lest I come out against thee 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 sons 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 anything else, go through on my feet.

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.

And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with many people and with 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 border; and thus 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

¶ And the sons of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto 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 spoke unto Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, on the borders of the land of Edom, saying,

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 unto his peoples; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the sons of Israel because ye were rebels to my word at the water 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 unto 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.”

and cause Aaron to be stripped of his garments and put them upon Eleazar, his son; for Aaron shall be gathered unto 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 him; and they went up into 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 caused Aaron to be stripped 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.

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

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