1 T hen all the people of Israel came to the Desert of Zin in the first month. And the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried.

¶ 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 N ow there was no water for the people, and they gathered together 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 complained to Moses, saying, “If only we had died when our brothers died 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 have you brought the Lord’s people into this desert, for us and our animals 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 into this bad place? It is not a place of grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates. And there is no 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 went from the people to the door of the meeting tent, and bowed to the ground. They saw the shining-greatness of the Lord.

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 T he Lord said to Moses,

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

8 “ Take the special stick. You and your brother Aaron gather the people together. Speak to the rock in front of them and it will give its water. So you will bring water out of the rock for them. Let the people and their animals 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 special stick from before the Lord, just as He had told him.

Then Moses took the rod from before the LORD as he commanded him.

10 M oses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you people who go against the Lord. Should we bring 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 hit the rock twice with his stick, and more than enough water came out. The people and their animals 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 and honored Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, you will not bring these people into the land 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 hese were the waters of Meribah because the people of Israel complained against 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 M oses sent men from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying, “This is what your brother Israel has said: ‘You know all the troubles we have had.

¶ 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 O ur fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians were bad in the way they acted toward us.

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 we cried out to the Lord. He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt. Now look, we are at Kadesh, a town at the side of your country.

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 W e ask you to let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vines. We will not even drink water from a well. We will go on the king’s road and will not turn to the right or left, until we pass through your country.’”

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 B ut Edom said to him, “You must not pass through, 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 T he people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the straight road. If I and my animals do drink any of your water, then I will pay for it. 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 Edom said, “You must not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with many men and much strength.

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

21 E dom would not let Israel pass through his country. So Israel turned away from him.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; and thus Israel turned away from him.

22 W hen they traveled from Kadesh, all the people of Israel came to Mount Hor.

¶ And the sons of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto Mount Hor.

23 T he Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the side 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 buried with his people. For he will not go into the land I have given to the people of Israel, because you went against what I told you to do 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 T ake the clothing off Aaron and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will die there and be buried with his people.”

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 M oses did just as the Lord had told him. They went up to Mount Hor before the eyes of all the people.

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 taken the clothing off Aaron 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 people saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel cried in sorrow 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.