1 T he children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month. The people stayed in Kadesh. 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 together against Moses and against Aaron.

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

3 T he people quarreled with Moses, and spoke, saying, “We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh!

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

4 W hy have you brought Yahweh’s assembly into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals?

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 to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to 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.”

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 M oses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces. Yahweh’s glory 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 Y ahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses,

8 “ Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it pour out its water. You shall bring water to them out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their livestock 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 M oses took the rod from before Yahweh, as he commanded him.

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

10 M oses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Shall we bring water out of this rock for you?”

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 M oses lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice, and water came out abundantly. The congregation and their livestock 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 Y ahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children 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 hese are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.

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

14 M oses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the travail that has happened to 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 h ow our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers.

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

16 W hen we cried to Yahweh, he heard our voice, sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the edge of your border.

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 “ Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink from the water of the wells. We will go along the king’s highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your border.”

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 said to him, “You shall not pass through me, lest I 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 T he children of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway; and if we drink your water, I and my livestock, then I will give its price. Only let me, without doing anything else, pass through on my feet.”

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 H e said, “You shall not pass through.” Edom came out against him with many people, 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 give Israel passage through his border, so Israel turned away from him.

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

22 T hey traveled from Kadesh: and the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

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

23 Y ahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in 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 shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word 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 Eleazar his son, 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 Eleazar his son. Aaron shall be taken, and shall 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 M oses did as Yahweh commanded. They went up into 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 M oses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain, and 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 was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

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