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.

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

There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves 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!

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

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

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

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.”

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 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 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 Y ahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

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

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 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 M oses took the rod from before Yahweh, as he commanded him.

So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had 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 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 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.

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 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.”

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 hese are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, 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 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;

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 lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians mistreated 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 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 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 “ 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.”

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 E dom said to him, “You shall not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against you.”

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

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.”

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

Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass 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.

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

23 Y ahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border 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 “ 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 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 to 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 on Eleazar his son. Aaron shall be taken, 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 M oses did as Yahweh commanded. 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 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.

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 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 had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.