Numbers 20

The Israelites Complain Again

1 s Then the entire community of Israelt entered the wilderness of Zin in the first month,s and the people stayed in Kadesh.s Miriam died and was buried there.s
2 And there was no water for the community, and so they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron.3 The people contendedt with Moses, saying,t “If onlyt we had died when our brothers died before the Lord!4 Whyt have you brought up the Lord’s community into this wilderness? So thatt we and our cattle should die here?

5 Whyt have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring us tot this dreadful place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink!”

Moses Responds

6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting. They then threw themselves down with their faces to the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

8 “Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speakt to the rock before their eyes. It will pour fortht its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as he commanded him.10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels,t must we bringt water out of this rock for you?”

11 Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock twice with his staff. And water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts drank too.

The Lord’s Judgment

12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enoughts to show me as holys beforet the Israelites, therefore you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.”t

13 These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and his holiness was maintainedt among them.

Rejection by the Edomites

14 s Mosest sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom:s “Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardships we have experienced,t15 how our ancestors went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time,t and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors badly.t16 So when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent a messenger,t and has brought us up out of Egypt. Nowt we are here in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your country.t

17 Please let us pass throught your country. We will not pass through the fields or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well. We will go by the King’s Highway;s we will not turn to the right or the left until we have passed through your region.’”t
18 But Edom said to him, “You will not pass through me,t or I will come out againstt you with the sword.”

19 Then the Israelites said to him, “We will go along the highway, and if wet or our cattle drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We will only pass through on our feet, without doing anything else.”
20 But he said, “You may not pass through.” Then Edom came out against themt with a large and powerful force.t

21 So Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; therefore Israel turned away from him.

Aaron’s Death

22 So the entire company of Israelitest traveled from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor.s23 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom. He said:24 “Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors,s for he will not enter into the land I have given to the Israelites because both of yout rebelled against my wordt at the waters of Meribah.25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up on Mount Hor.

26 Remove Aaron’s priestly garmentst and put them on Eleazar his son, and Aaron will be gathered to his ancestorst and will die there.”
27 So Moses did as the Lord commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the sightt of the whole community.28 And Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

29 When all the community saw that Aaron was dead, the whole house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

NUMBERS 20

Water from a Rock

1 The people of Israel arrived at the Zin Desert during the first montht and set up camp near the town of Kadesh. It was there that Miriam died and was buried.
2  t The Israelites had no water, so they went to Moses and Aaron 3 and complained, “Moses, we'd be better off if we had died along with the others in front of the [Lord]'s sacred tent.t 4 You brought us into this desert, and now we and our livestock are going to die!

5 Egypt was better than this horrible place. At least there we had grain and figs and grapevines and pomegranates.t But now we don't even have any water.”
6 Moses and Aaron went to the entrance to the sacred tent, where they bowed down. The [Lord] appeared to them in all of his glory

7-8 and said, “Moses, get your walking stick.t Then you and Aaron call the people together and command that rock to give you water. That's how you will provide water for the people of Israel and their livestock.”
9 Moses obeyed and took his stick from the sacred tent. 10 After he and Aaron had gathered the people around the rock, he said, “Look, you rebellious people, and you will see water flow from this rock!”

11 t He raised his stick in the air and struck the rock two times. At once, water gushed from the rock, and the people and their livestock had water to drink.

12 But the [Lord] said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you refused to believe in my power, these people did not respect me. And so, you will not be the ones to lead them into the land I have promised.”

13 The Israelites had complained against the [Lord], and he had shown them his holy power by giving them water to drink. So they named the place Meribah, which means “Complaining.”

Israel Isn't Allowed //To Go through Edom

14 Moses sent messengers from Israel's camp near Kadesh with this message for the king of Edom:
We are Israelites, your own relatives, and we're sure you have heard the terrible things that have happened to us. 15 Our ancestors settled in Egypt and lived there a long time. But later the Egyptians were cruel to us,

16 and when we begged our [Lord] for help, he answered our prayer and brought us out of that land.
Now we are camped at the border of your territory, near the town of Kadesh.

17 Please let us go through your country. We won't go near your fields or vineyards, and we won't drink any water from your wells. We will stay on the main roadt until we leave your territory.

18 But the king of Edom answered, “No, I won't let you go through our country! And if you try, we will attack you.”

19 Moses sent back this message: “We promise to stay on the main road, and if any of us or our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. We just want to pass through.”

20 But the king insisted, “You can't go through our land!”
Then Edom sent out its strongest troops

21 to keep Israel from passing through its territory. So the Israelites had to go in another direction.

Aaron Dies

26 Then take Aaron's priestly robe from him and place it on Eleazar. Aaron will die there.”
27 Moses obeyed, and everyone watched as he and Aaron and Eleazar walked to the top of Mount Hor.

28 t Moses then took the priestly robe from Aaron and placed it on Eleazar. Aaron died there.
When Moses and Eleazar came down, 29 the people knew that Aaron had died, and they mourned his death for 30 days.