Numbers 20
1 Then
came the
children 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 And there was no
water for the
congregation: and they
gathered themselves together against
Moses and against
Aaron. 3 And the
people chode with
Moses, and
spake,
saying, Would God
that we had
died when our
brethren died before the
LORD! 4 And why have ye brought
up the
congregation of the
LORD into this
wilderness, that we and our
cattle should
die there?
5 And wherefore have ye made us to come
up out of
Egypt, to
bring us in unto 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.
6 And
Moses and
Aaron went from the
presence of the
assembly unto the
door of the
tabernacle of the
congregation, and they
fell upon their
faces: and the
glory of the
LORD appeared unto them.
7 And the
LORD spake unto
Moses, saying,
8 Take the
rod, and
gather thou the
assembly together, thou, and
Aaron thy
brother, and
speak ye unto the
rock before their
eyes; and it shall give
forth his
water, and thou shalt bring
forth to them
water out of the
rock: so thou shalt
give the
congregation and their
beasts drink.
9 And
Moses took the
rod from
before the
LORD, as he
commanded him.
10 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 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
beasts also.
12 And the
LORD spake unto
Moses and
Aaron, Because ye
believed me not, to
sanctify me in the
eyes of the
children of
Israel, therefore ye shall not
bring this
congregation into the
land which I have
given them.
13 This
is the
water of
Meribah; because the
children of
Israel strove with the
LORD, and he was
sanctified in them.
14 And
Moses sent messengers from
Kadesh unto the
king of
Edom, Thus
saith thy
brother Israel, Thou
knowest all the
travail that hath
befallen us:
15 How our
fathers went
down into
Egypt, and we have
dwelt in
Egypt a
long time; and the
Egyptians vexed us, and our
fathers: 16 And when we
cried unto the
LORD, he
heard our
voice, and
sent an
angel, and hath brought us
forth out of
Egypt: and, behold, we are in
Kadesh, a
city in the
uttermost of thy
border: 17 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 And
Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not
pass by me, lest I come
out against thee with the
sword. 19 And the
children 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 any
thing else, go
through on my
feet. 20 And he
said, Thou shalt not go
through. And
Edom came
out against him with
much people, and with a
strong hand. 21 Thus
Edom refused to
give Israel passage through his
border: wherefore
Israel turned
away from him.
22 And the
children of
Israel, even the whole
congregation, journeyed from
Kadesh, and
came unto
mount Hor. 23 And the
LORD spake unto
Moses and
Aaron in
mount Hor, by the
coast of the
land of
Edom, saying,
24 Aaron shall be
gathered unto his
people: for he shall not
enter into the
land which I have
given unto the
children of
Israel, because ye rebelled
against my
word at the
water of
Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and
Eleazar his
son, and bring them
up unto
mount Hor: 26 And
strip Aaron of his
garments, and
put them upon
Eleazar his
son: and
Aaron shall be
gathered unto his people, and shall
die there.
27 And
Moses did as the
LORD commanded: and they went
up into
mount Hor in the
sight of all the
congregation. 28 And
Moses stripped Aaron 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 And when all the
congregation saw that
Aaron was
dead, they
mourned for
Aaron thirty days, even all the
house of
Israel.