1 Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the ANum 13:21; 27:14; 33:36wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

2 AEx 17:1There was no water for the congregation, BNum 16:19, 42and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. 3 AEx 17:2The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “BNum 14:2, 3If only we had perished CNum 16:31-35when our brothers perished before the Loʀᴅ! 4  “AEx 17:3Why then have you brought the Loʀᴅ’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die 1Lit therehere? 5  “Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? ANum 16:14It is not a place of 1Lit seedgrain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and ANum 14:5fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Loʀᴅ appeared to them; 7 and the Loʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying,

8 “Take AEx 4:17, 20; 17:5, 6the 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 So Moses took the rod ANum 17:10from before the Loʀᴅ, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “APs 106:33Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and APs 78:16; Is 48:21; 1 Cor 10:4water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12 But the Loʀᴅ said to Moses and Aaron, “ANum 20:24; 27:14; Deut 1:37; 3:26, 27Because 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 Those were the waters of 1I.e. contentionAEx 17:7; Ps 95:8Meribah, 2Or wherebecause the sons of Israel contended with the Loʀᴅ, and He proved Himself holy among them.

14 From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to AGen 36:31-39; Deut 2:4the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You BJosh 2:9, 10; 9:9, 10, 24know all the hardship that has befallen us; 15 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  ‘But AEx 2:23; 3:7when we cried out to the Loʀᴅ, He heard our voice and sent BEx 14:19an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17  ‘Please ANum 21:22let 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 ANum 24:18Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through 1Lit meus, or I will come out with the sword against you.” 19 Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and AEx 12:38my livestock do drink any of your water, BDeut 2:6, 28then I will 1Lit givepay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, 2Or no great thingnothing else.” 20 But he said, “AJudg 11:17You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy 1Lit peopleforce and with a strong hand. 21 AJudg 11:17Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; BDeut 2:8so Israel turned away from him.

22 Now when they set out from ANum 20:1, 14Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

23 Then the Loʀᴅ spoke to Moses and Aaron at ANum 33:37Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying, 24 “Aaron will be AGen 25:8gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because BNum 20:5, 10you rebelled against My 1Lit mouthcommand at the waters of Meribah. 25  “Take Aaron and his son ANum 3:4Eleazar and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26 and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron will be ANum 20:24gathered to his people, and will die there.” 27 So Moses did just as the Loʀᴅ had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and AEx 29:29put them on his son Eleazar, BNum 33:38; Deut 10:6; 32:50Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty AGen 1:5; 50:3, 10; Deut 34:8days.