20 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 anything 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.