Numbers

20 Then came the sons of Israel, the whole assembly, into the desert of Zin, in the first month, and the people dwelt in Kadesh,—and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

2 And there was no water for the assembly,—so they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron.

3 And the people contended with Moses,—and spake, saying, Would then we had died when our brethren died before Yahweh!

4 Wherefore, then, hast thou brought the convocation of Yahweh into this desert,—to die there, we and our cattle?

5 And wherefore did ye cause us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us into this wretched place?—not a place of seeds, and figs, and vines, and pomegranates! even water is there none to drink.

6 And Moses and Aaron went in from the presence of the multitude unto the entrance of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces,—and the glory of Yahweh appeared unto them.

7 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:

8 Take the staff and gather together the assembly, thou and Aaron thy brother, then shall ye speak unto the cliff before their eyes and it shall give forth its waters,—so shalt thou bring forth unto them water out of the cliff, and shalt cause the assembly and their cattle to drink.

9 And Moses took the staff from before Yahweh,—as he commanded him.

10 And Moses and Aaron gathered together the convocation before the cliff,—and he said unto them: Hear, I pray you, ye rebels! Out of this cliff must we bring forth for you water?

11 And Moses lifted high his hand and smote the cliff with his staff twice,—and there came forth water in abundance, and the assembly and their cattle did drink.

12 Then said Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaron, Because ye believed not in me, to hallow me in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore shall ye not bring in this convocation into the land which I have given unto them.

13 The same were the waters of Meribah [that is “Contention”] in that the sons of Israel contended with Yahweh,—and so he hallowed himself among them.

14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom,—Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou thyself knowest all the distress which befell us;

15 and how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we abode in Egypt many days,—and that the Egyptians ill-treated us and our fathers;

16 and we made outcry unto Yahweh and he heard our voice, and sent a messenger and brought us forth out of Egypt,—lo! then, we are in Kadesh, a city at the extremity of thy boundary.

17 Let us, we pray thee, pass through thy land—we will not pass through field or vineyard, nor will we drink the waters of a well,—by the king’s road will we go—we will turn neither to the right hand nor to the left, until we get through thy boundary.

18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass through my land,—lest with the sword I come out to meet thee.

19 And the sons of Israel said unto him—By the highway will we go up, and if thy waters we should drink—I, and my cattle, then would I give the price thereof,—only—it is nothing!—with my feet would I pass through.

20 And he said, Thou shalt not pass through. And Edom came out to meet him, with a strong people and with a firm hand.

21 Thus did Edom refuse to give Israel passage through his boundary,—and Israel turned away from him.

22 Then set they forward from Kadesh,—and the sons of Israel, all the assembly, came in to Mount Hor.

23 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaron in Mount Hor,—near the boundary of the land of Edom, saying:

24 Aaron shall be withdrawn unto his kinsfolk, for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the sons of Israel,—because ye spurned my bidding at the waters of Meribah.

25 Take thou Aaron, and Eleazar his son,—and bring them up Mount Hor;

26 and strip thou Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son,—and Aaron shall be withdrawn and shall die there.

27 And Moses did as Yahweh commanded,—and they went up into Mount Hor, in sight of all the assembly.

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 out of the mount.

29 And all the assembly saw that Aaron was dead; and they bewailed Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.