1The children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there, and she was buried there.
2There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and against Aaron.
3The people quarreled with Moses and said, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before Yahweh!”
4“Why have you brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness, for us and our livestock to die here?”
5“And why did you bring us up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place of seed, nor fig, nor vine, nor pomegranate, and there is no water to drink.”
6Moses and Aaron went from before the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and they fell on their faces, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to them.
7And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
8“Take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give its water. So you shall bring out water for them from the rock, and give the congregation and their livestock drink.”
9So Moses took the staff from before Yahweh, as he had commanded him.
10Then Moses and Aaron assembled the assembly before the rock, and he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels! Shall we bring out water for you from this rock?”
11Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and abundant water came out, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
12But Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me, to treat me as holy before the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
13These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel quarreled with Yahweh, and he showed himself holy among them.
14Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that has found us,
15how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt many days, and the Egyptians did evil to us and to our fathers.
16When we cried out to Yahweh, he heard our voice and sent a messenger and brought us out of Egypt. Now here we are at Kadesh, a city at the edge of your border.
17Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, nor will we drink water from a well. We will go by the king’s road; we will not turn aside to the right or the left until we have passed through your border.
18But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through me, lest I come out against you with the sword.”
19And the children of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if we drink your water, I and my livestock, I will pay its price. Only let me pass through on foot — nothing more.”
20But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand.
21So Edom refused to let Israel pass through his border, and Israel turned away from him.
22They set out from Kadesh, and the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.
23Then Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying,
24“Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah.
25Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up Mount Hor.
26Strip Aaron of his garments and clothe Eleazar his son with them, and Aaron shall be gathered and shall die there.”
27So Moses did as Yahweh had commanded, and they went up Mount Hor before the eyes of the whole congregation.
28Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and clothed Eleazar his son with them, and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
29When the whole congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.
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