Numbers 20

The children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.

There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

The people quarreled with Moses and spoke, saying, “We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh!

Why have you brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness that we should die there, we and our animals?

Why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is not a place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.”

Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and fell on their faces, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to them.

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

“Take the walking staff and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water and you will bring water out of the rock for them. So you will give the congregation and their livestock drink.”

So Moses took the staff from before Yahweh as he commanded him.

Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?”

Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.

But Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me to treat me as holy in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

These are the waters of Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled with Yahweh and he proved himself holy among them.

Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying, “This is what your brother Israel says: you know all the travail that has happened to us,

how our fathers went down into Egypt and we lived in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers.

And when we cried out to Yahweh, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And behold, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border.

Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard, nor will we drink the water from the wells. We will go along the king’s highway, we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left until we have passed your border.”

Edom said to him, “You must not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against you.”

The children of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on foot; nothing more.”

He said, “You must not pass through.” Edom came out against him with many people and with a strong hand.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.

They traveled from Kadesh, and the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying,

“Aaron will be gathered to his people, for he will not enter into the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.

Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor,

and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron will be gathered to his people and will die there.”

Moses did as Yahweh commanded, and they went up into Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son, and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

When all the congregation saw that Aaron had breathed his last, the whole house of Israel wept for Aaron for 30 days.