Numbers 20–21

20TH CHAPTER

Water from the Rock

¹In the first month the whole community of Israel came into the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. 

²Since the community was without water, they came together to confront Moses and Aaron. ³The people complained to Moses and said, “If only we had died when the other Israelites died in the Lord’s presence! ⁴Did you bring the Lord’s assembly into this desert just to have us and our animals die here? ⁵Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us into this terrible place? This is no place to plant crops. Even figs, grapes, and pomegranates won’t grow here. And there’s no water to drink!” 

⁶Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting. Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 

⁷The Lord said to Moses, ⁸“Take your staff, then you and your brother Aaron gather the community. Right before their eyes, tell the rock to give up its water. In this way you will give the community water from the rock for them and their animals to drink.” 

⁹Moses took his staff out of ⸤the tent in⸥ the Lord’s presence as he had been commanded. ¹⁰Then Moses and Aaron assembled the community in front of the rock and said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?” ¹¹Moses raised his hand and hit the rock twice with the staff. Water came pouring out, and all the people and their animals drank. 

¹²But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “You didn’t trust me! You didn’t show the Israelites how holy I am! So you will not bring this congregation into the land I’m giving them.” 

¹³This was the oasis of Meribah ^[Complaining^[, where the Israelites complained about the Lord and where he showed them he was holy. 

Edom Refuses to Allow Israel to Pass through Its Territory

¹⁴Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. He said, “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardships we’ve had. ¹⁵Our ancestors went to Egypt, and we lived there for many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors. ¹⁶When we cried out to the Lord, he heard us, sent a messenger, and brought us out of Egypt. 

“Now we’re here in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. ¹⁷Please let us go through your country. We won’t go through any of your fields or vineyards, or drink any of the water from your wells. We’ll stay on the king’s highway and never leave it until we’ve passed through your territory.” 

¹⁸But the Edomites answered, “You may not pass through our country. If you try, we’ll come out and attack you.” 

¹⁹The Israelites replied, “We’ll stay on the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we’ll pay for it. We want to pass through on foot. That’s all.” 

²⁰But the Edomites said, “You may not pass through.” Then they came out and attacked with many well-armed troops. ²¹Since the Edomites refused to let Israel go through their territory, the Israelites turned around and went a different way. 

Aaron’s Death

²²The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. ²³At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²⁴“Aaron must now join his ancestors ⸤in death⸥, since he cannot enter the land I’m giving the Israelites. This is because you both rebelled against my command at the oasis of Meribah. ²⁵Bring Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor. ²⁶Take off Aaron’s priestly clothes, and put them on his son Eleazar. Then Aaron will die there and join ⸤his ancestors⸥.” 

²⁷Moses did as the Lord commanded. The whole community saw them go up on Mount Hor. ²⁸Moses took off Aaron’s priestly clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. ²⁹The whole community saw that Aaron had died, and all the Israelites mourned for Aaron 30 days. 

21ST CHAPTER

The King of Arad Is Defeated

¹When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that the Israelites were coming on the road to Atharim, he fought them and took some of them as prisoners. ²Then the Israelites made this vow to the Lord: “If you will hand these people over to us, we’ll destroy their cities because you’ve claimed them.” ³The Lord listened to the Israelites and handed the Canaanites over to them. They destroyed the Canaanites and their cities. So they called the place Hormah ^[Claimed for Destruction^[. 

The Bronze Snake

⁴Then they moved from Mount Hor, following the road that goes to the Red Sea, in order to get around Edom. The people became impatient on the trip ⁵and criticized God and Moses. They said, “Why did you make us leave Egypt—just to let us die in the desert? There’s no bread or water, and we can’t stand this awful food!” 

⁶So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people. They bit the people, and many of the Israelites died. ⁷The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we criticized the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 

⁸The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake, and put it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. People looked at the bronze snake after they were bitten, and they lived.^a

Israel Travels Past Edom to Moab

¹⁰The Israelites moved and set up camp at Oboth. ¹¹Next they moved from Oboth and set up camp at Iye Abarim in the desert west of Moab. ¹²From there they moved and set up camp at the Zered River. ¹³They moved from there and set up camp on the other side of the Arnon Valley in the desert that extends into Amorite territory. (The Arnon Valley is the border between Moab and the Amorites.) ¹⁴This is how it’s described in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: 

“… Waheb in Suphah and the valleys, 

¹⁵Arnon and the slopes of the valleys 

that go down to the site of Ar 

and lie along the border of Moab.…” 

¹⁶From there they went to Beer ^[Well^[. This is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people, and I will give them water.” ¹⁷Then Israel sang this song about the well: 

“Make your water spring up! 

Sing to the well, 

¹⁸the well dug by princes, 

dug out by the nobles of the people 

with their scepters and staffs.” 

From the desert they went to Mattanah, ¹⁹and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, ²⁰and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where Mount Pisgah overlooks Jeshimon. 

Sihon and Og Defeated

²¹Then Israel sent messengers to say to King Sihon of the Amorites, ²²“Let us go through your country. We won’t go through any of your fields or vineyards or drink any of the water from your wells. We’ll stay on the king’s highway until we’ve passed through your territory.” 

²³Sihon wouldn’t let Israel pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his troops and came out into the desert to attack Israel. When Sihon’s troops came to Jahaz, they fought against Israel. ²⁴But Israel defeated them in battle and took possession of their land from the Arnon Valley to the Jabbok River. ⸤They stopped at⸥ the border of the Ammon because it was fortified. ²⁵Israel took all those Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its villages, and lived in them. ²⁶Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites. He had fought the former king of Moab and had taken all his land up to the Arnon Valley. 

²⁷This is why the poets say: 

“Come to Heshbon! Rebuild it! 

Restore Sihon’s city! 

²⁸Fire came out of Heshbon, 

flames from Sihon’s city. 

They destroyed Ar of Moab, 

the rulers of Arnon’s worship sites.^b

²⁹How horrible it is for you, Moab! 

You are destroyed, you people of the god Chemosh. 

Chemosh let his sons become refugees 

and he let his daughters become prisoners 

of King Sihon of the Amorites. 

³⁰But we shot the Amorites full of arrows. 

From Heshbon to Dibon they all died. 

We destroyed everyone and everything 

between Nophah and Medeba.” 

³¹So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites. ³²After Moses sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its cities and villages and forced out the Amorites who were there. ³³Then they turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came out to fight the Israelites at Edrei. 

³⁴The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.” ³⁵The Israelites defeated him, his sons, and all his troops, leaving no survivors. And they took possession of his land.