Numbers 20:4–21

⁴Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness ^vfor us and our livestock to die here? ^w5Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, ^xand there is no water to drink!”

⁶Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell down with their faces to the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. ⁷The Lord spoke to Moses, ⁸“Take the staff ^yand assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock ^zwhile they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.”

⁹So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence ^ajust as He had commanded him. ¹⁰Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” ¹¹Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. ^b

¹²But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” ^c13These are the waters of Meribah, ^dewhere the Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and He showed His holiness to them. ^f

Edom Denies Passage

¹⁴Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel ^gsays, ‘You know all the hardships that have overtaken us. ¹⁵Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt many years, but the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. ¹⁶When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice, sent an angel, ^hiand brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the border of your territory. ¹⁷Please let us travel through your land. We won’t travel through any field or vineyard, or drink any well water. We will travel the King’s Highway; we won’t turn to the right or the left until we have traveled through your territory.’ ” ^j

¹⁸But Edom answered him, “You must not travel through our land, or we will come out and confront you with the sword.”

¹⁹“We will go on the main road,” the Israelites replied to them, “and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay its price. ^kThere will be no problem; only let us travel through on foot.”

²⁰Yet Edom insisted, “You must not travel through.” And they came out to confront them with a large force of heavily-armed people. ^l21Edom refused to allow Israel to travel through their territory, and Israel turned away from them.