Water From the Rock

20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin,k and they stayed at Kadesh.l There Miriamm died and was buried.

2 Now there was no watern for the community,o and the people gathered in oppositionp to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreledq with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell deadr before the Lord!s 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness,t that we and our livestock should die here?u 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.v And there is no water to drink!w”

6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meetingx and fell facedown,y and the glory of the Lordz appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff,a and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.b You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

9 So Moses took the staffc from the Lord’s presence,d just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly togethere in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”f 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Waterg gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holyh in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”i

13 These were the waters of Meribah,a j where the Israelites quarreledk with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.l