Water From the Rock

17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,d traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,e but there was no waterf for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us waterg to drink.”h

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”i

3 But the people were thirstyj for water there, and they grumbledk against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock diel of thirst?”

4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stonem me.”

5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staffn with which you struck the Nile,o and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.p Strikeq the rock, and waterr will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massaha s and Meribahb t because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”