Numbers 20:1–13

Moses’ Error at Kadesh

20Then ^athe children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in ^bKadesh; and ^cMiriam died there and was buried there.

^2dNow there was no water for the congregation; ^eso they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. ³And the people ^fcontended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died ^gwhen our brethren died before the Lord! ^4hWhy have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? ⁵And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” ⁶So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and ⁱthey ¹fell on their faces. And ^jthe glory of the Lord appeared to them.

⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^8k“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus ^lyou shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” ⁹So Moses took the rod ^mfrom before the Lord as He commanded him.

¹⁰And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, ⁿ“Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; ^oand water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

¹²Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because ^pyou did not believe Me, to ^qhallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

^13rThis was the water of ²Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.