20 *Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, ainto the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and bMiriam died there, and was buried there. 2 cAnd there was no water for the congregation: dand they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people echode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died fwhen our brethren died before the Lord! 4 And gwhy have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and hthey fell upon their faces: and ithe glory of the Lord appeared unto them. 7 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 8 kTake the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and lthou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod mfrom before the Lord, as he commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, nHear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and othe water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. 12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because pye believed me not, to qsanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 13 rThis is the water of ||Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

14 sAnd Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto tthe king of Edom, Thus saith uthy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath †befallen us: 15 vHow our fathers went down into Egypt, wand we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; xand the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 16 And ywhen we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and zsent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 17 aLet us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. 18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by bthe high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, cthen I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom drefused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel eturned away from him.

22 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from fKadesh, and came unto gmount Hor. 23 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 24 Aaron shall be hgathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because iye rebelled against my †word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: 26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered kunto his people, and shall die there. 27 And Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 lAnd Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there min the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron nthirty days, even all the house of Israel.