Miriam dies. The people complain of thirst, and God tells Moses to speak to a rock, but he strikes it instead. For this Moses and Aaron are told they will not enter the land. Edom refuses Israel passage, and Aaron dies at Mount Hor.
1 Then came the children of Israel , even the whole congregation , into the desert of Zin in the first month : and the people abode in Kadesh ; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
2 And there was no water for the congregation : and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron .
3 And the people chode with Moses , and spake , saying , Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD !
4 And why 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 they fell upon their faces : and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.
7 And the LORD spake unto Moses , saying ,
8 Take 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 thou 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 from before the LORD , as he commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock , and he said unto them, Hear 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 the water came out abundantly , and the congregation drank , and their beasts also.
12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron , Because ye believed me not, to sanctify 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 This is the water of Meribah ; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD , and he was sanctified in them.
14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom , Thus saith thy brother Israel , Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:
15 How our fathers went down into Egypt , and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time ; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers :
16 And when we cried unto the LORD , he heard our voice , and sent 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 Let 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 the high way : and if I and my cattle drink of thy water , then 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 refused to give Israel passage through his border : wherefore Israel turned away from him.
22 And the children of Israel , even the whole congregation , journeyed from Kadesh , and came unto mount 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 gathered unto his people : for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel , because ye 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 unto 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 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments , and put them upon Eleazar his son ; and Aaron died there in 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 thirty days , even all the house of Israel .