Water from the Rock
And the sons of Israel, all the congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. And Miriam died there, and was buried there.
And there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled against Moses and against Aaron.
And the people quarreled with Moses, and said, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD!
And why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, to die there, we and our livestock?
And why have you brought us up from Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is no place of seed, or fig, or vine, or pomegranate — and there is no water to drink.”
And Moses and Aaron went from before the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces; and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother; and speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give its water. And you shall bring out water for them from the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their livestock.”
And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he had commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron assembled the assembly in front of the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring out water for you from this rock?”
And Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice; and much water came out, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to treat me as holy before the eyes of the sons of Israel — therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
These are the waters of Meribah, where the sons of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and he showed himself holy among them.
Edom Refuses Passage
And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that has found us —
how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt many days; and Egypt did evil to us and to our fathers.
And we cried out to the LORD, and he heard our voice, and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And look — we are in Kadesh, a city at the edge of your border.
Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, and we will not drink water from a well. By the King’s Road we will go; we will not turn aside right or left, until we have passed through your border.”
But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through me — lest I come out with the sword to meet you.”
And the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway; and if we drink your water, I and my livestock, then I will give its price. Only — it is nothing — let me pass through on foot.”
But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out to meet him with heavy forces and with a strong hand.
So Edom refused to let Israel pass through his border; and Israel turned away from him.
The Death of Aaron
And they set out from Kadesh; and the sons of Israel, all the congregation, came to Mount Hor.
And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying,
“Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not come into the land that I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against my mouth at the waters of Meribah.
Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up Mount Hor.
And strip Aaron of his garments, and clothe Eleazar his son in them; and Aaron shall be gathered, and shall die there.”
And Moses did as the LORD had commanded; and they went up Mount Hor before the eyes of all the congregation.
And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and clothed Eleazar his son in them; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
And all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished; and all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.