20:1¹ Then the entire community of Israel² entered the wilderness of Zin in the first month;³ and the people dwelt in Kadesh,⁴ and Miriam died there, and was buried there.⁵

20:2 And there was no water for the community; and so they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 20:3 And the people strove⁶ with Moses, and said,⁷ “If only⁸ we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!” 20:4 “Why⁹ have you brought up the community of the LORD into this wilderness, that¹⁰ we and our cattle should die there?” 20:5 “Why¹¹ have you brought us up from Egypt, to bring us into¹² this evil place; it is no place for seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.”

20:6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting, and they fell on their faces; and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 20:7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 20:8 “Take the rod, and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak¹³ to the rock before their eyes; and it will pour forth¹⁴ its water, and you will bring forth to them water from the rock, and so you will give the community and their beasts drink.”

20:9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as he commanded him. 20:10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock; and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels,¹⁵ must we bring¹⁶ water out of this rock for you?” 20:11 Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice. And water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts also.

20:12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough¹⁷ to sanctify¹⁸ me in the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you will not bring this community into the land which I have given them.”¹⁹

20:13 This is the water of Meribah, because the Israelites strove with the LORD, and his holiness was maintained²⁰ among them.

20:14 Moses²² sent messengers from Kadesh to the King of Edom:²³ “Thus says your brother Israel—You know all the hardships that we have experienced,²⁴ 20:15 How our ancestors went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time,²⁵ and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors badly.²⁶ 20:16 So when we cried to LORD, he heard our voice, and he sent a messenger,²⁷ and has brought us up out of Egypt; and now²⁸ we are here in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your country.²⁹ 20:17 Please let us pass through³⁰ your country. We will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards; neither will we drink water from any well. We will go by the King’s Way;³¹ we will not turn to the right hand or to the left, until we have passed through your region.”³²

20:18 But Edom said to him, “You will not pass through me,³³ or I will come out against you with the sword.” 20:19 Then the Israelites said to him, “We will go along the high way, and if we³⁴ or our cattle drink any of your water, then we will pay for it. We will only pass through on our feet, without doing anything else.”

20:20 But he said, “You will not pass through. Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful force.³⁵ 20:21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; so Israel turned away from him.

20:22 So the entire company of Israelites,³⁶ journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor.³⁷ 20:23 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying, 20:24 “Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors,³⁸ for he will not enter into the land which I have given to the Israelites, because you³⁹ rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah. 20:25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up into Mount Hor. 20:26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son, and Aaron will be gathered and will die there.”

20:27 So Moses did as the LORD commanded; and they went up into Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. 20:28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron died there in the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 20:29 And when all the community saw that Aaron was dead, the whole house of Israel mourned for Aaron for thirty days.