| Chapter
20 |
| 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 anything 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. |
