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the first month the whole Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and she was buried there.
2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people joined together in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarrelled with Moses and said, “If only we had also died when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, so we and our livestock can die here? 5 Why have you made us come up from Egypt to bring us to this terrible place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!”
6 Then Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Command the rock that is before their eyes, and it will yield its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as He had commanded him. 10 Moses and Aaron gathered the community together before the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out abundantly, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me enough to honour Me as holy in the eyes of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land that I have given them.”
13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarrelled with the Lord, and He showed Himself holy among them.
14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom to say:
“This is what your brother Israel says: ‘You know all the hardships that have fallen upon us. 15 Our forefathers went down to Egypt, and we have lived in Egypt many years, but the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16 When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our cry, and He has sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.
“Now we are here in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any fields or vineyards, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king’s highway, and not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
18 But Edom answered him:
“You cannot not pass through here. If you try, we will come out and attack you with the sword.”
19 The Israelites replied to him:
“We will go along the main road. Then if we or any of our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot, nothing more.”
20 But Edom replied:
“You cannot not pass through.”
Then Edom came out against them with a large army that was heavily armed. 21 Since Edom refused to give Israel passage through their territory, Israel turned away from them.
22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor near the border of the land of Edom. He said, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I have given to the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up Mount Hor. 26 Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people and die there.”
27 So Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. 28 Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 When all the community saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.