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Water from the Rock

¹ Then all the people of Israel came to the Desert of Zin in the first month. And the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried.

² Now there was no water for the people, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. ³ The people complained to Moses, saying, "If only we had died when our brothers died before the Lord! ⁴ Why have you brought the Lord's people into this desert, for us and our animals to die here? ⁵ Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this bad 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 from the people to the door of the meeting tent, and bowed to the ground. They saw the shining-greatness of the Lord. ⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ⁸ "Take the special stick. You and your brother Aaron gather the people together. Speak to the rock in front of them and it will give its water. So you will bring water out of the rock for them. Let the people and their animals drink." ⁹ So Moses took the special stick from before the Lord, just as He had told him. ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you people who go against the Lord. Should we bring water for you out of this rock?" ¹¹ Then Moses lifted up his hand and hit the rock twice with his stick, and more than enough water came out. The people and their animals drank. ¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me and honored Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, you will not bring these people into the land I have given them." ¹³ These were the waters of Meribah because the people of Israel complained against the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

¹⁴ Moses sent men from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying, "This is what your brother Israel has said: ‘You know all the troubles we have had. ¹⁵ Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians were bad in the way they acted toward us. ¹⁶ But we cried out to the Lord. He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt. Now look, we are at Kadesh, a town at the side of your country. ¹⁷ We ask you to let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vines. We will not even drink water from a well. We will go on the king's road and will not turn to the right or left, until we pass through your country.'" ¹⁸ But Edom said to him, "You must not pass through, or I will come out with the sword against you." ¹⁹ The people of Israel said to him, "We will go up by the straight road. If I and my animals do drink any of your water, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else." ²⁰ But Edom said, "You must not pass through." And Edom came out against him with many men and much strength. ²¹ Edom would not let Israel pass through his country. So Israel turned away from him.

²² When they traveled from Kadesh, all the people of Israel came to Mount Hor. ²³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the side of the land of Edom, saying, ²⁴ "Aaron will be buried with his people. For he will not go into the land I have given to the people of Israel, because you went against what I told you to do at the waters of Meribah. ²⁵ Take Aaron and his son Eleazar, and bring them up to Mount Hor. ²⁶ Take the clothing off Aaron and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will die there and be buried with his people." ²⁷ Moses did just as the Lord had told him. They went up to Mount Hor before the eyes of all the people. ²⁸ After Moses had taken the clothing off Aaron and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. ²⁹ When all the people saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel cried in sorrow for Aaron thirty days.