Numbers Chapter 20

The Israelites wandered the desert for forty years, before entering Canaan, "the promised land". The name of the book derives from the censuses promoted during that time in the desert.

A Conservative Version

20 : 1 And the sons of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people abode in Kadesh. And Miriam died there, and was buried there.

20 : 2 And there was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

20 : 3 And the people strove with Moses, and spoke, saying, Would that we had died when our brothers died before Jehovah!

20 : 4 And why have ye brought the assembly of Jehovah into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our beasts?

20 : 5 And why have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to 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.

20 : 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces. And the glory of Jehovah appeared to them.

20 : 7 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

20 : 8 Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye to the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water, and thou shall bring forth water to them out of the rock. So thou shall give the congregation and their cattle drink.

20 : 9 And Moses took the rod from before Jehovah, as he commanded him.

20 : 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, Hear now, ye rebels. Shall we bring forth water to you out of this rock?

20 : 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice, and water came forth abundantly. And the congregation drank, and their cattle.

20 : 12 And Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, Because ye did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.

20 : 13 These are the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel strove with Jehovah, and he was sanctified in them.

20 : 14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, Thus says thy brother Israel, Thou know all the travail that has befallen us,

20 : 15 how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians dealt ill with us and our fathers.

20 : 16 And when we cried to Jehovah, he heard our voice, and sent an agent, and brought us forth out of Egypt. And, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the outermost of thy border.

20 : 17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells. We will go along the king's highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border.

20 : 18 And Edom said to him, Thou shall not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against thee.

20 : 19 And the sons of Israel said to him, We will go up by the highway. And if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I give the price of it. Only let me, without doing anything, pass through on my feet.

20 : 20 And he said, Thou shall not pass through. And Edom came out against him with many people, and with a strong hand.

20 : 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border. Therefore Israel turned away from him.

20 : 22 And they journeyed from Kadesh, and the sons of Israel, even the whole congregation, came to mount Hor.

20 : 23 And Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying,

20 : 24 Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.

20 : 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to mount Hor,

20 : 26 and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son. And Aaron shall be gathered, and shall die there.

20 : 27 And Moses did as Jehovah commanded. And they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

20 : 28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there on the top of the mount, and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.

20 : 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.