Water comes out of a rock
1All the Israelites came into the Zin Desert in the first month. They went to the town of Kadesh to live there. Miriam died and they buried her there.
2There was no water for the people and they came to Moses and Aaron and complained to them. 3The people accused Moses and said: ‘We wish that we had also died when the Lord punished our family. 4Why did you bring the people of God into this desert for us and our animals to die here? 5Why did you make us go out of Egypt? Why did you bring us to this bad place? We can not sow wheat or plant fig trees, vineyards or pomegranates here, and there is no water to drink.’
6Moses and Aaron went away from the people to the entrance of the tent of the Lord. They lay down with their faces to the ground and they prayed. Then they saw the light of the glory of the Lord. 7The Lord said to Moses: 8‘Take Aaron's staff and call the people to come together with you and your brother Aaron. Then you must talk to the rock and they must see you doing it. Water will come out of the rock. You must make the water come from the rock so that the people and their animals can drink it.’
9Moses did what God said. He went to get the staff that was in front of the covenant box 10and he and Aaron called all the people to come together in front of the rock. Moses said to them: ‘You must listen, you who are so rebellious. We will make water flow from this rock for you.’
11And then Moses lifted his arm and he hit the rock twice with the staff. A lot of water came out of the rock and the people and their animals drank the water.
12But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ‘You did not believe that I would do what I said. You did not show the Israelites that I am the holy God and that is why you will not go with these people into the land that I will give them. You will not lead them in there.’
13This happened at the Meribah Water where the Israelites argued with the Lord and He showed them that He is the holy God.
The Israelites can not go through the land of Edom
14Moses sent messengers from the town of Kadesh to the king of the land of Edom. He said: ‘We are your family, the Israelites, who are talking to you. You know about all the problems we have had. 15Our forefathers went to Egypt and we lived there for many years. The Egyptians made them suffer a lot. 16But then we prayed to the Lord and asked Him to help us. The Lord heard what we asked and He sent a messenger to bring us out of Egypt. Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the border of your land. 17Please let us go through your land. We will not walk through your wheat_fields or your vineyards, and we will not drink water from your water-wells. We will walk only on the main road, and we will not turn left or right before we are through your land.’
18The king of Edom answered: ‘You may not go through my land. If you try to go through, I will go to war_against you.’
19The Israelites said to him: ‘We will walk only on the road, and if we or our animals drink from your water, we will pay for it. We will not make trouble. We only want to walk through your land.’
20But the king of Edom said: ‘You will not go through my land.’
Then he came with a big, strong army to attack the Israelites. 21The people of Edom did not want the Israelites to go through their land and the Israelites turned away from the land of Edom. 22They went away from Kadesh and they came to Mount Hor.
Aaron dies
23Mount Hor was next to the border of the land of Edom. At Mount Hor the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 24‘It is time for Aaron to die. He will not go into the land that I am giving to the Israelites, because you did not listen to Me and you were rebellious against Me at the Meribah Water. 25You must tell Aaron and his son Eleazar to come with you to the top of Mount Hor. 26Then you must take off Aaron's clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will die there.’
27Moses did what God said. They went up Mount Hor while all the people were looking at them. 28Moses took off Aaron's clothes and he put them on Aaron's son, Eleazar. Aaron died there on top of the mountain and Moses and Eleazar came down the mountain. 29When the people realised that Aaron was dead, all the Israelites cried and mourned for him for 30 days.
