THE FOURTH BOOK OF
MOSES,
called
N U M B E R S
Numbers 20 ©
The children of Israel come into the wilderness of Zin, there Miriam dies, v. 1, etc. The people murmur for water, 2. The LORD commands Moses to speak to the rock, for to yield water, 7. Moses strikes on it, 11. The LORD is displeased with Moses and Aaron by reason of their unbelief, 12. Moses desires passage through Edom, 14. Which is denied him, 18, 20. Aaron, by God’s command, surrenders his high priestly office unto his son Eleazar upon mount Hor, 23. And there he dies, 28. The entire congregation bemoans him, 29.
THEN came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the 1first month: and the people abode in 2Kadesh; and 3Miriam died there, and was buried there.
And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
And the people chodea with Moses, and spake, saying, 4Would God that we had died when ourb brethren died before the LORD!
And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in 5unto 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.
And Moses and Aaron went 6from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and 7they fell upon their faces: and the 8glory of the LORD appeared unto them.
¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Take 9the 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, andc thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
And Moses took the rod from 10before the LORD, as he commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, andd he 11said unto 12them, Hear now, ye rebels; 13muste we fetch you water out of this rock?
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the 14rock 15twice: andf the water came out abundantly, andg the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
¶And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Becauseh ye believed 16me not, 17to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, 18therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
This is the water of 19Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with 20the LORD, and he was sanctified 21in them.
¶And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of 22Edom, Thusi saith thy 23brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail 24that hath befallen us:
How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a 25long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:
And when we criedj unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sentk an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:
Let us pass, I pray thee, through 26thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the 27wells: we will go by the 28king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
And Edom said 29unto him, Thou shalt not pass 30by me, lest I come out against thee 31with the sword.
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, 32then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.
And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.
Thus Edom refused to give 33Israel passage through his border: 34wherefore Israel turnedl away from him.
¶And the children of Israel, evenm the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,
35Aaron 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 36word at the water of Meribah.
Taken Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:
And strip Aaron of 37his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered 38unto his people, and shall die there.
And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and 39they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; ando Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.
And when all the congregation 40saw that 41Aaron was dead, they 42mourned for Aaron 43thirty days, even all the house of Israel.