Numbers

Water from the Rock:

Sentence Against Moses and Aaron

The whole congregation of Israel came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.

There was no water for the community, and the people gathered together against Moses and Aaron.

They disputed with Moses, saying:

“Would that we had perished with our relatives in the presence of the Lord!

Why have you led the Lord’s community to this desert to die here with our cattle?

And why did you bring us out of Egypt to this wretched place? There’s no place for grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates, and no water for drinking.”

Moses and Aaron fled from the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared,

and the Lord spoke to Moses,

Take your rod and assemble the community, you and Aaron, your brother. In their presence, command the rock to give forth water, and you will make water gush from the rock for the community and their livestock to drink.”

So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as ordered.

Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock and said to them:

“Listen, you rebels. Shall we bring water for you from this rock?”

Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Then, abundant water was gushed out for the community and their livestock to drink.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron:

“You did not trust me nor treat me as the Holy One in the sight of the Israelites; because of that, you shall not lead this community into the land that I am giving you.”

The sons of Israel quarreled with the Lord at the waters of Meribah, where he showed them his holiness.

FROM CADES TO THE JORDAN

Edom Refuses to Let Israel Pass

Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, and they said to him, “This is the petition of your brother Israel: you know the trials we had to suffer.

Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived there for a long time. But the Egyptians mistreated us as they did our fathers.

Then we cried to the Lord, and he listened to us. He sent an angel to bring us out of Egypt; now we are in Kadesh, the town on the borders of your territory.

We would like to pass through your land. We will not cross any fields or vineyards or drink water from the wells, but we will keep to the king’s road without turning to the right or left until we are out of your land.”

The king of Edom answered:

“You shall not pass through my land. If you do, I will come out to attack you.”

The Israelites said:

“We will keep to the road and even pay for the water we and our cattle drink. We ask only for your permission to pass through with our sheep.”

Edom answered:

“You shall not pass through.”

And the Edomites marched out to meet Israel with a large army and numerous armed men.

Thus, Edom refused to let Israel pass through his land, and Israel had to turn away.

Death of Aaron

The Israelites set out from Kadesh, and the whole community came to Mount Hor.

On the border of the land of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron:

“Aaron must now be gathered to his people. You shall not enter the land that I am giving to Israel, since you rebelled against me at the waters of Meribah.

Take Aaron and Eleazar, his son, and bring them up Mount Hor.

There, strip Aaron of his garments and put them on him before Aaron is gathered to his people. For he is to die there.”

Moses did as the Lord ordered. In the sight of the whole community, they went up Mount Hor.

There, Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar, his son, and Aaron died atop the mountain.

When the Israelites saw that Aaron had died, the whole community wept for him for thirty days.