¹And the children of Israel, all the congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people dwelt in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there.

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

³And the people contended with Moses, and they said: If only we had breathed our last when our brothers breathed their last before the face of Yahweh!

⁴And why have you brought the company of Yahweh into this wilderness, to die there, we and our animals?

⁵And why did you bring us up from Egypt, to bring us into this evil place? It is not a place of seed, fig, vine, or pomegranate, and there is no water to drink.

⁶Moses and Aaron went from the face of the company to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell on their faces; and the weightiness of Yahweh appeared to them.

⁷Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying:

⁸Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the crag before their eyes; and it will give its water, and you will bring out water from the crag for them, and give a drink to the congregation and their animals.

⁹Moses took the staff from before the face of Yahweh, just as he had commanded him.

¹⁰Moses and Aaron assembled the company before the face of the crag, and he said to them: Listen, please, you rebels. Shall we bring out water for you from this crag?

¹¹Moses raised his hand and struck the crag with his staff twice; and much water came out, and the congregation and their animals drank.

¹²Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron: Because you did not trust in me, to set me apart before the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you will not bring this company into the land that I have given them.

¹³These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel contended with Yahweh, and he showed himself set apart among them.

¹⁴Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that has come upon us.

¹⁵Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelled in Egypt many days; and the Egyptians did harm to us and to our fathers.

¹⁶And we cried out to Yahweh, and he heard our voice, and sent a messenger, and brought us out of Egypt; and look, we are in Kadesh, a city at the end of your boundary.

¹⁷Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through a field or a vineyard, and we will not drink the water of a well. We will go along the king's road; we will not turn aside to the right or left, until we have passed through your boundary.

¹⁸Edom said to him: You will not pass through me, or else with the sword I will come out to meet you.

¹⁹The children of Israel said to him: On the highway we will go up, and if we drink your water, I and my livestock, then I will give their price; only, there is no word—let me pass through on my feet.

²⁰He said: You will not pass through. And Edom came out to meet him with a heavy people and a strong hand.

²¹Edom refused to let Israel pass through its boundary; and Israel turned aside from him.

²²They set out from Kadesh, the children of Israel, all the congregation, and came to Hor the mountain.

²³Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron at Hor the mountain, by the boundary of the land of Edom, saying:

²⁴Aaron will be gathered to his people; for he will not come into the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my mouth at the waters of Meribah.

²⁵Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Hor the mountain.

²⁶Strip Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron will be gathered, and will die there.

²⁷Moses did just as Yahweh had commanded; and they went up to Hor the mountain before the eyes of all the congregation.

²⁸Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there at the head of the mountain; and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

²⁹All the congregation saw that Aaron had breathed his last, and they wept for Aaron thirty days, all the house of Israel.