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Numbers 20

1The sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month. The people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there. 2There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled against Moses and Aaron. 3The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh! 4Why have you brought Yahweh's assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? 5Why did you bring us up from Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is no place for seed, figs, vines, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Yahweh's glory appeared to them.

7Yahweh spoke to Moses: 8“Take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give its water. You will bring water out of the rock for them and give the congregation and their livestock water to drink.” 9Moses took the staff from before Yahweh, as he had commanded him. 10Moses and Aaron assembled the gathering in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” 11Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice. Abundant water came out, and the congregation and their livestock drank. 12Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to show me holy before the eyes of the sons of Israel, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” 13These are the waters of Meribah, where the sons of Israel quarreled with Yahweh, and he showed himself holy among them.

14Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardship that has overtaken us. 15Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt for many days. The Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16We cried out to Yahweh, and he heard our voice and sent a messenger and brought us out of Egypt. Now we are at Kadesh, a town at the edge of your territory. 17Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, and we will not drink water from a well. We will travel the King's Road, turning neither right nor left until we have passed through your territory.” 18Edom said to him, “You must not pass through me, or I will come out against you with the sword.” 19The sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway. If I and my livestock drink your water, I will pay its price. It is only this: let me pass through on foot.” 20He said, “You must not pass through.” Edom came out against him with a great force and a strong hand. 21Edom refused to let Israel pass through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.

22They traveled from Kadesh, and the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor. 23Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom: 24“Aaron must be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I have given the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor. 26Strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered and die there.” 27Moses did as Yahweh commanded. They went up Mount Hor before the eyes of the whole congregation. 28Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain, and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29The whole congregation saw that Aaron had died, and the whole house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Translation notes 4

20:1 — First month; Miriam. The month is named without a year here. The draft does not insert a date reconstructed from other passages. Miriam's death and burial are stated without an explanation of her thoughts or a moral assessment of her final years.

20:8–13 — Staff; trust; holiness. Moses is told to take the staff and speak to the rock; he strikes it twice. Yahweh addresses both Moses and Aaron, saying they failed to trust him and show him holy. The narrative does not identify every feature of their failure with a separate explanation. “Must we bring” represents the question's modal force; “can we bring” is another interpretation. “Meribah” is associated with the Hebrew verb for quarreling.

20:14–21 — Brother; messenger; collective speech. Israel calls itself Edom's brother. “Messenger” in verse 16 can also be understood as an angel. Edom and Israel speak as single collective persons, and the draft preserves the shifts between “we” and “I.” The King's Road names a route; the text does not give modern coordinates. “Strong hand” retains the image of force.

20:24–28 — Gathered; garments. Being gathered to one's people is an expression for death, retained alongside the explicit statement that Aaron dies. The plural “you rebelled” addresses Moses and Aaron together. The garments are transferred to Eleazar, marking succession; their individual pieces are not listed again here. The passage does not specify the mountain's modern identification.