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Numbers 20 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

Death of Miriam

Num 20:1Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.
Num 20:2There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.
Num 20:3The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD!
Num 20:4“Why then have you brought the LORDS assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die [fn]here?
Num 20:5“Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of [fn]grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.”
Num 20:6Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them;
Num 20:7and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

The Water of Meribah

Num 20:8“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”
Num 20:9So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him;
Num 20:10and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”
Num 20:11Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.
Num 20:12But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
Num 20:13Those were the waters of [fn]Meribah, [fn]because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.
Num 20:14From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us;
Num 20:15that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly.
Num 20:16‘But when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.
Num 20:17‘Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”
Num 20:18Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through [fn]us, or I will come out with the sword against you.”
Num 20:19Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will [fn]pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, [fn]nothing else.
Num 20:20But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy [fn]force and with a strong hand.
Num 20:21Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
Num 20:22Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

Death of Aaron

Num 20:23Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying,
Num 20:24“Aaron will be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against My [fn]command at the waters of Meribah.
Num 20:25“Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up to Mount Hor;
Num 20:26and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron will be gathered to his people, and will die there.”
Num 20:27So Moses did just as the LORD had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
Num 20:28After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
Num 20:29When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.
NASB95 Footnotes
Literally: there
Literally: seed
I.e. contention
Or, where
Literally: me
Literally: give
Or, no great thing
Literally: people
Literally: mouth
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New American Standard Bible 1995
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Numbers Chapter 20 — Additional Translations: