The Waters of Meribah |
Numbers 20:1-29 The Fourth Book of Moses Called Numbers |
Then the whole congregation [of the] children [people] of Israel came into the Desert of Zin in the 1st month & stayed in Kadesh. Miriam [Aaron’s sister] died there & was buried there. |
There was no water for the congregation & they gathered together against Moses & Aaron. The people [argued] with Moses, saying, [If only] God had [let us die,] when our brethren died before the Lord [God]! |
[Why] have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, [so] we & our [livestock] should die there? [Why] have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us into this [bad] place? |
[It’s not a] place of [grains,] figs, [grapevines,] or of pomegranates. Neither is there any water to drink. Moses & Aaron [left] the presence of the assembly [& went] to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation & fell upon their faces. |
The glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take the rod & you & your brother, Aaron & gather the assembly together. |
Speak to the rock before their eyes & it shall give [out its] water & you shall bring to them water [out] of the rock, [so] you shall give the congregation & their [animals] water to drink. Moses took the rod [that was] before the Lord, as He commanded [Moses.] |
Moses & Aaron gathered the congregation together [in front of] the rock & [Moses] said to them, Hear now, you rebels. Must we [get] you water out of this rock? Moses lifted up [his] hand & [struck] the rock twice with his rod. |
The water came out abundantly & the congregation & so their [animals] drank [it.] The Lord [spoke] to Moses & Aaron, Because you [didn’t believe] Me & didn’t sanctify Me in the eyes of the children [people] of Israel, |
Therefore, you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. |
This is the water of Meribah; because the [people] of Israel [argued] with the Lord & He was [Who] sanctified them. |
Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. Your brother, Israel, [said this,] You know all the [hardship] that has [happened to] us. How our [forefathers] went down into Egypt & we [lived] in Egypt a long time. |
And the Egyptians [persecuted] us & our [forefathers.] And when we cried [out] to the Lord & He heard our voice & sent an angel & has brought us out of Egypt. [Look,] we are in Kadesh, a city in the [furthest part] of your border. |
I pray [that] you let us pass through your country. We will not [go] through the fields or the vineyards. Neither will we drink the water [from] your wells. We will go [on] the King’s Highway. We will not turn to the right or to the left, until we have passed [through] your borders. |
Edom said to him, You shall not pass by me, lest I come out against you with a sword. The children [people] of Israel said to him, We will go by the highway. If I & the [livestock] drink [any] of your water, then I will pay for it. I will only go through on my feet, without doing anything else. |
[Edom’s king] said, You shall not go through. And Edom came out against [them] with [many] people & with a strong hand. Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border. |
[Therefore,] Israel turned away from him. Even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh & came to Mount Hor. The Lord [spoke] to Moses & Aaron [at] Mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered to his people. |
For he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children [people] of Israel, because you rebelled against My Word at the water of Meribah.Take Aaron & Eleazar, his son & bring them up to Mount Hor. And strip Aaron of his [priest’s] garments & put them on Eleazar, his son. |
Aaron shall be gathered to his people & shall die there. Moses did as the Lord commanded. And they went up into Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. Moses stripped Aaron of his garments & put them on Eleazar, his son. |
Aaron died there [on] top of the [mountain] & Moses & Eleazar came down from the [mountain.] And when all the congregation [of] Israel saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron 30 days, even all the house of Israel. |