Numbers 20

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The Israelites, the whole community, arrived in the first month at the desert of Zin. The people settledat Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.	1 And the sons of Israel, and the entire multitude, went into the desert of Sin, in the first month. And the people stayed at Kadesh. And Miriam died there, and she was buried in the same place.
2 There was no water for the community, so they banded together against Moses and Aaron.	2 And when the people were in need of water, they came together against Moses and Aaron.
3 The people laid the blame on Moses. 'We would rather have died', they said, 'as our brothers diedbefore Yahweh!	3 And as it turned into sedition, they said: “If only we had perished among our brothers in the sight of the Lord.
4 Why have you brought Yahweh's community into this desert, for us and our livestock to die here?	4 Why have you led away the Church of the Lord, into the wilderness, so that both we and our cattle would die?
5 Why did you lead us out of Egypt, only to bring us to this wretched place? It is a place unfit forsowing, it has no figs, no vines, no pomegranates, and there is not even water to drink!'	5 Why did you cause us to ascend from Egypt, and why have you led us into this most wretched place, which is not able to be sown, which does not produce figs, or vines, or pomegranates, and which, moreover, does not even have water to drink?”
6 Leaving the assembly, Moses and Aaron went to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. They threwthemselves on their faces, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to them.	6 And Moses and Aaron, dismissing the multitude, entered the tabernacle of the covenant, and they fell prone on the ground, and they cried out to the Lord, and they said: “O Lord God, listen to the outcry of this people, and open for them, from your storehouse, a fountain of living water, so that, being satisfied, their murmuring may cease.” And the glory of the Lord appeared over them.
7 Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said,	7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8 'Take the branch and call the community together, you and your brother Aaron. Then, in full view ofthem, order this rock to release its water. You wil release water from the rock for them and provide drink for thecommunity and their livestock.'	8 “Take the rod, and gather the people, you and your brother Aaron, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall bestow waters. And when you have brought forth water from the rock, the entire multitude and their cattle shall drink.”
9 Moses took up the branch from before Yahweh, as he had directed him.	9 Therefore, Moses took the rod, which was in the sight of the Lord, just as he had instructed him.
10 Moses and Aaron then cal ed the assembly together in front of the rock. He then said to them,'Listen now, you rebels. Shall we make water gush from this rock for you?'	10 And having gathered the multitude before the rock, he said to them: “Listen, you who are rebellious and unbelieving. Would we be able to cast out water from this rock?”
11 Moses then raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the branch; water gushed out inabundance, and the community and their livestock drank.	11 And when Moses had lifted up his hand, striking the stone twice with the rod, very great waters went forth, so much so that the people and their cattle were able to drink.
12 Yahweh then said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not believe that I could assert my holinessbefore the Israelites' eyes, you wil not lead this assembly into the country which I am giving them.'	12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me, so as to sanctify me before the sons of Israel, you shall not lead this people into the land, which I will give to them.”
13 These were the Waters of Meribah, where the Israelites laid the blame on Yahweh and where, bytheir means, he asserted his holiness.	13 This is the Water of Contradiction, where the sons of Israel were quarreling against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh: 'To the king of Edom. Your brother Israel says this: You areaware of the great hardships we have encountered.	14 Meanwhile, Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. They said: “Your brother Israel says this: You know of all the hardships which have overtaken us,
15 Our ancestors went down to Egypt and there we stayed for a long time. But the Egyptians treated usbadly, as they had our ancestors.	15 how our fathers descended into Egypt, and we lived there for a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted both us and our fathers,
16 When we appealed to Yahweh, he heard our cry and, sending an angel, brought us out of Egypt,and here we are, now, at Kadesh, a town on the borders of your territory.	16 and how we cried out to the Lord, and he heeded us and sent an Angel, who led us away from Egypt. Behold, we are situated in the city of Kadesh, which is at the extremity of your borders.
17 We ask permission to pass through your country. We shall not go through the fields or vineyards; weshall not drink the water from the wel s; we shal keep to the king's highway without turning to right or left until wehave passed through your territory.'	17 And we beg you to permit us to cross through your land. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards; we will not drink the waters of your wells, but we will travel by the public ways, neither turning aside to the right, nor to the left, until we have passed your borders.”
18 To which, Edom replied, 'You wil not pass through my country; if you do, I shal oppose you by forceof arms.'	18 Edom responded to them: “You shall not cross through me, otherwise, I will meet you armed.”
19 To which the Israelites replied, 'We shal keep to the high road; if I and my flocks drink any of yourwater, I am wil ing to pay for it. Al I am asking is to pass through on foot.'	19 And the sons of Israel said: “We will travel by the well-trodden path. And if we or our cattle drink from your waters, we will give you what is just. There shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us cross through quickly.”
20 Edom replied: 'You shal not pass,' and Edom opposed them in great numbers and great force.	20 But he answered, “You shall not cross.” And immediately he went out to meet them with a countless multitude and a strong hand;
21 At Edom's refusal to grant Israel passage through his territory, Israel turned away.	21 neither was he willing to agree to their petition to concede passage through his borders. For this reason, Israel diverted away from him.
22 They set out from Kadesh, and the Israelites, the whole community, came to Mount Hor.	22 And when they had moved the camp from Kadesh, they arrived at mount Hor, which is at the borders of the land of Edom,
23 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the frontier of Edom, and said,	23 where the Lord spoke to Moses:
24 'Aaron is to be gathered to his people; he will not enter the country which I have given to theIsraelites, since you both disobeyed my order at the Waters of Meribah.	24 “Let Aaron,” he said, “go to his people. For he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because he did not believe my mouth at the Waters of Contradiction.
25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor.	25 Take Aaron, and his son with him, and lead them on to mount Hor.
26 Then take Aaron's robes off him and dress his son Eleazar in them. Aaron wil then be gathered tohis people; that is where he will die.'	26 And when you have stripped the father of his vestments, you shall put them on Eleazar, his son. Aaron shall be gathered and shall die there.”
27 Moses did as Yahweh ordered. With the whole community watching, they went up Mount Hor.	27 Moses did just as the Lord had instructed. And they ascended mount Hor, in the sight of the entire multitude.
28 Moses took Aaron's robes off him and dressed his son Eleazar in them, and there Aaron died, onthe mountain-top. Moses and Eleazar then came back down the mountain.	28 And when he had despoiled Aaron of his vestments, he clothed his son Eleazar with them.
29 The whole community saw that Aaron had died, and for thirty days the whole House of Israelmourned for Aaron.	29 And when Aaron had died at the top of the mountain, Moses came down with Eleazar.
	30 And the entire multitude, seeing that Aaron lay dead, wept over him for thirty days, throughout all their families.