¶ And the whole multitude of the children of Israel, came into the desert of Sin in the first month, and the people dwelt at Cades. And there died MirIam, and was buried there.
Moreover there was no water for the multitude, wherefore they gathered them selves together against Moses and against Aaron.
And the people chode with Moses and spake saying: would God that we had perished when our brethren perished before the LORD.
Why have ye brought the congregation of the LORD unto this wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die here?
Wherefore brought ye us out of Egypt, to bring us into this ungracious place, which is no place of seed nor of figs nor vines nor of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink?
And Moses and Aaron went from the congregation unto the door of the tabernacle of witness, and fell upon their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.
And the LORD spake unto Moses saying:
take the staff, and gather thou and thy brother Aaron the congregation together, and say unto the rock before their eyes, that he give forth his water. And thou shalt bring them water out of the rock and shalt give the company drink, and their beasts also.
And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them: hear ye rebellious, must we fetch you water out of this rock?
And Moses lift up his hand with his staff and smote the rock two times, and the water came out abundantly, and the multitude drank and their beasts also.
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron: Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
This is the water of strife, because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified upon them.
¶ And Moses sent messengers from Cades unto the king of Edom. Thus sayeth thy brother Israel: Thou knowest all the travail that hath happened us,
how our fathers went down into Egypt, and how we have dwelt in Egypt a long time, and, how the Egyptians vexed both us and our fathers.
Then we cried unto the LORD and he heard our voices, and sent an angel and hath fetched us out of Egypt. And behold, we are in Cades, a city hard by the borders of thy country:
let us go a good fellowship thorow thy country: we will not go thorow the fields nor thorow the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the fountains: but we will go by the highway and neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left, until we be past thy country.
And Edom answered him: See thou come not by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.
And the children of Israel said unto him: we will go by the beaten way: and if either we or our cattle drink of thy water, we will pay for it, we will do no more but pass thorow by foot only.
And he said: ye shall not go thorow. And Edom came out against him with much people and with a mighty power.
And thus Edom denied to give Israel passage thorow his country; And Israel turned away from him.
¶ And the children of Israel removed from Cades and went unto mount Hor with all the congregation.
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, hard upon the coasts of the land of Edom saying:
let Aaron be put unto his people, for he shall not come into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel: because ye disobeyed my mouth at the water of strife.
Take Aaron and Eleazer his son, and bring them up into mount Hor,
and strip Aaron out of his vestments and put them upon Eleazer his son, and let Aaron be put unto his people and die there.
And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the multitude.
And Moses took off Aaron's clothes and put them upon Eleazer his son, and Aaron died there in the top of the mount.
And Moses and Eleazer came down out of the mount. And all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.