Numbers 20:4-21
Read Numbers 20 in full →4“aWhy then have you brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die 1here? 5“And why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this evil place? aIt is not a place of 1grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.” 6Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and afell on their faces. Then the glory of Yahweh appeared to them; 7and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 8“Take athe 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.”
Moses Strikes the Rock
9So Moses took the rod afrom before Yahweh, just as He had commanded him; 10and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “aListen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” 11Then Moses raised high his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and awater came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12But Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “aBecause you did not believe 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.” 13Those were the waters of 1,aMeribah 2because the sons of Israel contended with Yahweh, and He proved Himself holy among them.
Edom Refuses Passage
14From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to athe king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You bknow all the hardship that has befallen us, 15that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16‘So awe cried out to Yahweh, and He heard our voice and sent ban angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17‘Please alet 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; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we pass through your territory.’”
18aEdom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through 1us, lest I come out to meet you with the sword.” 19Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and amy livestock do drink any of your water, bthen I will 1pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, 2nothing else.” 20But he said, “aYou shall not pass through.” And Edom came out to meet him with a heavy 1force and with a strong hand. 21aThus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; bso Israel turned away from him.