³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!^(A) There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food^(B) we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”^(C)

² So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water^(A) to drink.”^(B)

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”^(C)

³ But the people were thirsty^(D) for water there, and they grumbled^(E) against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die^(F) of thirst?”

⁴ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone^(G) me.”

¹² Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram,^(A) the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come!^{(B) 13} Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey^(C) to kill us in the wilderness?^(D) And now you also want to lord it over us!^{(E) 14} Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey^(F) or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards.^(G) Do you want to treat these men like slaves^[a]?^(H) No, we will not come!^(I)”